Abstract
Polybia-MPII (INWLKLGKMVIDAL-NH2), a mastoparan isolated from the crude venom of the swarming wasp Polybia paulista, was injected into the left hind limb of Swiss white mice. Between 3 h and 21 days later the mice were killed and the soleus muscles from both hind limbs were removed. Sections of the muscles were made for transmission electron microscopy and immunocytochemistry. Transmission electron microscopy showed that both the volume fraction occupied by synaptic vesicles and synaptic vesicle density was greatly reduced after exposure to Polybia-MPII, although there was no significant structural damage to the plasma membrane of the terminal boutons and mitochondria were indistinguishable from those in normal, control boutons. Immunocytochemistry revealed that in control muscles 99% of motor end plates identified by the positive labelling of acetylcholine receptors by TRITC-α-bungarotoxin co-labelled with anti-synaptophysin antibody, but this figure fell by 30% in muscles exposed to the toxin. These changes were transient. They were maximal at 6 h and fully reversed by 3 days. At no time was axonal labelling with anti-neurofilament antibodies affected by exposure to Polybia-MPII. We conclude that mastoparan Polybia-MPII is a minor neurotoxin and suggest that its neurotoxic activity is unlikely to be of clinical significance.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Antonicelli L, Bilo MB, Bonifari F (2002) Epidemiology of Hymenoptera. Allergy Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol 2:341–346
Bensimon M, Chang AI, De Bold ML, Ponce A, Carreras D, De Bold AJ (2004) Participation of G proteins in natriuretic peptide hormone secretion from heart atria. Endocrinology 145:5313–5321
Choi OH, Padgett WL, Daly JW (1992) Effects of the amphiphilic peptides melittin and mastoparan on calcium influx, phosphoinositide breakdown and arachidonic acid release in rat pheochromocytoma PC12 cells. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 260:369–375
de Souza BM, Marques MR, Tomazela DM, Eberlin MN, Palma MS (2004) Mass spectrometric characterization of two novel inflammatory peptides from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista. Rapid Commun Mass Spectrom 18:1095–1102
Dixon RW, Harris JB (1999) Nerve terminal damage by β-bungarotoxin—its clinical significance. Am J Pathol 154:447–455
Eddlestone GT, Komatsu M, Shen L, Sharp GWG (1995) Mastoparan increases the intracellular free calcium concentration in two insulin-secreting cell lines by inhibition of ATP-sensitive potassium channels. Mol Pharmacol 47:787–797
Fitzgerald KT, Flood AA (2006) Hymenoptera stings. Clin Tech Small Anim Pract 21:194–204
Golden DB (2007) Insect sting anaphylaxis. Immunol Allergy Clin North Am 27:261–272
Harris JB (2006) Neuron to nerve terminals: aspects of neuropathology and toxinology. Braz J Morphol Sci 23:195–216
Harris JB, Grubb BD, Maltin CA, Dixon R (2000) The neurotoxicity of the venom phospholipases A2, notexin and taipoxin. Exp Neurol 161:517–526
Hillarie-Buys D, Mousli M, Landry Y, Bockaert J, Fehrentsz JA, Carrette J, Rouot B (1992) Insulin releasing effects of mastoparan and amphiphilic substance P receptor antagonists on RINm5F insulinoma cells. Mol Cell Biochem 109:133–138
Hirai Y, Yasuhara T, Yoshida H, Nakajima T, Fujino M, Kitada C (1979) A new mast cell degranulating peptide “mastoparan” in the venom of Vespula lewisii. Chem Pharm Bull 27:1942–1944
Hoffman DR (1996) Hymenoptera venom proteins. Adv Exp Med Biol 391:169–186
Hoffman DR (2006) Hymenoptera venom allergens. Clin Rev Allergy Immunol 30:109–128
Jones PM, Mann FM, Persaud SJ, Wheeler-Jones CPD (1993) Mastoparan stimulates insulin secretion from pancreatic beta-cells by effects at a late stage in the secretory pathway. Mol Cell Endocrinol 94:97–103
Joyce-Brady M, Rubins JB, Panchenko MP, Bernardo J, Steele MP, Kolm L, Simons ER, Dickey BF (1991) Mechanisms of mastoparan-stimulated surfactant secretion from isolated pulmonary alveolar type 2 cells. J Biol Chem 266:6859–6865
Karnovsky ML, Roots L (1964) A direct colouring thiocholine method for cholinesterase. J Histochem Cytochem 12:219–221
Komatsu M, Aizawa T, Yokokawa N, Sato Y, Okada N, Takasu N, Yamada T (1992) Mastoparan-induced hormone release from rat pancreatic islets. Endocrinology 130:221–228
Komatsu M, McDermott AM, Gillison SL, Sharp GW (1993) Mastoparan stimulates exocytosis at a Ca(2b)-independent late site in stimulus secretion coupling. Studies with the RINm5F beta-cell line. J Biol Chem 268:23297–23306
