title: Venoms of Heteropteran Insects: A Treasure Trove of Diverse Pharmacological Toolkits.
abstract: The piercing-sucking mouthparts of the true bugs (Insecta: Hemiptera: Heteroptera) have allowed diversification from a plant-feeding ancestor into a wide range of trophic strategies that include predation and blood-feeding. Crucial to the success of each of these strategies is the injection of venom. Here we review the current state of knowledge with regard to heteropteran venoms. Predaceous species produce venoms that induce rapid paralysis and liquefaction. These venoms are powerfully insecticidal, and may cause paralysis or death when injected into vertebrates. Disulfide-rich peptides, bioactive phospholipids, small molecules such as N,N-dimethylaniline and 1,2,5-trithiepane, and toxic enzymes such as phospholipase A2, have been reported in predatory venoms. However, the detailed composition and molecular targets of predatory venoms are largely unknown. In contrast, recent research into blood-feeding heteropterans has revealed the structure and function of many protein and non-protein components that facilitate acquisition of blood meals. Blood-feeding venoms lack paralytic or liquefying activity but instead are cocktails of pharmacological modulators that disable the host haemostatic systems simultaneously at multiple points. The multiple ways venom is used by heteropterans suggests that further study will reveal heteropteran venom components with a wide range of bioactivities that may be recruited for use as bioinsecticides, human therapeutics, and pharmacological tools.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. a.walker@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Andrew A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Walker
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA. christiane.weirauch@ucr.edu.
authors.forename: Christiane
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Weirauch
authors.affiliation: School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. bgfry@uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Bryan G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Fry
authors.affiliation: Institute for Molecular Biosciences, The University of Queensland, St Lucia, QLD 4072, Australia. glenn.king@imb.uq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Glenn F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: King
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001180:Arthropod Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005075:Biological Evolution; D020062:Heteroptera; D006801:Humans
chemical_list: D001180:Arthropod Venoms
keywords: Heteroptera; haematophagy; liquefaction; paralysis; predation; toxin; true bugs; venom; venom discovery; venomics