Rügen Nicolai, Jenkins Timothy P, Wielsch Natalie, Vogel Heiko, Hempel Benjamin-Florian, Süssmuth Roderich D, Ainsworth Stuart, Cabezas-Cruz Alejandro, Vilcinskas Andreas, Tonk Miray
Department of Bioresources, Fraunhofer Institute for Molecular Biology and Applied Ecology, Ohlebergsweg 12, 35392 Giessen, Germany.
Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine, Technical University of Denmark, 2800 Kongens Lyngby, Denmark.
Biomedicines. 2021 Jul 14;9(7):819. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9070819.
Assassin bug venoms are potent and exert diverse biological functions, making them potential biomedical goldmines. Besides feeding functions on arthropods, assassin bugs also use their venom for defense purposes causing localized and systemic reactions in vertebrates. However, assassin bug venoms remain poorly characterized. We collected the venom from the assassin bug and investigated its composition and bioactivity in vitro and in vivo. It caused lysis of murine neuroblastoma, hepatoma cells, and healthy murine myoblasts. We demonstrated, for the first time, that assassin bug venom induces neurolysis and suggest that it counteracts paralysis locally via the destruction of neural networks, contributing to tissue digestion. Furthermore, the venom caused paralysis and melanization of larvae and pupae, whilst also possessing specific antibacterial activity against , but not and . A combinatorial proteo-transcriptomic approach was performed to identify potential toxins responsible for the observed effects. We identified neurotoxic Ptu1, an inhibitory cystin knot (ICK) toxin homologous to ω-conotoxins from cone snails, cytolytic redulysins homologous to trialysins from hematophagous kissing bugs, and pore-forming hemolysins. Additionally, chitinases and kininogens were found and may be responsible for insecticidal and cytolytic activities. We demonstrate the multifunctionality and complexity of assassin bug venom, which renders its molecular components interesting for potential biomedical applications.
猎蝽毒液效力强大且具有多种生物学功能，使其成为潜在的生物医学宝库。除了对节肢动物的捕食功能外，猎蝽还利用其毒液进行防御，在脊椎动物中引发局部和全身反应。然而，猎蝽毒液的特征仍知之甚少。我们从猎蝽中收集毒液，并在体外和体内研究了其成分和生物活性。它导致小鼠神经母细胞瘤、肝癌细胞和健康小鼠成肌细胞溶解。我们首次证明猎蝽毒液可诱导神经溶解，并表明它通过破坏神经网络在局部对抗麻痹，有助于组织消化。此外，毒液导致幼虫和蛹麻痹和黑化，同时对[具体细菌名称1]具有特定的抗菌活性，但对[具体细菌名称2]和[具体细菌名称3]没有抗菌活性。我们采用了组合蛋白质组学 - 转录组学方法来鉴定导致观察到的效应的潜在毒素。我们鉴定出神经毒性Ptu1，一种与锥螺的ω - 芋螺毒素同源的抑制性胱氨酸结（ICK）毒素，与吸血猎蝽的triarysins同源的溶细胞性redulysins，以及形成孔道的溶血素。此外，还发现了几丁质酶和激肽原，它们可能负责杀虫和溶细胞活性。我们证明了猎蝽毒液的多功能性和复杂性，这使其分子成分在潜在的生物医学应用中具有吸引力。
