A team of scientists from India and abroad have mapped the genome of the Indian Cobra, one of the four most poisonous snakes in the country.
- Using a mix of cutting-edge genomic technologies, the scientists, led by Sekar Seshagiri, President of the Chennai-based SciGenome Research Foundation (SGRF), have assembled the most contiguous genome of the cobra.
- Somasekar Seshagiri, of the SciGenome Research Foundation, Bengaluru, and among the authors of the study, used the genome and gene expression data from 14 different cobra tissues. They annotated venom-gland-relevant genes and analysed the genomic organisation of gene families encoding toxin proteins involved in venom-gland function.
- The researchers found that the Indian cobra genome has 19 key toxin genes, primarily expressed in the venom glands of the snake. Targeting these toxins using synthetic human antibodies should lead to a safe and effective anti-venom for treating Indian cobra bites.
Big four snakes in India
- The findings, published in the journal Nature Genetics on January 6, 2020, make Indian cobra the first among the most venomous four Indian snakes, which are collectively called the infamous “big four”, to be genetically mapped.
- The Indian cobra, together with the common krait, Russell’s viper and saw scaled viper, accounts for nearly 46,000 snake bite deaths in the country every year.
- Globally, 5.4 million snake bites occur every year, with 2.8 million of them in India. They are responsible for 4,00,000 disabilities globally, of which 1,38,000 are from India.
Benefits
- Knowing the sequence of genes could aid in understanding the chemical constituents of the venom and contribute to development of new anti-venom therapies, which have remained practically unchanged for over a century.
- According to the researchers, high-quality genomes of venomous snakes will enable generation of a comprehensive catalogue of venom-gland-specific toxin genes that can be used for the development of synthetic anti-venom of defined composition.
