SEPARATION OF JUMPER ANT (MYRMECIA-PILOSULA) VENOM ALLERGENS - A NOVEL GROUP OF HIGHLY BASIC-PROTEINS

The sting of the jumper ant (Myrmecia pilosula) causes severe allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis in sensitized individuals. Two of th e major allergens, Myr p I and Myr p II, have been cloned, immunochara cterized and nucleotide-sequenced and they encode 112 and 75 residue p olypeptides, respectively. Both allergens are highly basic proteins ha ving isoelectric point values greater than 10. However, electrophoreti c analysis has generated conflicting results as to the actual sizes of the allergens in the native venom. Electrophoretic, immunological and N-terminal analyses suggested that these allergens undergo extensive post-translational processing to final forms of 45 and 27 residues, re spectively. The results highlight the difficulties in the study of sma ll, basic proteins and polypeptides by electrophoretic techniques.