title: The venom of the snake genus Atheris contains a new class of peptides with clusters of histidine and glycine residues.
abstract: We investigated venoms from members of the genus Atheris (Serpentes, Viperidae), namely the rough scale bush viper (Atheris squamigera), the green bush viper (A. chlorechis) and the great lakes bush viper (A. nitschei), using mass spectrometry-based strategies, relying on matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and electrospray ionisation tandem mass spectrometry (ESI-MS/MS) with de novo peptide sequencing. We discovered a set of novel peptides with masses in the 2-3 kDa range and containing poly-His and poly-Gly segments (pHpG). Complete primary structural elucidation and confirmation of two sequences by Edman degradation indicated the consensus sequence EDDH(9)GVG(10). Bioinformatic investigations in protein sequence databanks did not show relevant homology with known peptides or proteins. However, a more extensive investigation of data in nucleic acid databases revealed some similarities to the precursor sequences of bradykinin potentiating peptides (BPP) and C-type natriuretic peptides (CNP), agents that are known to affect the cardiovascular system by acting on specific metalloproteases and receptors. The novel pHpG peptides found in Atheris venoms might also act on the cardiovascular system by inhibiting particular metalloproteases, which however remain to be identified.
authors.affiliation: Atheris Laboratories, case postale 314, CH-1233 Bernex-Geneva, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Favreau
authors.forename: Olivier
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Cheneval
authors.forename: Laure
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Menin
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Michalet
authors.forename: Hubert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gaertner
authors.forename: Franck
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Principaud
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Thai
authors.forename: André
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ménez
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bulet
authors.forename: Reto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Stöcklin
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D005998:Glycine / Q000032:analysis*; D006639:Histidine / Q000032:analysis*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010449:Peptide Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D020539:Sequence Analysis, Protein / Q000379:methods; D021241:Spectrometry, Mass, Electrospray Ionization / Q000379:methods; D019032:Spectrometry, Mass, Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption-Ionization / Q000379:methods; D014757:Viper Venoms / Q000032:analysis* / Q000737:chemistry*; D017819:Viperidae / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D014757:Viper Venoms; D006639:Histidine; D005998:Glycine