![]() Considering the fact that some animal venoms have already been widely used in pharmaceutical applications, research into platypus venom may lead to the discovery of new molecules and potent drugs that are useful biomedical tools. It is possible that similar kinds of enzymes might exist in other mammals and play important, as yet unknown, biological roles. Isomerase activity has recently been discovered in platypus tissues other than the venom gland. While most venomous animals have venom as a permanent fixture in their repertoire, the male platypus only produces his toxic cocktail during the breeding season (June to October). A special mammalian L-to-D-peptide isomerase that is responsible for interconverting the L-and D-peptide isomers is also found in platypus venom. Besides its peculiar appearance, the platypus is also a venomous mammal, but curiously enough only seasonally so. The structures of DLPs and OvCNPs have already been studied and they are very similar to b-defensin-12 and mammalian C-type natriuretic peptides, respectively. Five types of proteins and peptides have been isolated and identified from platypus venom, namely: defensin-like peptides (DLPs) Ornithorhynchus venom C-type natriuretic peptides (OvCNPs) Ornithorhynchus nerve growth factor hyaluronidase and L-to-D-peptide isomerase. The platypus a semi-aquatic egg-laying mammal found in Australia is one of few mammals to make venom, which males produce in abdominal venom glands and deliver through spurs on their hind. It also causes pain and symptoms that are not experienced by any other kind of envenomation. ![]() Platypus venom contains many novel proteins and peptides that are different from those in reptilian venom. An anatomical feature of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) that is seen in only one other mammal, the echidna, is that the male has a crural glandular system that produces venom that is used for defence and territorial-breeding functions whether the echidna is similarly venomous is not yet established.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |