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
. 2024 Oct 12;22(10):468.
doi: 10.3390/md22100468.

Proteomic Analysis and Biochemical Characterization of the Nematocyst Extract of the Hydrozoan Velella velella

Eleonora Tassara  1 , Ivan Mikšík  2 , Petr Pompach  3 , Gian Luigi Mariottini  1 , Liang Xiao  4 , Marco Giovine  1 , Marina Pozzolini  1
Affiliations

Proteomic Analysis and Biochemical Characterization of the Nematocyst Extract of the Hydrozoan Velella velella

Eleonora Tassara et al. Mar Drugs. .

Abstract

The venom contained within cnidarian nematocysts has a complex composition and holds significant potential for biotechnological applications. In this context, one of the most effective methods for studying nematocyst contents is the proteomic approach, which can detect even trace amounts of compounds while minimizing the need for large-scale animal collection, thus helping to preserve ecosystem integrity. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive proteomic and biochemical characterization of the crude nematocyst extract from the common hydrozoan Velella velella. Despite not being harmful to humans, the analysis of the crude venom extract from V. velella brought to the identification of 783 different proteins, categorized into structural components, enzymes, and potential toxins, revealing a qualitative composition of the venom similar to that of other more toxic cnidarians. Biochemical assays confirmed the presence of various active hydrolytic enzymes within the extract, including proteases, phospholipases, hyaluronidases, DNases, and chitinases. These findings pave the road for future studies involving the pharmacological applications of Velella velella venom components through recombinant production and functional testing.

Keywords: hydrozoan; proteome; toxins; venom.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Scheme 1
Scheme 1
Process of extraction of V. velella venom starting from whole animals. The steps are represented in chronological order. ①: tissue autolysis of specimens; ②: recovering of the nematocysts; ③: sonication of the nematocysts; ④: centrifugation; ⑤: recovery of the supernatant.
Figure 1
Figure 1
SDS–PAGE of the V. velella nematocyst extract. The white dotted lines represent the excision points, from which the 11 bands were obtained. Excision points were established in a way that allowed one to include the entire lane, following at the same time the protein bands pattern observed in the SDS–PAGE.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Qualitative analysis showing the percentage composition of various protein categories found in the crude nematocyst extract from V. velella.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Percentage composition of the potentially venom-related proteins in the crude V. velella nematocyst extract.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Slobodkin L.B., Bossert P.E. Chapter 5—Cnidaria. In: Thorp J.H., Covich A.P., editors. Ecology and Classification of North American Freshwater Invertebrates. 3rd ed. Academic Press; San Diego, CA, USA: 2010. pp. 125–142.
    1. Technau U., Genikhovich G., Kraus J.E.M. Cnidaria. In: Wanninger A., editor. Evolutionary Developmental Biology of Invertebrates 1: Introduction, Non-Bilateria, Acoelomorpha, Xenoturbellida, Chaetognatha. Springer; Vienna, Austria: 2015. pp. 115–163.
    1. Atkinson S.D., Bartholomew J.L., Lotan T. Myxozoans: Ancient Metazoan Parasites Find a Home in Phylum Cnidaria. Zoology. 2018;129:66–68. doi: 10.1016/j.zool.2018.06.005. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Berzins I.K., Yanong R.P.E., LaDouceur E.E.B., Peters E.C. Cnidaria. In: LaDouceur E.E.B., editor. Invertebrate Histology. Wiley; Hoboken, NJ, USA: 2021. pp. 55–86.
    1. Beckmann A., Özbek S. The Nematocyst: A Molecular Map of the Cnidarian Stinging Organelle. Int. J. Dev. Biol. 2012;56:577–582. doi: 10.1387/ijdb.113472ab. - DOI - PubMed

Substances

LinkOut - more resources