title: What killed Karl Patterson Schmidt? Combined venom gland transcriptomic, venomic and antivenomic analysis of the South African green tree snake (the boomslang), Dispholidus typus.
abstract: Non-front-fanged colubroid snakes comprise about two-thirds of extant ophidian species. The medical significance of the majority of these snakes is unknown, but at least five species have caused life-threatening or fatal human envenomings. However, the venoms of only a small number of species have been explored.
  
  
  
  A combined venomic and venom gland transcriptomic approach was employed to characterise of venom of Dispholidus typus (boomslang), the snake that caused the tragic death of Professor Karl Patterson Schmidt. The ability of CroFab™ antivenom to immunocapture boomslang venom proteins was investigated using antivenomics.
  
  
  
  Transcriptomic-assisted proteomic analysis identified venom proteins belonging to seven protein families: three-finger toxin (3FTx); phospholipase A2(PLA2); cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISP); snake venom (SV) serine proteinase (SP); C-type lectin-like (CTL); SV metalloproteinases (SVMPs); and disintegrin-like/cysteine-rich (DC) proteolytic fragments. CroFab™ antivenom efficiently immunodepleted some boomslang SVMPs.
  
  
  
  The present work is the first to address the overall proteomic profile of D. typus venom. This study allowed us to correlate the toxin composition with the toxic activities of the venom. The antivenomic analysis suggested that the antivenom available at the time of the unfortunate accident could have exhibited at least some immunoreactivity against the boomslang SVMPs responsible for the disseminated intravascular coagulation syndrome that caused K.P. Schmidt's fatal outcome.
  
  
  
  This study may stimulate further research on other non-front-fanged colubroid snake venoms capable of causing life-threatening envenomings to humans, which in turn should contribute to prevent fatal human accidents, such as that unfortunately suffered by K.P. Schmidt.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Venómica Estructural y Funcional, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Davinia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pla
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Venómica Estructural y Funcional, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain.
authors.forename: Libia
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sanz
authors.affiliation: Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit, Parasitology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Gareth
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Whiteley
authors.affiliation: Bioinformatics Unit, Parasitology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Simon C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Wagstaff
authors.affiliation: Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit, Parasitology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Alistair Reid Venom Research Unit, Parasitology Department, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Electronic address: nicholas.casewell@lstmed.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Nicholas R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Casewell
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Venómica Estructural y Funcional, Instituto de Biomedicina de Valencia, CSIC, Valencia, Spain. Electronic address: jcalvete@ibv.csic.es.
authors.forename: Juan J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Calvete
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000997:Antivenins / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D037181:Lectins, C-Type / Q000235:genetics; D045726:Metalloproteases / Q000235:genetics; D054467:Phospholipases A2 / Q000235:genetics; D020543:Proteome / Q000235:genetics; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods; D012469:Salivary Glands / Q000378:metabolism*; D012910:Snake Venoms / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D012911:Snakes / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology; D059467:Transcriptome / Q000235:genetics*; D014197:Trees
chemical_list: D000997:Antivenins; D037181:Lectins, C-Type; D020543:Proteome; D012910:Snake Venoms; D054467:Phospholipases A2; D045726:Metalloproteases
keywords: Antivenomics; Boomslang; Dispholidus typus; Disseminated intravascular coagulation/venom induced consumption coagulopathy; Non-front-fanged colubroid snake venomics; Snake venom gland transcriptomics