title: Venomics and antivenomics profiles of North African Cerastes cerastes and C. vipera populations reveals a potentially important therapeutic weakness.
abstract: We report the proteomic analysis of the venom of the medically relevant snake, Cerastes cerastes, from Morocco, and the immunoreactivity profile of an experimental monospecific (CcMo_AV against Moroccan C. cerastes venom) and a commercial (Gamma-VIP against Tunisian C. cerastes and M. lebetina venoms) F(ab')(2) antivenoms towards geographic variants of C. cerastes and C. vipera venoms. The venom of C. cerastes is a low-complexity proteome composed of 25-30 toxins belonging to 6 protein families, mainly targetting the hemostatic system. This toxin arsenal explains the clinical picture observed in C. cerastes envenomings. Despite geographic compositional variation, the monospecific CcMo_AV and the Gamma-VIP divalent antivenom produced at Institut Pasteur de Tunis, showed similar immunocapturing capability towards Moroccan, Tunisian, and Egyptian C. cerastes venom proteins. Proteins partially escaping immunorecognition were all identified as PLA(2) molecules. Antivenomic analysis showed low degree of cross-reactivity of Moroccan CcMo_AV and Tunisian Gamma-VIP antivenoms towards C. vipera venom toxins. This study indicates that a more complete therapeutic cover could be achieved by including C. vipera venom in the formulation of venom immunization mixtures, thereby generating a pan-Cerastes antivenom.
authors.affiliation: Venoms and Toxins Laboratory, Pasteur Institute of Morocco, 1. Place Louis Pasteur, 20100-Casablanca, Morocco.
authors.forename: Laila
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fahmi
authors.forename: Bouchra
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Makran
authors.forename: Davinia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pla
authors.forename: Libia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.forename: Naoual
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oukkache
authors.forename: Mustapha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lkhider
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Noreddine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ghalim
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Calvete
mesh_terms: D000352:Africa, Northern; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000997:Antivenins / Q000032:analysis / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002846:Chromatography, Affinity; D005843:Geography; D055442:Metabolome; D011153:Population; D020543:Proteome / Q000032:analysis; D013045:Species Specificity; D017211:Treatment Failure; D014757:Viper Venoms / Q000032:analysis / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism*; D017819:Viperidae / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D020543:Proteome; D014757:Viper Venoms