Gene expression profiling of the venomgland from the Venezuelan mapanare (Bothrops colombiensis) using expressed sequence tags (ESTs)

BACKGROUND: Bothrops colombiensis is a highly dangerous pit viper and responsible for over 70 % of snakebites in Venezuela. Although the composition in B. colombiensis venom has been identified using a proteome analysis, the venom gland transcriptome is currently lacking. RESULTS: We constructed a cDNA library from the venom gland of B. colombiensis, and a set of 729 high quality expressed sequence tags (ESTs) was identified. A total number of 344 ESTs (47.2 % of total ESTs) was related to toxins. The most abundant toxin transcripts were metalloproteinases (37.5 %), phospholipases A(2)s (PLA(2), 29.7 %), and serine proteinases (11.9 %). Minor toxin transcripts were linked to waprins (5.5 %), C-type lectins (4.1 %), ATPases (2.9 %), cysteine-rich secretory proteins (CRISP, 2.3 %), snake venom vascular endothelium growth factors (svVEGF, 2.3 %), L-amino acid oxidases (2 %), and other putative toxins (1.7 %). While 160 ESTs (22 % of total ESTs) coded for translation proteins, regulatory proteins, ribosomal proteins, elongation factors, release factors, metabolic proteins, and immune response proteins. Other proteins detected in the transcriptome (87 ESTs, 11.9 % of total ESTs) were undescribed proteins with unknown functions. The remaining 138 (18.9 %) cDNAs had no match with known GenBank accessions. CONCLUSION: This study represents the analysis of transcript expressions and provides a physical resource of unique genes for further study of gene function and the development of novel molecules for medical applications. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12867-016-0059-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.