Structure and biological activities of eumenine mastoparan-AF (EMP-AF), a new mast cell degranulating peptide in the venom of the solitary wasp ( Anterhynchium flavomarginatum micado)

• Published in: Toxicon (Oxford) Vol. 38; no. 11; pp. 1505 - 1515
• Main Authors: Konno, Katsuhiro, Hisada, Miki, Naoki, Hideo, Itagaki, Yasuhiro, Kawai, Nobufumi, Miwa, Akiko, Yasuhara, Tadashi, Morimoto, Yukiko, Nakata, Yoshihiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01.11.2000; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; amino acid sequences; Animal poisons toxicology. Antivenoms; Animals; Anterhynchium flavomarginatum; Anterhynchium flavomarginatum micado; beta-N-acetylhexosaminidase; Biological and medical sciences; Cell Degranulation - drug effects; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; cytotoxicity; erythrocytes; Eumeninae; eumenine mastoparan-AF; Female; hemolysis; Hemolysis - drug effects; Humans; legs; Mass Spectrometry; mast cells; Mast Cells - drug effects; Medical sciences; molecular conformation; Molecular Sequence Data; muscles; Nephropidae; nervous system; neuromuscular preparations; neuromuscular synapse; neuromuscular transmission; neurophysiology; neurotoxicity; palinurus japonicus; peptides; Protein Conformation; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; release; Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; Toxicology; venoms; Vespidae; Wasp Venoms - chemistry; Wasp Venoms - isolation & purification; Wasp Venoms - pharmacology; Asia; Japan; Human; Rat; Toxicity; Insecta; Rodentia; Red blood cell; Animal origin; Neuromuscular transmission; In vitro; Biological activity; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Arthropoda; Venom; Vespidae; Mast cell; Hymenoptera; Invertebrata; Aminoacid sequence; Vespa; Aculeata; Structural analysis
• ISSN: 0041-0101; 1879-3150
• DOI: 10.1016/S0041-0101(00)00083-0

A new mast cell degranulating peptide, eumenine mastoparan-AF (EMP-AF), was isolated from the venom of the solitary wasp Anterhynchium flavomarginatum micado, the most common eumenine wasp found in Japan. The structure was analyzed by FAB-MS/MS together with Edman degradation, which was corroborated by solid-phase synthesis. The sequence of EMP-AF, Ile–Asn–Leu–Leu–Lys–Ile–Ala–Lys–Gly–Ile–Ile–Lys–Ser–Leu–NH 2, was similar to that of mastoparan, a mast cell degranulating peptide from a hornet venom; tetradecapeptide with C-terminus amidated and rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids. In fact, EMP-AF exhibited similar activity to mastoparan in stimulating degranulation from rat peritoneal mast cells and RBL-2H3 cells. It also showed significant hemolytic activity in human erythrocytes. Therefore, this is the first example that a mast cell degranulating peptide is found in the solitary wasp venom. Besides the degranulation and hemolytic activity, EMP-AF also affects on neuromuscular transmission in the lobster walking leg preparation. Three analogs EMP-AF-1∼3 were snythesized and biologically tested together with EMP-AF, resulting in the importance of the C-terminal amide structure for biological activities.