Kurihara H, Kitajima K, Senda T, Fujita H, Nakajima T (1986) Multigranular exocytosis induced by phospholipase A2-activators, melittin and mastoparan in rat anterior pituitary. Cell Tissue Res 243:311–316
Mellor IR, Sansom MS (1990) Ion-channel properties of mastoparan, a 14-residue peptide from wasp venom, and of MP3, a 12-residue analogue. Proc R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 239:383–400
Misonou H, Ohara-Imaizumi M, Kumakura K (1997) Regulation of the priming of exocytosis and the dissociation of SNAP-25 and VAMP-2 in adrenal chromaffin cells. Neurosci Lett 232:182–184
Nakajima T, Yasuhara T, Uzu S, Wakamatsu K, Miyazawa T, Fukuda K, Tsukamoto Y (1985) Wasp venom peptides; wasp kinins, new cytotrophic peptide families and their physico-chemical properties. Peptides 3:425–430
Ohara-Imaizumi M, Nakamichi Y, Ozawa S, Katsuta H, Ishida H, Nagamatsu S (2001) Mastoparan stimulates GABA release from MIN6 cells: relationship between SNARE proteins and mastoparan action. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 289:1025–1030
Oliveira MR, Palma MS (1998) Polybitoxins: a group of phospholipases A2 from the venom of the neotropical social wasp paulistinha (Polybia paulista). Toxicon 36:189–199
Paes-Oliveira MR, Rodrigues-Simioni L, Cruz-Höfling MA (2000) Estudo eletrofisiológico e ultraestrutural do veneno de Polybia paulista em preparação diafragma de camundongos. Braz J Morphol Sci 17(Suppl):175
Piek T (1990) Neurotoxins from venoms of the Hymenoptera: twenty-five years of research in Amsterdam. Comp Biochem Physiol C 96:223–233
Prasarnpun S, Walsh J, Harris JB (2004) β-Bungarotoxin induced depletion of synaptic vesicles at the mammalian neuromuscular junction. Neuropharmacology 47:304–314
Rocha T, de Souza BM, Palma MS, Cruz-Höfling MA (2007) Myotoxic effects of mastoparan from Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera, Epiponini) wasp venom in mice skeletal muscle. Toxicon 50:589–599
Rocha T, Leonardo MB, de Souza BM, Palma MS, Cruz-Höfling MA (2008) Mastoparan effects in skeletal muscle damage: an ultrastructural view until now concealed. Microsc Res Tech 71:220–229
Roos J, Kelly RB (2000) Preassembly and transport of nerve terminals: a new concept of axonal transport. Nat Neurosci 3:415–417
Santos LD, Santos KL, de Souza BM, Arcurid HA, Cunha-Neto E, Castro FM, Kalil JE, Palma MS (2007) Purification, sequencing and structural characterization of the phospholipase A1 from the venom of the social wasp Polybia paulista (Hymenoptera, Vespidae). Toxicon 50:923–937
Seebeck J, Westenberger K, Elgeti T, Ziegler A, Schutze S (2001) The exocytotic signaling pathway induced by nerve growth factor in the presence of lyso-phosphatidylserine in rat peritoneal mast cells involves a type D phospholipase. Regul Pept 102:93–99
Steen CJ, Janniger CK, Schutzer SE, Schwartz RA (2005) Insect sting reactions to bees, wasps, and ants. Int J Dermatol 44:91–94
Südhof T (1999) Intracellular trafficking. In: Siegel GJ, Agranoff BW, Albers RW, Fisher SK, Uhler MD (eds) Basic neurochemistry, 6th edn. Lippincott-Raven, Philadelphia, pp 175–188
Whiles JA, Brasseur R, Glover KJ, Melacini G, Komives EA, Vold RR (2001) Orientation and effects of mastoparan X on phospholipid. Biophys J 80:280–293
Wilson SP (1989) Effects of mastoparan on catecholamine release from chromaffin cells. FEBS Lett 247:239–241
Yokokawa N, Komatsu M, Takeda T, Aizawa T, Yamada T (1989) Mastoparan, a wasp venom, stimulates insulin release by pancreatic islets through pertussis toxin sensitive GTP-binding protein. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 158:712–716
Acknowledgments
We thank Kathryn E. White PhD, Vivian Thompson FRMS and Tracey Scott-Davey FRMS for technical support and Trevor Booth PhD for help with confocal microscopy. This Project was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Education Ministry of Brazil (Proc. 210284/2006-4, SWE).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Rocha, T., de Souza, B.M., Palma, M.S. et al. The neurotoxicological effects of mastoparan Polybia-MPII at the murine neuromuscular junction: an ultrastructural and immunocytochemical study. Histochem Cell Biol 132, 395–404 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-009-0607-z
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00418-009-0607-z