Polistes Mastoparan

Polistes Mastoparan is a peptide found in wasp venom. It binds to and inhibits CAM (calmodulin), a calcium binding protein found in eukaryotic cells. It is suggested that a net positive charge on the peptide is important for anti-calmodulin activity because acetylation of the peptides is reported to reduce their inhibitory effect. It is also suggested that Polistes Mastoparan acts partly by stimulation of phospholipase activity.