Journal
TOXICON
Volume 55, Issue 6, Pages 1147-1156Publisher
PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2010.01.004
Keywords
Solitary wasp; Eumenes pomiformis; Venom; EST library; Suppression subtractive hybridization
Categories
Funding
- BioGreen 21 [034032]
- Rural Development Administration (RDA), Republic of Korea [PJ00708520101136300] Funding Source: Korea Institute of Science & Technology Information (KISTI), National Science & Technology Information Service (NTIS)
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To search for novel transcripts encoding biologically active venom components, a subtractive cDNA library specific to the venom gland and sac (gland/sac) of a solitary hunting wasp species, Eumenes pomifortnis Fabricius (1781), was constructed by suppression subtractive hybridization. A total of 541 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were clustered and assembled into 102 contigs (31 multiple sequences and 71 singletons). In total, 37 cDNAs were found in the library via BLASTx searching and manual annotation. Eight contigs (337 ESTs) encoding short venom peptides (10 to 16 amino acids) occupied 62% of the library. The deduced amino acid sequence (78 amino acids) of a novel venom peptide transcript shared sequence similarity with trypsin inhibitors and dendrotoxin-like venom peptides known to be K+ channel blockers, implying that this novel peptide may play a role in the paralysis of prey. In addition to phospholipase A2 and hyaluronidase, which are known to be the main components of wasp venoms, several transcripts encoding enzymes, including three metallopeptidases and a decarboxylase likely involved in the processing and activation of venomous proteins, peptides, amines, and neurotransmitters, were also isolated from the library. The presence of a transcript encoding a putative insulin/insulin-like peptide binding protein suggests that solitary hunting wasps use their venom to control their prey, leading to larval growth cessation. The abundance of these venom components in the venom gland/sac and in the alimentary canal was confirmed by quantitative real-time PCR. Discovery of venom gland/sac-specific transcripts should promote further studies on biologically active components in the venom of solitary hunting wasps. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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