Venom gland of Pachycondyla striata worker ants (Hymenoptera: Ponerinae). Ultrastructural characterization

Ortiz, Gabriela; Camargo‐Mathias, Maria Izabel

doi:10.1016/j.micron.2005.10.008

Cited by 17 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The same was observed in Apis mellifera regarding the cells of the tubular portion and the secretory cells found inside the reservoir wall (8). Also, histochemical differences were found between the tubular portion and the convoluted glands in ants (20).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Ultramorphological analysis of the venom glands and their histochemical relationship with the convoluted glands in the primitive social paper wasp Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Britto¹,

Caetano²

2005

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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ABSTRACT:The venom glands are part of the most important defense weapon in Aculeata: the venom apparatus. The arrangement of these glands can vary among species, but in general they are composed of long secretory tubules connected to a muscular sac-like reservoir. Although the occurrence of these variations has been documented, many studies neglected the existence of a well-developed secretory portion in the lumen of the reservoir named convoluted gland. This study is an ultramorphological analysis of the venom glands and their histochemical relationship with the convoluted glands in the primitive social wasp Polistes versicolor. In this wasp, the venom glands are constituted by two tubular portions that penetrate individually in the venom reservoir, inside of which we can find the convoluted glands. Besides morphological differences in their cells, histochemical analysis of the venom and convoluted glands clearly show differences between them. While the venom glands indicate positive reaction only for proteins, the convoluted glands present positive reaction for proteins, neutral glycoconjugates, and lipids. The secretion of the convoluted gland cells may modify the compounds passing through the embedded tubular region.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 91%

Ultramorphological analysis of the venom glands and their histochemical relationship with the convoluted glands in the primitive social paper wasp Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Britto¹,

Caetano²

2005

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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“…All these compounds are produced by the venom gland, which consists of two free cylindrical elongated and convoluted tubes, linked to a venom reservoir (Ortiz and Mathias, 2006). The venom secreted by the tubular glands is stored in the reservoir, linked to the delivery apparatus and, for example, can deliver up to 130 mg of venom after each sting (Schmidt, 1990).…”

Section: Ant Venom Functionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity of peptide toxins from stinging ant venoms

Aili

Touchard

Escoubas³

et al. 2014

Toxicon

148

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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.

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“…4 This secretion consisted of a probable terpene that could not be identified, so its approximate retention time and the principal mass spectral ions are given. 5 Recorded intensity. 6 Other m/z represented a weak ion.…”

Section: Ant Sting and Clinical Manifestationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These include low queenworker dimorphism, small colony sizes and predatory behavior, all of which may explain the simple social structuring and simple communicative needs of ponerine ants (4). Ponerine ants are primarily insectivorous and forage outside their nest in order to capture their prey (5).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Bioecology and chemical diversity of abdominal glands in the iranian samsum ant Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

Nikbakhtzadeh¹,

Akbarzadeh²,

Tirgari³

2009

J. Venom. Anim. Toxins incl. Trop. Dis

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ABSTRACT:The genus Pachycondyla is a large group of ants in the Ponerini tribe, known mostly from tropical and subtropical regions. Pachycondyla sennaarensis, the so-called Samsum ant in the Middle East, is distributed throughout the African tropics, Arabian Peninsula and Iran, where it is responsible for many cases of insectinduced dermal lesions and systemic reactions in humans. Populations of P. sennaarensis were studied in two regions of Iran and some aspects of their biology, ecology and medical importance are herein presented. Colonies of P. sennaarensis contain less than 850 workers that live in complicated underground galleries approximately one meter deep. Because of the harsh weather conditions of southern Iran, they can survive only in human disturbed habitats with higher humidity. Neither a real queen (without reproductive division of labor) nor a caste system is found in a P. sennaarensis colony. Observations indicated that P. sennaarensis is omnivorous, feeding on seeds of various plants, dead ants of other species, the larvae of dipterans and a few other invertebrates. The effect of the P. sennaarensis sting is usually mild, resulting in papule formation, erythema and dermal itching. The abdominal gland secretion of P. sennaarensis is a complex mixture of saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons and small amounts of terpenoids, ketones, pyrazines and phenolic compounds that are accompanied by straight-chain hydrocarbons. So far, no case of anaphylaxis has been reported in Iran, a fact probably due to the lack of proteins in P. sennaarensis venom. It appears that P. sennaarensis populations vary considerably in their toxin composition according to their geographic range, which may ultimately explain symptoms of different severity among local residents.

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Venom gland of Pachycondyla striata worker ants (Hymenoptera: Ponerinae). Ultrastructural characterization

Cited by 17 publications

References 11 publications

Ultramorphological analysis of the venom glands and their histochemical relationship with the convoluted glands in the primitive social paper wasp Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Ultramorphological analysis of the venom glands and their histochemical relationship with the convoluted glands in the primitive social paper wasp Polistes versicolor (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

Diversity of peptide toxins from stinging ant venoms

Bioecology and chemical diversity of abdominal glands in the iranian samsum ant Pachycondyla sennaarensis (Formicidae: Ponerinae)

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