Characterization of the messenger RNA population coding for components of viperid snake venom.

Total polyadenylated messenger RNA was prepared from the milked venom glands of the South African puff adder (Bitis arietans) and translated in an in vitro translation system. The products of cell free synthesis were immunoprecipitable with puff adder venom antiserum. Treatment of these cell free products with a dog pancreas microsomal membrane preparation demonstrated the presence of signal peptides. Northern blot hybridization of total puff adder venom gland mRNA to its complementary single stranded copy DNA revealed two discrete mRNA populations coding for the major components of puff adder venom. The relative amounts of these polyadenylated mRNA sequences changed during the onset of venom synthesis, suggesting mRNA deadenylation, general endonucleolytic RNA degradation and selective degradation of high molecular weight message components.