Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 24, 2026

High Throughput Quantitative Expression Screening and Purification Applied to Recombinant Disulfide-rich Venom Proteins Produced in E. coli
Published on: July 30, 2014
Expression and partial biochemical characterization of a recombinant serine protease from Bothrops pauloensis snake
Thais F Isabel1, Guilherme Nunes Moreira Costa1, Isabela B Pacheco1
1Instituto de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
Abstract:
Snake venom serine proteases (SVSPs) are enzymes capable of interfering at several points of hemostasis. Some serine proteases present thrombin-like activity, which makes them targets for the development of therapeutics agents in the treatment of many hemostatic disorders. In this study, a recombinant thrombin-like serine protease, denominated rBpSP-II, was obtained from cDNA of the Bothrops pauloensis venom gland and was characterized enzymatically and biochemically. The enzyme rBpSP-II showed clotting activity on bovine plasma and proteolytic activity on fibrinogen, cleaving exclusively the Aα chain. The evaluation of rBpSP-II activity on chromogenic substrates demonstrated thrombin-like activity of the enzyme due to its capacity to hydrolyze the thrombin substrate. These characteristics make rBpSP-II an attractive molecule for additional studies. Further research is needed to verify whether rBpSP-II can serve as a template for the synthesis of therapeutic agents to treat hemostatic disorders.

