Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2014 Jul 2;6(7):1979-95.
doi: 10.3390/toxins6071979.

Comparative studies of the venom of a new Taipan species, Oxyuranus temporalis, with other members of its genus

Carmel M Barber  1 , Frank Madaras  2 , Richard K Turnbull  3 , Terry Morley  4 , Nathan Dunstan  5 , Luke Allen  6 , Tim Kuchel  7 , Peter Mirtschin  8 , Wayne C Hodgson  9
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparative studies of the venom of a new Taipan species, Oxyuranus temporalis, with other members of its genus

Carmel M Barber et al. Toxins (Basel). .

Abstract

Taipans are highly venomous Australo-Papuan elapids. A new species of taipan, the Western Desert Taipan (Oxyuranus temporalis), has been discovered with two specimens housed in captivity at the Adelaide Zoo. This study is the first investigation of O. temporalis venom and seeks to characterise and compare the neurotoxicity, lethality and biochemical properties of O. temporalis venom with other taipan venoms. Analysis of O. temporalis venom using size-exclusion and reverse-phase HPLC indicated a markedly simplified "profile" compared to other taipan venoms. SDS-PAGE and agarose gel electrophoresis analysis also indicated a relatively simple composition. Murine LD50 studies showed that O. temporalis venom is less lethal than O. microlepidotus venom. Venoms were tested in vitro, using the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation. Based on t90 values, O. temporalis venom is highly neurotoxic abolishing indirect twitches far more rapidly than other taipan venoms. O. temporalis venom also abolished responses to exogenous acetylcholine and carbachol, indicating the presence of postsynaptic neurotoxins. Prior administration of CSL Taipan antivenom (CSL Limited) neutralised the inhibitory effects of all taipan venoms. The results of this study suggest that the venom of the O. temporalis is highly neurotoxic in vitro and may contain procoagulant toxins, making this snake potentially dangerous to humans.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Size exclusion HPLC chromatograph of (A) O. temporalis; (B) O. scutellatus; (C) O. microlepidotus; (D) O. scutellatus (Saibai Island); and (E) O. scutellatus (Merauke) venoms run on a Superdex G-75 column equilibrated with ammonium acetate buffer (0.1 M, pH 6.8) at a flow rate of 0.5 mL/min.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Reverse-phase HPLC chromatograph of (A) O. temporalis; (B) O. scutellatus; (C) O. microlepidotus; (D) O. scutellatus (Saibai Island); and (E) O. scutellatus (Merauke) venoms run on a Jupiter analytical C18 column equilibrated with 0.1% trifluoroacetic acid and gradient conditions of solvent B buffer (90% acetonitrile in 0.09% trifluoroacetic acid) at a flow rate of 0.2 mL/min.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) SDS-PAGE analysis under non-reducing conditions (using a 4%–12.5% acrylamide gel plate); and (B) scan and computer estimations of the protein band molecular weights of the SDS-PAGE gel plate of taipan venoms (1) O. temporalis; (2) O. scutellatus; (3) O. scutellatus (Saibai Island); (4) O. scutellatus (Merauke); and (5) O. microlepidotus. MW indicates molecular standard markers. Note: The MW markers used in this electrophoresis are not reliable below 17 kDa molecular mass. The major taipan venom toxins have been highlighted in their approximate molecular weight position.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Protein mobility of (A) taipan venoms (1) O. temporalis; (2) O. scutellatus; (3) O. scutellatus (Saibai Island); (4) O. scutellatus (Merauke); and (5) O. microlepidotus; and (B) venom components (A) O. scutellatus venom; (B) Oscutarin; (C) Taicatoxin; (D) Taipoxin; (E) Postsynaptic taipan venom neurotoxins separated on agarose gel electrophoresis.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Effect of taipan venoms (3 µg/mL or 10 µg/mL) alone and in the presence of CSL Taipan antivenom (3 Units/mL) on nerve-mediated twitches of the chick biventer cervicis nerve-muscle preparation. *** p < 0.001, significantly different at either 60 or 180 min time point compared to venom alone (3 µg/mL or 10 µg/mL), Unpaired t test.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Effect of taipan venoms on chick biventer cervicis nerve muscle preparation responses to exogenous agonists; acetylcholine (ACh), carbachol (CCh) and potassium chloride (KCl).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Wüster W., Dumbrell A.J., Hay C., Pook C.E., Williams D.J., Fry B.G. Snakes across the Strait: Trans-Torresian phylogeographic relationships in three genera of Australasian snakes (Serpentes: Elapidae: Acanthophis, Oxyuranus, and Pseudechis. Mol. Phylogenet. Evol. 2005;34:1–14. doi: 10.1016/j.ympev.2004.08.018. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Brennan K.E.C., Morley T., Hutchinson M., Donnellan S. Redescription of the western desert taipan, Oxyuranus temporalis (Serpentes: Elapidae), with notes on its distribution, diet and genetic variation. Aust. J. Zool. 2012;59:227–235.
    1. Doughty P., Maryan B., Donnellan S.C., Hutchinson M.N. A new species of taipan (Elapidae: Oxyuranus) from central Australia. Zootaxa. 2007;1422:45–58.
    1. Shea G.M. A possible second record of the Central Ranges Taipan, Oxyuranus temporalis (Elapidae) Herpetofauna. 2007;37:95–97.
    1. Fohlman J. Comparison of two highly toxic Australian snake venoms: The taipan (Oxyuranus s. scutellatus) and the fierce snake (Parademansia microlepidotus) Toxicon. 1979;17:170–172. doi: 10.1016/0041-0101(79)90296-4. - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources