title: Eumenitin, a novel antimicrobial peptide from the venom of the solitary eumenine wasp Eumenes rubronotatus.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Center for Applied Toxinology, Butantan Institute, São Paulo, SP 05503-900, Brazil. kk-gon@butantan.gov.br
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konno
authors.forename: Miki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hisada
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naoki
authors.forename: Yasuhiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Itagaki
authors.forename: Renato
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fontana
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.forename: Joacir Stolarz
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Marcia Perez Dos Santos
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: João Ruggiero
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Neto
authors.forename: Izumi
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Hide
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Tadashi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yasuhara
authors.forename: Terumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakajima
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D023181:Antimicrobial Cationic Peptides; D014862:Wasp Venoms; C519176:eumenitin protein, Eumenes rubronotatus