Vasotab, a vasoactive peptide from horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata (Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary glands

Takac, Peter; Nunn, Miles A.; Meszaros, Janos; Pechanova, Olga; Vrbjar, Norbert; Vlasakova, Petra; Kozanek, Milan; Kazimirova, Maria; Hart, George; Nuttall, Patricia A.; Labuda, Milan. 2006 Vasotab, a vasoactive peptide from horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata (Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary glands. Journal of Experimental Biology, 209. 343-352. 10.1242/jeb.02003

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Official URL: http://jeb.biologists.org/content/209/2/343

Abstract/Summary

Horse flies feed from superficial haematomas and probably rely heavily on the pharmacological properties of their saliva to find blood. Here we describe the first evidence of vasodilators in horse fly Hybomitra bimaculata (Diptera, Tabanidae) salivary gland extract and clone and express one of the active peptides (termed vasotab). Physiological tests using crude salivary gland extracts and reverse-phase HPLC fractions demonstrated positive inotropism in isolated rat hearts, vasodilatation of coronary and peripheral vessels, and Na, K-ATPase inhibition. One of the vasoactive fractions was analysed by N-terminal Edman degradation and a 47-amino-acid sequence obtained. A full-length cDNA encoding the peptide was cloned from a phage library using degenerate primer PCR and the peptide expressed in insect cells. A 20-amino-acid signal sequence precedes the mature 56-amino-acid vasotab peptide, which is a member of the Kazal-type protease inhibitor family. The peptide has a unique 7-amino-acid insertion between the third and fourth cysteine residues. The recombinant peptide prolonged the action potential and caused positive inotropism of isolated rat heart myocytes, and may be an ion channel modulator.

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	10.1242/jeb.02003
Programmes:	CEH Programmes pre-2009 publications > Biodiversity
UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:	_ Molecular Virology & Parasitology
ISSN:	0022-0949
Additional Keywords:	vasodilator, salivary gland, horse fly, Hybomitra bimaculata
NORA Subject Terms:	Biology and Microbiology
Date made live:	14 May 2008 09:11 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/2926

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

10.1242/jeb.02003

Programmes:

CEH Programmes pre-2009 publications > Biodiversity

UKCEH and CEH Sections/Science Areas:

_ Molecular Virology & Parasitology

ISSN:

0022-0949

Additional Keywords:

vasodilator, salivary gland, horse fly, Hybomitra bimaculata