Abstract
Ants (Hymenoptera, Apocrita, Aculeata, Formicoidea) comprise a well-succeeded group of animals. Like bees and wasps, ants are mostly venomous, having a sting system to deliver a mixture of bioactive organic compounds and peptides. The predatory giant ant Dinoponera quadriceps belongs to the subfamily Ponerinae that includes one of the largest known ant species in the world. In the present study, low molecular weight compounds and peptides were identified by online peptide mass fingerprint. These include neuroactive biogenic amines (histamine, tyramine, and dopamine), monoamine alkaloid (phenethylamine), free amino acids (e.g. glutamic acid and proline), free thymidine, and cytosine. To the best of our knowledge, most of these components are described for the first time in an ant venom. Multifunctional dinoponeratoxin peptide variants (pilosulin- and ponericin-like peptides) were characterized that possess antimicrobial, hemolytic, and histamine-releasing properties. These venom components, particularly peptides, might synergistically contribute to the overall venom activity and toxicity, for immobilizing live prey, and for defending D. quadriceps against aggressors, predators, and potential microbial infection.
Acknowledgments
The authors are thankful to the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES, Toxinology Program), the Ministry of Education and Culture and the National Council of Research and Development, (CNPq), the Ministry of Science, Technology, Innovation and Communication (MCTI-C), Federal Government of Brazil, for the financial support and project endorsement.
Conflict of interest statement: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Supplementary Material
The online version of this article offers supplementary material (https://doi.org/10.1515/hsz-2019-0397).
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