Open AccessThrombin‐like enzymes from venom gland of Deinagkistrodon acutus : cDNA cloning, mechanism of diversity and phylogenetic tree construction 1
Author(s) -
ZHA Xiangdong,
HUANG Hesheng,
ZHOU Lizhi,
LIU Jing,
XU Kangsen
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
acta pharmacologica sinica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.514
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1745-7254
pISSN - 1671-4083
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-7254.2006.00262.x
Subject(s) - venom , complementary dna , phylogenetic tree , cloning (programming) , biology , enzyme , molecular cloning , mechanism (biology) , thrombin , tree (set theory) , gene , phylogenetics , microbiology and biotechnology , zoology , biochemistry , immunology , computer science , programming language , mathematical analysis , philosophy , platelet , mathematics , epistemology
Aim: To clone cDNAs of thrombin‐like enzymes (TLEs) from venom gland of Deinagkistrodon acutus and analyze the mechanisms by which their structural diversity arose. Methods: Reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction and gene cloning techniques were used, and the cloned sequences were analyzed by using bioinformatics tools. Results: Novel cDNAs of snake venom TLEs were cloned. The possibilities of post‐transcriptional recombination and horizontal gene transfer are discussed. A phylogenetic tree was constructed. Conclusion: The cDNAs of snake venom TLEs exhibit great diversification. There are several types of structural variations. These variations may be attributable to certain mechanisms including recombination.