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Open AccessArticle

Sa12b Peptide from Solitary Wasp Inhibits ASIC Currents in Rat Dorsal Root Ganglion Neurons

by Carmen Hernández, Katsuhiro Konno, Emilio Salceda, Rosario Vega, André Junqueira Zaharenko and Enrique Soto

Toxins 2019, 11(10), 585; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins11100585 - 10 Oct 2019

Cited by 13 | Viewed by 4578

Abstract

In this work, we evaluate the effect of two peptides Sa12b (EDVDHVFLRF) and Sh5b (DVDHVFLRF-NH₂) on Acid-Sensing Ion Channels (ASIC). These peptides were purified from the venom of solitary wasps Sphex argentatus argentatus and Isodontia harmandi, respectively. Voltage clamp recordings of ASIC currents were performed in whole cell configuration in primary culture of dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from (P7-P10) CII Long-Evans rats. The peptides were applied by preincubation for 25 s (20 s in pH 7.4 solution and 5 s in pH 6.1 solution) or by co-application (5 s in pH 6.1 solution). Sa12b inhibits ASIC current with an IC₅₀ of 81 nM, in a concentration-dependent manner when preincubation application was used. While Sh5b did not show consistent results having both excitatory and inhibitory effects on the maximum ASIC currents, its complex effect suggests that it presents a selective action on some ASIC subunits. Despite the similarity in their sequences, the action of these peptides differs significantly. Sa12b is the first discovered wasp peptide with a significant ASIC inhibitory effect. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Venom Components and Their Potential Usage)

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10 pages, 839 KB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Trap Nesting Wasps and Bees in Agriculture: A Comparison of Sown Wildflower and Fallow Plots in Florida

by Joshua W. Campbell, Cherice Smithers, Allyn Irvin, Chase B. Kimmel, Cory Stanley-Stahr, Jaret C. Daniels and James D. Ellis

Insects 2017, 8(4), 107; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects8040107 - 10 Oct 2017

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 7615

Abstract

Wildflower strip plantings in intensive agricultural systems have become a widespread tool for promoting pollination services and biological conservation because of their use by wasps and bees. Many of the trap-nesting wasps are important predators of common crop pests, and cavity-nesting bees that utilize trap-nests are important pollinators for native plants and many crops. The impact of wildflower strips on the nesting frequency of trap-nesting wasps or bees within localized areas has not been thoroughly investigated. Trap-nests made of bamboo reeds (Bambusa sp.) were placed adjacent to eight 0.1 ha wildflower plots and paired fallow areas (control plots) to determine if wildflower strips encourage the nesting of wasps and bees. From August 2014 to November 2015, occupied reeds were gathered and adults were collected as they emerged from the trap-nests. Treatment (wildflower or fallow plots) did not impact the number of occupied reeds or species richness of trap-nesting wasps using the occupied reeds. The wasps Pachodynerus erynnis, Euodynerus megaera, Parancistrocerus pedestris, and Isodontia spp. were the most common trap-nesting species collected. Less than 2% of the occupied reeds contained bees, and all were from the genus Megachile. The nesting wasp and bee species demonstrated preferences for reeds with certain inside diameters (IDs). The narrow range of ID preferences exhibited by each bee/wasp may provide opportunities to take advantage of their natural histories for biological control and/or pollination purposes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Monitoring and Trapping in Agricultural Systems)

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11 pages, 1237 KB

Open AccessReview

Peptide Toxins in Solitary Wasp Venoms

by Katsuhiro Konno, Kohei Kazuma and Ken-ichi Nihei

Toxins 2016, 8(4), 114; https://doi.org/10.3390/toxins8040114 - 18 Apr 2016

Cited by 47 | Viewed by 9240

Abstract

Solitary wasps paralyze insects or spiders with stinging venom and feed the paralyzed preys to their larva. Accordingly, the venoms should contain a variety of constituents acting on nervous systems. However, only a few solitary wasp venoms have been chemically studied despite thousands of species inhabiting the planet. We have surveyed bioactive substances in solitary wasp venoms found in Japan and discovered a variety of novel bioactive peptides. Pompilidotoxins (PMTXs), in the venoms of the pompilid wasps Anoplius samariensis and Batozonellus maculifrons, are small peptides consisting of 13 amino acids without a disulfide bond. PMTXs slowed Na⁺ channel inactivation, in particular against neuronal type Na⁺ channels, and were rather selective to the Na_v1.6 channel. Mastoparan-like cytolytic and antimicrobial peptides are the major components of eumenine wasp venoms. They are rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids, adopting a α-helical secondary structure, and showing mast cell degranulating, antimicrobial and hemolytic activities. The venom of the spider wasp Cyphononyx fulvognathus contained four bradykinin-related peptides. They are hyperalgesic and, dependent on the structure, differently associated with B₁ or B₂ receptors. Further survey led to the isolation of leucomyosuppressin-like FMRFamide peptides from the venoms of the digger wasps Sphex argentatus and Isodontia harmandi. These results of peptide toxins in solitary wasp venoms from our studies are summarized. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Arthropod Venoms)

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