UTA research team investigates genetics of how rattlesnakes regulate venom » Dallas innovates

Prairie rattlesnakes typically live in the central United States, from southern Canada to Texas, and from eastern Idaho to Iowa. [Photo courtesy UT Arlington]

Research led by a team at the University of Texas at Arlington on how to control rattlesnake venom could transform the way snakebites are treated, while also providing insight into how reptile genes are regulated. .

The research is featured in a new peer-reviewed study published in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution, UTA said.

“This research has far-reaching implications for improving the global treatment of snakebites, potentially impacting millions of people around the world,” said Todd, lead author of the study and professor of biology at the university.・Mr. Castor said in a statement. “Understanding the mechanisms that control gene expression is how new traits arise, how genomic machinery controls turning genes on and off, and how changes in the genome alter gene regulation.” This is a fundamental question.”

UT Arlington biology professor Todd Castor was the lead author of the rattlesnake venom study. [Photo: UTA]

Regulatory genes of venom glands

Castor and his research team, which included scientists from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, the University of Colorado at Denver, and the University of Northern Colorado at Greeley, studied prairie rattlesnakes in Weld County, Colorado.

Prairie rattlesnakes are typically found in the central United States, from southern Canada to Texas, and from eastern Idaho to Iowa. Snakes grow to about 35 to 45 inches in length and have a distinctive rattle that is used to alert potential attackers.

A bite from a venomous snake can be fatal.

According to UTA, researchers will investigate gene expression across individual single cells with the aim of understanding how these genes are turned on and off by the complex genomic machinery that regulates gene expression. The venom glands of snakes were analyzed to study this.

“Our findings provide new insights into how new gene regulatory mechanisms arise to control the timing and magnitude of gene expression, and how existing regulatory mechanisms can be harnessed for new purposes.” We will provide evidence that

NSF grant enables research beyond snakes

In an effort to expand their research beyond snakes, Castor and his colleagues received a $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation. This grant will support new statistical approaches to generate, test, and refine hypotheses about how gene regulatory networks work, representing a wide range of innovations. Applicable to all living things including humans.

UTA said the knowledge gained by the researchers will advance our fundamental understanding of how natural selection acts to evolve, maintain and fine-tune complex traits.

The NSF grant will also support mentoring and training for 22 undergraduate and eight graduate students from the team members' four institutions, UTA said.

“We are excited about the grant from NSF,” Castor said. “This will enable us to continue our research while training the next generation of biologists using the latest genomic and computational techniques to explore how genes are regulated.”