Eumenitin, a novel antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the solitary eumenine wasp Eumenes rubronotatus.
A novel antimicrobial peptide, eumenitin, was isolated from the venom of the solitary eumenine wasp Eumenes rubronotatus. The sequence of eumenitin, Leu-Asn-Leu-Lys-Gly-Ile-Phe-Lys-Lys-Val-Ala-Ser-Leu-Leu-Thr, was mostly analyzed by mass spectrometry together with Edman degradation, and corroborated by solid-phase synthesis. This peptide has characteristic features of cationic linear alpha-helical antimicrobial peptides, and therefore, can be predicted to adopt an amphipathic alpha-helix secondary structure. In fact, the CD spectra of eumenitin in the presence of TFE or SDS showed a high content of alpha-helical conformation. Eumenitin exhibited inhibitory activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, and moderately stimulated degranulation from the rat peritoneal mast cells and the RBL-2H3 cells, but showed no hemolytic activity against human erythrocytes. This antimicrobial peptide in the eumenine wasp venom may play a role in preventing potential infection by microorganisms during prey consumption by their larvae.
Konno
Katsuhiro
K
Center for Applied Toxinology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP 05503-900, Brazil. kk-gon@butantan.gov.br
Hisada
Miki
M
Naoki
Hideo
H
Itagaki
Yasuhiro
Y
Fontana
Renato
R
Rangel
Marisa
M
Oliveira
Joacir Stolarz
JS
Cabrera
Marcia Perez Dos Santos
MP
Neto
João Ruggiero
JR
Hide
Izumi
I
Nakata
Yoshihiro
Y
Yasuhara
Tadashi
T
Nakajima
Terumi
T
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D008826:Microbial Sensitivity Tests; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014862:Wasp Venoms / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000494:pharmacology; D014863:Wasps
D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D014862:Wasp Venoms; C519176:eumenitin protein, Eumenes rubronotatus