title: Chemical and biological characterization of four new linear cationic α-helical peptides from the venoms of two solitary eumenine wasps.
abstract: Four novel peptides were isolated from the venoms of the solitary eumenine wasps Eumenes rubrofemoratus and Eumenes fraterculus. Their sequences were determined by MALDI-TOF/TOF (matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry) analysis, Edman degradation and solid-phase synthesis. Two of them, eumenitin-R (LNLKGLIKKVASLLN) and eumenitin-F (LNLKGLFKKVASLLT), are highly homologous to eumenitin, an antimicrobial peptide from a solitary eumenine wasp, whereas the other two, EMP-ER (FDIMGLIKKVAGAL-NH(2)) and EMP-EF (FDVMGIIKKIAGAL-NH(2)), are similar to eumenine mastoparan-AF (EMP-AF), a mast cell degranulating peptide from a solitary eumenine wasp. These sequences have the characteristic features of linear cationic cytolytic peptides; rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids with no disulfide bond, and accordingly, they can be predicted to adopt an amphipathic α-helix secondary structure. In fact, the CD (circular dichroism) spectra of these peptides showed significant α-helical conformation content in the presence of TFE (trifluoroethanol), SDS (sodium dodecylsulfate) and asolectin vesicles. In the biological evaluation, all the peptides exhibited a significant broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and moderate mast cell degranulation and leishmanicidal activities, but showed virtually no hemolytic activity.
authors.affiliation: Immunopathology Laboratory, Butantan Institute, Sao Paulo, SP 05503-900, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marisa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rangel
authors.forename: Marcia Perez dos Santos
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Cabrera
authors.forename: Kohei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kazuma
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ando
authors.forename: Xiaoyu
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Manabu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kato
authors.forename: Ken-ichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nihei
authors.forename: Izaura Yoshico
authors.initials: IY
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Tyra J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Cross
authors.forename: Angélica Nunes
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Garcia
authors.forename: Eliana L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Faquim-Mauro
authors.forename: Marcia Regina
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Franzolin
authors.forename: Hiroyuki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fuchino
authors.forename: Kanami
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Mori-Yasumoto
authors.forename: Setsuko
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sekita
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kadowaki
authors.forename: Motoyoshi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Satake
authors.forename: Katsuhiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Konno
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology; D002412:Cations / Q000737:chemistry; D002942:Circular Dichroism; D013058:Mass Spectrometry; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D014688:Venoms / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014863:Wasps / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D000900:Anti-Bacterial Agents; D002412:Cations; D010455:Peptides; D014688:Venoms