Comparative studies on the protein composition of hymenopteran venom reservoirs

Characterization and biochemical analyses of venom from the ectoparasitic waspNasonia vitripennis (Walker) (hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)

“…This range of protein sizes as well as complexity of the protein profile in terms of total number of proteins is consistent with most parasitic wasp venoms that have been examined (Digilio et al, 2000;Leluk et al, 1989;Nakamatsu and Tanaka, 2003;Parkinson et al, 2002a;Uçkan et al, 2004). By contrast, low molecular weight proteins and peptides are typical of venoms of the aculeate Hymenoptera (Leluk et al, 1989;Schmidt, 1982), as are proteins abundant in neutral and basic amino acids (Piek and Fig. 6.…”

Molecular Pharmacology and Toxinology of Venom from Ants

“…As showed by [31] high molecular weight proteins are present in the venom of Dinoponera australis. In a comparative evaluation of protein composition of hymenopteran venom reservoirs, proteins with molecular weight ranging from 24 to 75kDa were evidenced [29]. Additionaly, two peptides with less than 10 kDa, as well as proteins with molecular weight ranging from 26-90 kDa were also found in the venom of Myrmecia pilosula [32].…”

“…However, until now few studies have been done with Dinoponera venoms. In two of these studies, which compared venoms of a variety of hymenopterans, the presence of proteins, some with enzyme activities (phospholipase A, hyaluronidase, and lipase), was shown for D. grandis (in fact, D. gigantea) venom [16,29]. In a more recent study, in which the peptide components from the venom of D. australis was investigated, over 75 unique protein components were found with a large diversity of properties ranging in size, hydrophobicity, and overall abundance [30].…”

Insecticides and Parasitoids

“…Venoms seem to change with evolution from ectoparasitoids to endoparasitoids (Whitfield, 2003), because venom may change from virulent action like killing the hosts to temperate action to lose toxic potency (Sclenke et al, 2007). Venoms of endoparasitoids contain many proteins in large molecular weight (Leluk et al, 1989) that lose the permanent paralytic function and promote of PDV expression in the host cells (Asgari, 2006). Teratocytes are released and developed from serosal cell of parasitoid egg and produce some kind of regulatory protein along with the development (Fig.4).…”