32 A toxicovenomic study was performed on the venom of the green mamba, 33 Dendroaspis angusticeps. Forty-two different proteins were identified in the venom of 34 D. angusticeps, in addition to the nucleoside adenosine. The most abundant proteins 35 belong to the three-finger toxin (3FTx) (69.2%) and the Kunitz-type proteinase inhibitor 36 (16.3%) families. Several sub-subfamilies of the 3FTxs...

While structural studies of reptile venom toxins can be achieved using lyophilized venom samples, until now the cloning of precursor cDNAs required sacrifice of the specimen for dissection of the venom glands. Here we describe a simple and rapid technique that unmasks venom protein mRNAs present in lyophilized venom samples. To illustrate the technique we have RT-PCR-amplified a range of venom ...

Over 24 years, from 1976 to 1999, we conducted a prospective study of overall and cause-specific mortality among the population of 42 villages of south-eastern Senegal. Of 4228 deaths registered during this period, 26 were caused by snakebite, 4 by invertebrate stings and 8 by other wild or domestic animals. The average annual mortality rate from snakebite was 14 deaths per 100,000 population. ...

We have studied the stoichiometry of the binding of the long alpha-neurotoxins from the venom of Dendroaspis viridis (alpha-dendrotoxin) and Naja naja siamensis (alpha-cobratoxin) to the membrane-bound acetylcholine receptor (AcChoR) from Torpedo californica electric organ. The number of toxin molecules bound to one AcChoR molecule was determined by simultaneous-quantitative gas-phase microsequ...

The natriuretic peptides are considered to be cardioprotective; however, their receptors have not been identified in human myocardium using radiolabeled analogs. Dendroaspis natriuretic peptide (DNP) has been recently identified as a new member of this peptide family and is thought to be less susceptible to enzymatic degradation. Therefore, we have developed the novel radiolabeled analog [125I]...

In recent decades natural biological products (including components of animals and plants) have increasingly been investigated to discover new drugs. In this study, different dendrotoxins from Eastern green mamba (Dendroaspis aungusticeps) venom were examined for their effects on neurotransmitter release in chicken biventer cervices nerve-muscle preparation using twitch tension recording techni...