Vespa tropica is a tropical species of Vespa found in Southeast Asia. V. tropica wasps were collected from rural provinces of Cambodia, and their total RNA and venom were extracted on site. To search for novel substances in venom, a subtracted cDNA library specific to the venom gland and sac was constructed and venom protein was analyzed by nano-LC-MS/MS. A total of 1127 expressed sequenced sequence tags (ESTs) were sequenced and assembled into 572 contigs (152 multiple sequences and 420 singletons). The short venom peptides were identified to be encoded from 5 contigs (43 ESTs) by proteomic analysis. In addition, putative antimicrobial peptides together with typical major components of wasp venom (venom allergen 5, mastoparan-like peptide, serine protease, and hyaluronidase) were identified in the EST Library. Additional in-depth annotation would be required for further characterization of many unidentified genes found in the EST library.

• Jung Hun Oh(Department of Agriculture Biotechnology, Seoul National University)
• Ji Hyeong Baek(Department of Agriculture Biotechnology, Seoul National University)
• Si Hyeock Lee(Department of Agriculture Biotechnology, Seoul National University)