Enter the Dragon: The Dynamic and Multifunctional Evolution of Anguimorpha Lizard Venoms
, Jordan Debono 1, Carson Stephens 7, Nadya Panagides 1, Bin Li 8, Mary-Louise Roy Manchadi 9, Aude Violette 10, Rudy Fourmy 10, Iwan Hendrikx 1, Amanda Nouwens 11, Judith Clements 7, Paolo Martelli 12, Hang Fai Kwok 8 and Bryan G. Fry 1,*
Abstract
While snake venoms have been the subject of intense study, comparatively little work has been done on lizard venoms. In this study, we have examined the structural and functional diversification of anguimorph lizard venoms and associated toxins, and related these results to dentition and predatory ecology. Venom composition was shown to be highly variable across the 20 species of Heloderma, Lanthanotus, and Varanus included in our study. While kallikrein enzymes were ubiquitous, they were also a particularly multifunctional toxin type, with differential activities on enzyme substrates and also ability to degrade alpha or beta chains of fibrinogen that reflects structural variability. Examination of other toxin types also revealed similar variability in their presence and activity levels. The high level of venom chemistry variation in varanid lizards compared to that of helodermatid lizards suggests that venom may be subject to different selection pressures in these two families. These results not only contribute to our understanding of venom evolution but also reveal anguimorph lizard venoms to be rich sources of novel bioactive molecules with potential as drug design and development lead compounds. View Full-Text
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Koludarov, I.; Jackson, T.N.; Brouw, B.; Dobson, J.; Dashevsky, D.; Arbuckle, K.; Clemente, C.J.; Stockdale, E.J.; Cochran, C.; Debono, J.; Stephens, C.; Panagides, N.; Li, B.; Manchadi, M.-L.; Violette, A.; Fourmy, R.; Hendrikx, I.; Nouwens, A.; Clements, J.; Martelli, P.; Kwok, H.F.; Fry, B.G. Enter the Dragon: The Dynamic and Multifunctional Evolution of Anguimorpha Lizard Venoms. Toxins 2017, 9, 242.
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