CHARACTERIZATION OF PEDICEL, PAPER, AND LARVAL SILK FROM NEST OF POLISTES-ANNULARIS (L)

The pedicel, nest paper, and larval silk of Polisters annularis nests were analyzed by high-resolution solid-state [C-13]NMR. The pedicel was found to have a high nitrogen content (11%), and the NMR spectra indicated that it is a mixture of carbohydrate and protein. The pedicel protein has an amino acid composition that is very rich in glycine, alanine, serine, and proline (67% of identified residues), similar to that of some insect silks. Solid-state [C-13]NMR indicated that the nest paper is composed predominantly of cellulose. Silk, spun by mature P. annularis larvae, was shown by [C-13]NMR and amino acid analysis to be a protein very high in serine and alanine (53%), but the amino acid composition is distinct from that of the pedicel protein.