Characterization of Venom Components and Their Phylogenetic Properties in Some Aculeate Bumblebees and Wasps

Abstract

To identify and compare venom components and expression patterns, venom gland-specific transcriptome analyses were conducted for 14 Aculeate bees and wasps. TPM (transcripts per kilobase million) values were normalized using the average transcription level of a reference housekeeping gene (dimethyladenosine transferase). Orthologous venom component genes across the 14 bee and wasp species were identified, and their relative abundance in each species was determined by comparing normalized TPM values. Based on signal sequences in the transcripts, the genes of novel venom components were identified and characterized to encode potential allergens. Most of the allergens and pain-producing factors (arginine kinase, hyaluronidase, mastoparan, phospholipase A1, phospholipase A2, and venom allergen 5) showed extremely high expression levels in social wasps. Acid phosphatase, neprilysin, and tachykinin, which are known allergens and neurotoxic peptides, were found in the venom glands of solitary wasps more often than in social wasps. In the venom glands of bumblebees, few or no transcripts of major allergens or pain-producing factors were identified. Taken together, these results indicate that differential expression patterns of the venom genes in some Aculeate species imply that some wasps and bumblebee species have unique groups of highly expressed venom components. Some venom components reflected the Aculeate species phylogeny, but others did not. This unique evolution of specific venom components in different groups of some wasps and bumblebee species might have been shaped in response to both ecological and behavioral influences.

Special Issue: Evolutionary Ecology of Venom

“…Aposematic signals are usually directed at other species, so an example of warning signals directed primarily at conspecifics is unusual but may be linked to the common use of facial coloration as social signals in mammals, consistent with previous suggestions that sociality may be related to the evolution of mammal venoms [4]. This is an interesting parallel with the suggestion of sociality being important in the evolution of defensive venoms in hymenopterans mentioned earlier [21], and presents new research opportunities going forward.…”

“…However, broader ecological associations with variation in venoms are still understudied. Yoon et al [ 21 ] present data suggesting that factors such as sociality may have had an important impact on bee and wasp venoms: early indications well worth exploring more in future studies.…”

Genome of the pincer wasp Gonatopus flavifemur reveals unique venom evolution and a dual adaptation to parasitism and predation

“…Candidate neprilysin-like proteins were manually checked for the alignments of Peptidase_M13 domain. To gain insights into the venom neprilysin-like genes of other hymenopteran species, we annotated the neprilysin-like genes in the venom genes of additional 30 hymenopteran insects (15 in Parasitoida and 15 in Aculeate) using the same method [ 35 , 67 – 70 , 75 , 77 , 89 , 90 , 156 – 164 ]. The phylogeny of the hymenopterans in Fig.…”

“…For example, parasitoid wasps use venom to manipulate the metabolism and immunity, and gene expression of the host to establish a suitable environment for wasp larvae [58][59][60][61][62][63][64], while some predatory hymenopterans (e.g., vespid wasps and ants) use venom for prey capture and defense [63,65,66]. The venom components of several parasitoid wasps and predatory hymenopterans have so far been reported [61,[65][66][67][68][69][70]. However, little is known about the venom components and their functions of G. flavifemur, which acts as both parasitoid and predator on its host.…”

Proteo-Trancriptomic Analyses Reveal a Large Expansion of Metalloprotease-Like Proteins in Atypical Venom Vesicles of the Wasp Meteorus pulchricornis (Braconidae)

“…Contrariwise, injection of a recombinant neprilysin from the venom of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia vestalis Haliday (previously Cotesia plutellae) disrupted immune responses against E. coli in its host Plutella xylostella L. [53]. Although the role of neprilysin in parasitoid venoms remains to be clarified, this enzyme is known to play a role in the venom of snakes and solitary and social wasps, in the physiological clearance of natriuretic and vasodilatory neuropeptides [55,56]. Neprilysin-like enzymes present in spider venoms may also play a role in extracellular matrix degradation or cell apoptosis [57,58].…”