Summary
It is uncommon for similar pathways/systems to be involved in highly divergent functions
within single organisms. Earlier, we have shown that trocarin D, a venom prothrombin
activator, from the Australian rough-scaled snake Tropidechis carinatus, is structurally and functionally similar to the blood coagulation factor Xa (FXa).
The presence of a haemostatic system in these snakes implies that they have two parallel
prothrombin activating systems: one in the plasma, that participates in the life saving
process of blood clotting and the other in their venom, where it acts as a toxin.
Here, we report the complete cDNA sequence encoding the blood coagulation factor X
(FX) from the liver of T. carinatus. Deduced T. carinatus FX sequence shows ~80% identity with trocarin D but ~50% identity with the mammalian
FX. Our present study confirms the presence of two separate genes – one each for FX
and trocarin D, that code for similar proteins in T. carinatus snake. These two genes have different expression sites and divergent uses suggesting
that snake venom prothrombin activators have probably evolved by the duplication of
the liver FX gene and subsequently marked for tissue-specific expression in the venom
gland.
Keywords
Prothrombin activation - factor X - haemostasis - snake venom