Decoralin, a novel linear cationic á-helical peptide from the venom of the solitary eumenine wasp Oreumenes decoratus

ABSTRACT

A novel peptide, decoralin, was isolated from the venom of the solitary eumenine wasp Oreumenes decoratus. Its sequence, Ser-Leu-Leu-Ser-Leu-Ile-Arg-Lys-Leu-Ile-Thr, was determined by Edman degradation and corroborated by solid-phase synthesis. This sequence has the characteristic features of linear cationic á-helical peptides; rich in hydrophobic and basic amino acids with no disulfide bond, and accordingly, it can be predicted to adopt an amphipathic á-helix secondary structure. In fact, the CD spectra of decoralin in the presence of TFE or SDS showed a high á-helical conformation content. In a biological evaluation, decoralin exhibited a significant broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity, and moderate mast cell degranulation and leishmanicidal activities, but showed virtually no hemolytic activity. A synthetic analog with C-terminal amidation showed a much more potent activity in all the biological assays.