title: Combined Peptidomic and Proteomic Analysis of Electrically Stimulated and Manually Dissected Venom from the South American Bullet Ant Paraponera clavata.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Neurotoxin Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Samira R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Aili
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles , 97310 Kourou, France.
authors.forename: Axel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touchard
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles , 97310 Kourou, France.
authors.forename: Frédéric
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Petitclerc
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles , 97310 Kourou, France.|Ecolab, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, INPT, UPS , 31400 Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dejean
authors.affiliation: CNRS, UMR Ecologie des Forêts de Guyane (EcoFoG), AgroParisTech, Cirad, INRA, Université des Antilles, Université de Guyane, Université des Antilles , 97310 Kourou, France.
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Orivel
authors.affiliation: Proteomics Core Facility, Faculty of Science, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Matthew P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Padula
authors.affiliation: VenomeTech , 473 Route des Dolines - Villa 3, Valbonne 06560, France.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Escoubas
authors.affiliation: Neurotoxin Research Group, School of Life Sciences, University of Technology Sydney, New South Wales 2007, Australia.
authors.forename: Graham M
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4277-4296
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Nicholson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000862:Ant Venoms / Q000032:analysis*; D001000:Ants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000472:pathogenicity; D015180:Electrophoresis, Gel, Two-Dimensional; D019476:Insect Proteins / Q000032:analysis; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D040901:Proteomics / Q000379:methods*; D053719:Tandem Mass Spectrometry
chemical_list: D000862:Ant Venoms; D019476:Insect Proteins; D010455:Peptides
keywords: 2D-PAGE; MALDI-TOF MS; Paraponera clavata; ants; bullet ant; dissection; electrical stimulation; nanoLC-ESI-QTOF MS/MS; peptidome; proteome; venom