The complexity and structural diversity of ant venom peptidomes is revealed by mass spectrometry profiling

Touchard, Axel; Koh, Jennifer; Aili, Samira R.; Déjean, Alain; Nicholson, Graham M.; Orivel, Jérôme; Escoubas, Pierre

doi:10.1002/rcm.7116

Cited by 40 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 64 publications

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“…The number of species within each subfamily ranges from 1 to more than 6000 2 . Of these subfamilies, 13 comprise ants that employ a stinger to inject a peptide-rich venom used for predation, defence and communication [3][4][5][6] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata

et al. 2017

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Ants have evolved venoms rich in peptides and proteins used for predation, defense, and communication. However, they remain extremely understudied due to the minimal amount of venom secreted by each ant. The present study investigated the differences in the proteome and peptidome of the venom from the bullet ant, Paraponera clavata. Venom samples were collected from a single colony either by manual venom gland dissection or by electrical stimulation and were compared using proteomic methods. Venom proteins were separated by 2D-PAGE and identified by nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS. Venom peptides were initially separated using C18 reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography, then analyzed by MALDI-TOF MS. The proteomic analysis revealed numerous proteins that could be assigned a biological function (total 94), mainly as toxins, or roles in cell regulation and transport. This investigation found that ca. 73% of the proteins were common to venoms collected by the two methods. The peptidomic analysis revealed a large number of peptides (total 309) but with <20% shared by the two collection methods. There was also a marked difference between venoms obtained by venom gland dissection from different ant colonies. These findings demonstrate the rich composition and variability of P. clavata venom.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata

et al. 2017

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“…As they have been little studied, ant venom peptides represent a potentially promising source of bioactive molecules with novel scaffolds and original pharmacological activities. Previous studies (Aili et al 2014;Touchard et al 2014;Touchard et al 2015) have demonstrated that the venoms of stinging ants are mostly comprised of small peptides, similarly to spider, scorpion and cone snail venoms. A limited number of peptidic toxins from several ant subfamilies such as the Ponerinae (Cologna et al 2013;Johnson et al 2010;Orivel et al 2001), Paraponerinae (Piek et al 1991), Ectatomminae (Arseniev et al 1994;Pluzhnikov et al 2000), Myrmicinae (Rifflet et al 2012), Myrmeciinae (Inagaki et al 2004;Inagaki et al 2008) and Pseudomyrmecinae (Pan and Hink 2000) have been characterized.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intraspecific variations in the venom peptidome of the ant Odontomachus haematodus (Formicidae: Ponerinae) from French Guiana

Touchard¹,

Déjean²,

Escoubas³

et al. 2015

JHR

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Ant venoms are complex cocktails of toxins employed to subdue prey and to protect the colony from predators and microbial pathogens. Although the extent of ant venom peptide diversity remains largely unexplored, previous studies have revealed the presence of numerous bioactive peptides in most stinging ant venoms. We investigated the venom peptidome of the ponerine ant Odontomachus haematodus using LC-MS analysis and then verified whether the division of labor in the colonies and their geographical location are correlated with differences in venom composition. Our results reveal that O. haematodus venom is comprised of 105 small linear peptides. The venom composition does not vary between the different castes (i.e., nurses, foragers and queens), but an intraspecific variation in peptide content was observed, particularly when the colonies are separated by large distances. Geographical variation appears to increase the venom peptide repertoire of this ant species, demonstrating its intraspecific venom plasticity.

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“…This is well illustrated in scorpions where scorpions with more potent venom possess relatively slender claws (Van der Meijden, Herrel & Summers, 2010). Although little data on the potency and the toxicity of ant venoms are available, both A. horridus and A. emarginatus have unusual venom compositions that vastly contrast with venoms of Odontomachus and other ponerine ants (Touchard et al, 2015). Furthermore, the investigation of the A. emarginatus venom resulted in the discovery of a novel family of neurotoxins that reversibly paralyses insects (Touchard et al, 2016).…”

Section: Influence Of Physiology On Strike Performancementioning

confidence: 99%

Mandible strike kinematics of the trap‐jaw ant genus Anochetus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

Gibson

Larabee

Touchard³

et al. 2018

Journal of Zoology

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High‐speed power‐amplification mechanisms are common throughout the animal kingdom. In ants, power‐amplified trap‐jaw mandibles have evolved independently at least four times, including once in the subfamily Ponerinae which contains the sister genera Odontomachus and Anochetus. In Odontomachus, mandible strikes have been relatively well described and can occur in <0.15 ms and reach speeds of over 60 m s−1. In contrast, the kinematics of mandible strikes have not been examined in Anochetus, whose species are smaller and morphologically distinct from Odontomachus. In this study, we describe the mandible strike kinematics of four species of Anochetus representative of the morphological, phylogenetic, and size diversity present within the genus. We also compare their strikes to two representative species of Odontomachus. We found that two species, Anochetus targionii and Anochetus paripungens, have mandible strikes that overall closely resemble those found in Odontomachus, reaching a mean maximum rotational velocity and acceleration of around 3.7 × 104 rad s−1 and 8.5 × 108 rad s−2, respectively. This performance is consistent with predictions based on body size scaling relationships described for Odontomachus. In contrast, Anochetus horridus and Anochetus emarginatus have slower strikes relative to the other species of Anochetus and Odontomachus, reaching mean maximum rotational velocity and acceleration of around 1.3 × 104 rad s−1 and 2 × 108 rad s−2, respectively. This variation in strike performance among species of Anochetus likely reflects differences in evolutionary history, physiology, and natural history among species.

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The complexity and structural diversity of ant venom peptidomes is revealed by mass spectrometry profiling

Abstract: The biochemical complexity of ant venoms, associated with an enormous ecological and taxonomic diversity, suggests that stinging ant venoms constitute a promising source of bioactive molecules that could be exploited in the search for novel drug and biopesticide leads.

Cited by 40 publications

References 64 publications

Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata

Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata

Intraspecific variations in the venom peptidome of the ant Odontomachus haematodus (Formicidae: Ponerinae) from French Guiana

Mandible strike kinematics of the trap‐jaw ant genus Anochetus Mayr (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

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