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Snake Venom Phospholipase A2: Evolution and Diversity

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Book cover Venom Genomics and Proteomics

Part of the book series: Toxinology ((TOXI))

Abstract

Snake venom phospholipases A2 (vPLA2s) most likely originated from more than one body gene and have undergone multiple convergent and divergent evolutionary events in the snakes’ adaptation and survival. The evolution of vPLA2s is inextricably linked to snake phylogeography, ecology, and natural history. It has been shown that both mammalian secretory PLA2s and snake vPLA2s exist as multiple isoforms. The vPLA2 genes undergo duplication, accelerated evolution, and positive Darwinian selection, and so the structures, functions, and expression levels of the isoforms vary greatly. The successful applications of advanced liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry have promoted vPLA2 isolation, characterization, and related research significantly. Major pharmacological effects of vPLA2 isoforms have been found to be either antiplatelet, anticoagulant, myotoxic, neurotoxic, edematous, hypotensive, or any combination of the above. Some vPLA2s have reduced or lost their catalytic activities to exert special target-binding, chaperoning, or membrane-disrupting functions. Structural changes at their interface recognition sites and specific mutations at the active sites affect both catalytic-dependent and non-catalytic-dependent toxicities of vPLA2s. The N-terminal and the C-terminal regions of vPLA2 usually contain special features highlighting the molecular evolution of each vPLA2 subtype. Moreover, synergisms between vPLA2s and other venom components may result in prominent hemorrhagic, neurotoxic, hypotensive, edematous, or antibacterial effects after envenoming. How vPLA2s and snake venom have diversified and evolved to fulfill the role of an efficient and powerful arsenal toward potential preys and enemies is demonstrated through the ample updated examples.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Biological Chemistry, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan

    Inn-Ho Tsai

  2. Institute of Biochemical Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Inn-Ho Tsai

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Venom and Toxin Research Programme, Department of Anatomy, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore

    P. Gopalakrishnakone

  2. Structural and Functional Venomics Lab, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia (CSIC), Valencia, Spain

    Juan J. Calvete

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Tsai, IH. (2016). Snake Venom Phospholipase A2: Evolution and Diversity. In: Gopalakrishnakone, P., Calvete, J. (eds) Venom Genomics and Proteomics. Toxinology. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6416-3_50

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