Isolation and identification of paralytic peptides from hemolymph of the lepidopteran insects Manduca sexta, Spodoptera exigua, and Heliothis virescens.

Seven paralytic peptides were isolated and identified from lepidopteran hemolymph. All of these peptides cause rapid, rigid paralysis when injected into Manduca sexta and some other lepidopteran larvae. Each peptide contains 23 amino acid residues including 2 cysteines and the carboxyl termini are acidic. Synthetic peptides in the disulfide or reduced forms, and as carboxyl-terminal acids or amides were equally paralytic. The most potent paralytic peptide, Mas PP I, has the following sequence: H-Glu-Asn-Phe-Ala-Gly-Gly-Cys-Ala-Thr-Gly-Tyr-Leu- Arg-Thr-Ala-Asp-Gly-Arg-Cys-Lys-Pro-Thr-Phe-OH. The two peptides from M. sexta hemolymph are remarkable in that they are autoparalytic (i.e. factors in collected hemolymph that are paralytic when injected into the same larvae).