VIPER RESOURCE CENTER AT TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY-KINGSVILLE

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。描述（由申请人提供）：每年都在开发治疗癌症、心脏病和中风的新药，有些是从蛇毒中提取的。蛇毒是分子的复杂混合物，在治疗凝块引起的缺血、癌症和其他人类疾病方面具有治疗价值。蛇毒是丰富、稳定的分解素、金属蛋白酶和纤维蛋白溶解酶的来源。文献中包含许多关于毒液和/或毒液成分如何在医学中使用的参考文献。在美国境内有44种毒蛇亚种。尽管种类繁多，但90%发表的论文都是用有限数量的常见物种(Crotalus （C.) atrox， C. adamanteus， C. viridis viridis, Agkistrodon (a .) contortrix contortrix, a . contortrix laticinctus和a . piscivorus piscivorus）的毒液。许多蛇毒无法用于研究。因此，毒液的成分和潜在的医学用途尚未探索。有必要建立一个能够为生物医学研究提供优质毒液、毒液组分、组织、器官、皮肤以及单克隆和多克隆抗体的中心。28年来，TAMUK一直保持着强大的毒液研究计划，并开发了一个蛇类馆，目前容纳了超过350条蛇，包括14个物种和24个亚种。两年前，德克萨斯A&M大学系统董事会批准在TAMUK建立天然毒素研究中心（NTRC）。NTRC的使命是提供全球研究、培训和资源，以发现在毒液中发现的医学上重要的毒素。本提案的目标是：1)提供其他供应商无法获得的毒液和其他蛇产品的可靠来源；（二）圈养濒危或者难以获取的毒蛇的；3)通过电泳滴定（ET）、高效液相色谱（HPLC）、酶活性和基于细胞的测定来表征医学上重要的毒液；4)制定一个研究计划，提供对毒液蛋白质结构/功能关系的见解，5)开发一个数据库，这将对其他研究人员有用。该数据库将允许用户查看蛇，它们的地理分布和毒液特征。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): New drugs are being developed each year for cancer, heart attacks, and strokes and some have been derived from snake venoms. Snake venoms are complex mixtures of molecules that can have therapeutic value in the treatment of clot-induced ischemia, cancer, and other human disorders. Snake venoms are rich, stable sources of disintegrins, metalloproteases, and fibrinolytic enzymes. The literature contains many references on how venom and/or venom components are being used in medicine. There are 44 subspecies of poisonous snakes within the U.S.. Despite the vast species diversity, 90% of the papers published have been with venom from a limited number of the more common species (Crotalus (C.) atrox, C. adamanteus, C. viridis viridis, Agkistrodon (A.) contortrix contortrix, A. contortrix laticinctus, and A. piscivorus piscivorus). Many of the snake venoms are not available for research. Therefore, venom composition and potential usefulness in medicine has not been explored. There is a need to develop a Center capable of providing quality venoms, venom fractions, tissues, organs, skins, and monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies for biomedical research. For over 28 years, TAMUK has maintained a strong venom research program and has developed a serpentarium that presently houses over 350 snakes composed of 14 species and 24 subspecies. Two years ago, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved the development of a Natural Toxins Research Center (NTRC) at TAMUK. The mission of the NTRC is to provide global research, training, and resources that will lead to the discovery of medically important toxins found in venoms. The objectives of this proposal are to: 1) provide reliable sources of venoms and other snake products that are not available from other vendors; 2) breed poisonous snakes in captivity that are endangered or difficult to acquire; 3) characterize medically important venoms by electrophoretic titration (ET), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), enzyme activities, and cell-based assays; 4) develop a research program that provides insights into structure/function relationships of venom proteins, and 5) develop a database that will be useful to other investigators. The database will allow the user to view the snakes, their geographical distribution and venom characteristics.