Abstract
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.
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Project supported by the Innovative Research Team of the 211 Project of Anhui University.
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Zha, Xd., Huang, Hs., Zhou, Lz. et al. Thrombin-like enzymes from venom gland of Deinagkistrodon acutus: cDNA cloning, mechanism of diversity and phylogenetic tree construction. Acta Pharmacol Sin 27, 184–192 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7254.2006.00262.x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-7254.2006.00262.x