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668549 
Journal Article 
Cytotoxicity of pilosulin 1, a peptide from the venom of the jumper ant Myrmecia pilosula 
Wu, QX; King, MA; Donovan, GR; Alewood, D; Alewood, P; Sawyer, WH; Baldo, BA 
1998 
1 
Biochimica et Biophysica Acta
ISSN: 0006-3002
EISSN: 1878-2434 
1425 
1 
74-80 
BIOSIS COPYRIGHT: BIOL ABS. The synthetic peptide pilosulin 1, corresponding to the largest defined allergenic polypeptide found in the venom of the jumper ant Myrmecia pilosula, inhibited the incorporation of (methyl-3H)thymidine into proliferating Epstein-Barr transformed (EBV) B-cells. The LD50 was four-fold lower in concentration than melittin, a cytotoxic peptide found in honey bee venom. Loss of cell viability was assessed by flow cytometry by measuring the proportion of cells that fluoresced in the presence of the fluorescent dye 7-aminoactinomycin D. Examination of proliferating EBV B-cells indicated that the cells lost viability within a few minutes exposure to pilosulin 1. Partial peptides of pilosulin 1 were less efficient in causing loss of cell viability and the results suggest that the 22 N-terminal residues are critical to the cytotoxic activity of pilosulin 1. Normal blood white cells were also labile to pilosulin 1. T- and B-lymphocytes, monocytes and natural killer cells, however 
Animals; cytology; Histocytochemistry; Body fluids chemistry; Hematopoietic system; Poisoning; laboratory; Immunity; Anatomy; comparative; Animal; Insects physiology; physiology; Pathology; Hymenoptera