Figure 1.

These Brazilian Micrurus venoms all contain three-finger toxins (3FTxs) and phospholipases A₂ (PLA₂s), but but they vary greatly in the relative proportions and subclasses thereof, and in the types and amounts of minor toxins as well. (A) Major toxins comprising ≥2% of the toxin portion a given transcriptome. The “other” portion of each venom (black) was comprised of minor components; (B) Minor toxins representing between 0.1% and 2.0% of the toxin transcriptome. Each venom contained still other toxins at trace levels, each amounting to less than 0.1% of the transcriptome. Micrurus s. spixii possesses the simplest venom, with 3FTxs and PLA₂s accounting for just over 99% of the transcriptome, and comprising only six major and minor toxin classes.