Venomics Research

The team at the University of Ulster has an established track record in the venomic study of amphibian skin secretions and reptile and scorpion venoms.

There is existing expertise in the transcriptomic analysis of these venons via molecular biology techniques while the venom proteome / peptidome is analysed using state of the art mass spectrometric tools. Automated Edman degradation sequencing and FMOC solid phase peptide synthesis are also used.

Prof Tony Bjourson PhD Professor of Genomics Clinical Genetics/Pharmacogenomics (Breast Cancer-collaboration with Belfast City Hospital, Clinical Genetics; Rheumatoid arthritis -collaboration with Belfast City Hospital)

Dr Stephen McClean BSc, MRes, DPhil Lecturer in Proteomics The determination of peptides and small molecules by LC-quadrupole ion trap and QToF mass spectrometry. Other interests include MS/MS sequencing of peptides, Edman degradation sequencing, FMOC solid phase peptide peptide synthesis and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Protein identification is also of interest as is the construction of software tools for mass spectrometry data analysis.

Recent Selected Publications:

Identification and functional analysis of a novel bradykinin inhibitory peptide in the venoms of New World Crotalinae pit vipers
Graham RLJ, Graham C, McClean S, Chen T, O'Rourke M, Hirst D, Theakston D, Shaw C
Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications 338 (3): 1587-1592 DEC 23 2005

A computational approach for peptidomic analysis in taxonomic study of amphibian species
Zheng HR, Ojha PC, McClean S, Graham C, Black ND, Hughes JG, Shaw C
IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON NANOBIOSCIENCE 4 (3): 241-247 SEP 2005

Peptide Tyrosine Arginine, a potent immunomodulatory peptide isolated and structurally characterized from the skin secretions of the dusky gopher frog, Rana sevosa.
Graham C., Irvine A.E., McClean S., Richter S., Flatt P.R. and Shaw C.
Peptides 26 (2005) 737-743

Skin secretions of the toad Bombina variegata frog contain multiple Insulin releasing peptides including bombesin and entirely nove linsulinotropic structures.
Marenah L, Orr D.F, McClean S, Shaw C, Flatt P.R and Abdel-Wahab Y.H.A
Biological Chemistry 385 (2004) 315-321.

Brevinin-1 and multiple insulin-releasing peptides in the skin of the frog Rana palustris
Marenah, L., Orr D.F., McClean S., Flatt P.R., Shaw C. and Abdel-Wahab Y.H.A.
Journal of Endocrinology 181 (2004) 347-354

Pachymedusa dacnicolor tryptophyllin-1 (PdT-1): structura lcharacterization, pharmacological activity and cloning of precursor cDNA.
Chen T., Orr D.F., O'Rourke, M., McGlynn C., Bjourson A.J., McClean, S., Hirst, D.G., Rao, P. and Shaw, C.
Regulatory Peptides 117 (2004) 25-32

Cloning of maximakinin precursor cDNAs from Chinese toad, Bombina maxima, venom.
Chen T., Bjourson A.J., McClean S., Orr D.F., O'Kane, E.J., Rao, P. and Shaw, C.
Peptides. 24 (2003) 853 - 861

Novel bradykinins and their precursor cDNAs from the European Yellow Bellied Toad (Bombina variegata) skin.
T. Chen, D.F. Orr, A.J. Bjourson, S. McClean, M. O'Rourke, D.G. Hirst, P. Rao and C. Shaw.European Journal of Biochemistry 269 (2002) 4693-4700