We carried out an analysis of the venom gland proteome of Bothrops jararaca taking into account two distinct phases of its ontogenetic development (i.e., newborn and adult) and the marked sexual dimorphism recently reported on its venom proteome. Proteomic data analysis showed a dynamic rearrangement in the proteome landscape of B. jararaca venom gland upon development and gender-related changes. Differentially expressed proteins covered a number of biological pathways related to protein synthesis, including proteins associated with transcription and translation, which were found to be significantly higher expressed in the newborn venom gland. Our results suggest that the variation in the expression levels of cellular proteins might give rise to an even higher variation in the levels of the expressed toxins. Upon aging, the venom gland proteome repertoire related to the protein synthesis together with ecological traits would have an impact on the toxin repertoire, which, in the case of B. jararaca species, would enable the species to deal with different prey types during its lifespan. Proteomic data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD004186.
Keywords: Bothrops jararaca; snake venom proteome; venom gland proteome; venom variability.