Comparative transcriptome analysis of the venom sac and gland of social wasp Vespa tropica and solitary wasp Rhynchium brunneum

•Comparative transcriptome analysis of social vs. solitary wasp venom was conducted.•Vespa tropica (social) and Rhynchium brunneum (solitary) were collected in Cambodia.•We found species-specific venom transcripts in each type of wasps.•Venom allergen 5 and serine protease were social wasp-specific transcripts.•Venom peptides, MEP, AK and DTX were more transcribed in the solitary wasp.

To investigate genes differentially expressed in the venom of social and solitary wasps, a comparative transcriptome analysis was conducted. Subtractive expressed sequence tag (EST) libraries specific to the venom gland and sac (gland/sac) of a social wasp species, Vespa tropica and a solitary hunting wasp species, Rhynchium brunneum, was constructed by suppression subtractive hybridization. In BLASTx analysis, 41% and 56% of the total ESTs showed statistically best-matched hits (E ≤ 10− 4) in the libraries of V. tropica and R. brunneum, respectively. Although the functional category analysis did not show remarkable differences in the distribution of functional categories between the two venom gland/sac cDNA libraries, perhaps due to the lack of functional information on many of the venom components, there were groups of genes that are specific to either V. tropica or R. brunneum. Venom allergen 5 and serine protease were found to be social wasp-specific venom transcripts. In contrast, venom peptides, metalloendopeptidases, arginine kinase and dendrotoxin were observed in solitary wasp at much higher frequencies.

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