Venom Variation of Bothrops jararacussu Snake by Individual Sample Analysis

¹Rafael, A.; ²Tanjoni, I.; ²Moura-da-Silva, A. M. and ¹Furtado, M. F. D..

1 Laboratório de Herpetologia e 2 Laboratório de Imunopatologia, Instituto Butantan, São Paulo, Brasil.

Eighty eight individual sample of Bothrops jararacussu snake venom were analysed (from different localities in Brasil), according to their different eletrophoretic patterns and reactivity against MAJar-3 monoclonal antibody (against Bothrops jararaca´s venom  metalloproteinase). The SDS-PAGE was made by gradient gel of poliacrylamide (7,5 to 17,5%). The eletrophoretic profile results presented different bands in 3 regions. At the first region, with molecular mass between 94 and 43 kDa, 2 bands were found with about 55 and 53 kDa, which were stable in 90% of the samples. The second region, between 43 and 20,1 kDa, was the one that has shown the largest variability among the samples, showing a band of about 38 kDa, which has varied greatly in its intensity, and in some of the samples a band of about 28 kDa was verified. In the third region, with molecular mass between 20,1 and 14,4 kDa, a band of approximately 15 kDa was noted. This band was always quite intense, and occurred in all samples. In this same region another band of 18 kDa was present in 28% of the samples. When the samples were analyzed by dot-blot, the reactivity against MAJar-3 monoclonal antibody, were present in 65% of the samples. The variations detected by electrophoresis and by reactivity against MAJar-3 monoclonal antibody didn’t show variations according to sex, age or origin of the samples, but indicated that the individual variability prevailed.

Support: FAPESP

Correspondence to: drirafael@yahoo.com.br