Functional venomics of the adder (Vipera berus) in Germany: Casting light on the composition, function and ecological plasticity of venom in a native model species

• Applicant: Tim Lueddecke, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Animal Physiology and Biochemistry ; Ecology and Biodiversity of Animals and Ecosystems, Organismic Interactions
• Term: since 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 505696476

Venoms are key evolutionary innovations that serve predation, defense and competitor deterrence in a wide variety of animal lineages. They are chemically complex mixtures that consist of toxic proteins and peptides. They are transferred into other organisms where they interfere with vital physiological processes and thus cause damaging effects. Traditionally venoms were considered rather static and the chemical profile within the venom of a given species was often characterized by selected lead components. However, recent studies recovered, that venoms instead represent very dynamic systems and that their chemical profiles can differ substantially intraspecifically with venoms of some species differing between life history stages, sex and habitat types. Particularly, snake venoms seem to display intraspecific venom variability quite regularly and it has been proposed that alterations in prey spectra lead to those changes. This project aims to investigate the degree of chemical intraspecific variability in venoms, the resulting functional consequences and their interconnection with prey spectra. Therefore, the adder (Vipera berus) will be used as a native model species. The study is based on a combinatorial approach that merges quantitative proteomics with bioassays and DNA-barcoding, thus following a three-step workflow. At first, chemical profiles of adder venoms from different life history stages, sex and habitat types across Germany are analyzed and compared by proteomics for quantitative plus qualitative differences. Next, the venoms are subjected to a diverse array of bioassays to understand their bioactivities. Their comparison enables us to set the afore discovered chemical differences into a functional context. Lastly, prey spectra of the animals are investigated by DNA-barcoding, allowing us to test the proposed hypothesis that prey availability drives venom profiles in snakes. The results gained by this study enable us to better understand the complex biology of venom, in particular within our native fauna. The project will provide valuable insights upon the role of predator-prey interactions as a potential driver of complex phenotypes such as venom, how they manifest and what functional consequences they bear for the organism. Finally, the project adds valuable insights to the variability of snake venoms, which could play a role in optimizing care for snakebite patients and developing better antivenoms.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants