TY  - JOUR
AU  - Aili, S.R.
AU  - Touchard, A.
AU  - Escoubas, P.
AU  - Padula, M.P.
AU  - Orivel, J.
AU  - Dejean, A.
AU  - Nicholson, G.M.
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Diversity of peptide toxins from stinging ant venoms
T2  - Toxicon
JO  - Toxicon
SP  - 166
EP  - 178
VL  - 92
PB  - Elsevier Ltd
KW  - Ant venom
KW  - Chemotaxonomy
KW  - Disulfide linkage
KW  - Peptides
KW  - Venom biochemistry
N2  - Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) represent a taxonomically diverse group of arthropods comprising nearly 13,000 extant species. Sixteen ant subfamilies have individuals that possess a stinger and use their venom for purposes such as a defence against predators, competitors and microbial pathogens, for predation, as well as for social communication. They exhibit a range of activities including antimicrobial, haemolytic, cytolytic, paralytic, insecticidal and pain-producing pharmacologies. While ant venoms are known to be rich in alkaloids and hydrocarbons, ant venoms rich in peptides are becoming more common, yet remain understudied. Recent advances in mass spectrometry techniques have begun to reveal the true complexity of ant venom peptide composition. In the few venoms explored thus far, most peptide toxins appear to occur as small polycationic linear toxins, with antibacterial properties and insecticidal activity. Unlike other venomous animals, a number of ant venoms also contain a range of homodimeric and heterodimeric peptides with one or two interchain disulfide bonds possessing pore-forming, allergenic and paralytic actions. However, ant venoms seem to have only a small number of monomeric disulfide-linked peptides. The present review details the structure and pharmacology of known ant venom peptide toxins and their potential as a source of novel bioinsecticides and therapeutic agents.
SN  - 00410101 (Issn)
UR  - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?eid=2-s2.0-84911415563&partnerID=40&md5=ba642c1c30fe9afeaf1e6925c1af0ffc
N1  - Export Date: 2 December 2014; Coden: Toxia; Correspondence Address: Nicholson, G.M.; Neurotoxin Research Group, School of Medical and Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology SydneyAustralia
ID  - Aili_etal2014
ER  -