Identification and Structural Analysis of a Glycophospholipid Component from the Venom of Ant Paraponera clavata

K. A. Pluzhnikov,# D. N. Bocharov, N. V. Kononova, S. V. Sukhanov, T. A. Balashova, A. S. Arseniev, and E. V. Grishin

# Phone: +7 (495) 336-6540; fax: +7 (495) 330-7301; e-mail: pluzhnik@ibch.ru
Shemyakin
Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Miklukho-Maklaya 16/10, Moscow, 117997 Russia

Received November 14, 2005; in final form, November 16, 2005

Abstract: The venom of South American ant Paraponera clavata and its low-molecular-mass fraction were shown to possess insectotoxic and pore-forming activities. A number of glycophospholipid components were isolated from this ant venom by means of gel filtration and reversed-phase chromatography. Some of the compounds cause conductivity fluctuations in bilayer lipid membranes within the ranges of 3--25 pS and 200--400pS at concentrations 10–6 to 10–7 M. N-Acetylglucosamine, a fatty acid, and phosphoric acid residues were found in their structures. A full structure, 3-myristoyl-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-α-D-glucopyranosyl phosphate, was elucidated for one of the compounds by the use of 1H, 13C, and 31P NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry.

Key words: ant venom, glycophospholipid components, NMR spectroscopy

Russian Journal of Bioorganic Chemistry 2006, 32 (5):478-484