Equipment for Analytical, Preparative and Flash Chromatography:
UV–VIS Detectors ● Column Ovens ● Software ● Pumps ● InjectorsPREPARATIVE PDA
DETECTOR TO LOOK OUT FOR
Dimensions
182 x 59 x 67 mm
(7,17 x 2,32 x 2,64 in)Visit us at Analytical Shanghai 2018, booth E3.
Americká 3, 120 00 Praha 2, Czech Republic
http://www.ecomsro.comBABY18DAD, detector
so small, you might
lose it!No Sex Please, We’re
Copperheads!
Mass spec “venomics” analyzes the
deadliness of asexually produced snakes
Who?
A team from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine,
UK, and the Evolutionary and Translational Venomics
Laboratory, Spain, have analyzed the venom of snake
offspring in a recent study (1).
What?
The researchers were looking specifically at copperhead
snakes conceived via facultative parthogenesis (FP) – where
the mother reproduces without fertilization – to ascertain
whether sexless reproduction might negatively impact the
potency of venom (negative if you’re not their prey, that is).
Why?
Previous studies have shown that FP in jawed vertebrates
can result in a lack of genetic diversity, which typically leads
to lower evolutionary fitness. What’s more, as it was only
observed in captivity, it has been considered a “reproductive
error” (1) rather than a viable mode of procreation. So you
might expect FP to have a negative impact on a genetically
complex survival trait like venom composition.
How?
They collected the venom of four snakes born in
captivity to wild-collected females. They then used 2D
gel electrophoresis to gain a proteomic profile and LC-
MS/MS to compare and analyze the samples, looking
specifically at toxicity and coagulopathic effect.
Findings?
FP was found to have little impact on the chemical
complexity of the copperheads’ venom – in fact, there was
a high degree of similarity with the venom sampled from
each snake’s mother. The researchers believe this finding
reinforces the viability of FP “as a potentially important mode
of reproduction.”
Reference
- JJ Calvete et al., “Venom complexity in a pitviper produced by
facultative parthogenesis”, Sci Rep, 8, 11539 (2018). DOI: 10.1038/
s41598-018-29791-y