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PubMed2006

[Effects of helper protein P20 from Bacillus thuringiensis on Vip3A expression].

Insecticidal crystal proteins (ICPs) produced in Bacillus thuringiensis accumulate as crystalline inclusions that represent up to 30% of total dry weight the cell produces. The mechanisms of in vivo crystallization of these insecticidal proteins remain interests, yet unclear. A 20-kDa protein (P20), the product of the third open reading frame of cry11A operon in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis has been defined to be an important molecular chaperone (helper protein) for forming Cyt1A crystal and enhancing Cry11A expression. The novel vegetative insecticidal proteins (VIPs) are secreted outside the cell of B. thuringiensis during mid-logarithmic growth. VIP3A shows activity against many lepidopteran insect larvae in a different mechanism from that of ICPs. To investigate the influence of helper protein P20 on Vip3A production and its insecticidal activity, P20 was coexpressed with Vip3A protein in B. thuringiensis and the yields and insecticidal toxicity of Vip3A were also analyzed. The recombinant plasmid pHVP20 was constructed by inserting a 5.4kb foreign fragment containing both vip3A gene and p20 gene into the shuttle vector pHT3101. The plasmid pHPT3 only containing vip3A gene was used as control. pHVP20 and pHPT3 were transformed into the B. thuringiensis acrystalliferous strain CryB not containing vip3A gene by electroporation. The obtained B. thuringiensis transformants were CryB(pHVP20) and CryB(pHPT3) respectively. Western blot showed that Vip3A protein reached its maximum yield after 48h of CryB (pHVP20) growth and remained high expression level during the sporulation. The maximum yield of Vip3A protein in CryB (pHVP20) was about 1.5 fold as compared with that in CryB(pHPT3) by the mean of ImageMaster VDS software. It is considered that P20 might combine with the native Vip3A protein during the sporulation, stabilize Vip3A and protect Vip3A from unspecific full proteolysis. Bioassay showed that the cell pellets of CryB (pHVP20) and CryB(pHPT3) performed high insecticidal toxicity against the first instar larvae of Spodoptera litura. Their LC50s of were 48.79 microg/mL and 78.00 microg/mL respectively and were not significantly different. Cell supernatants of two strains containing small amounts of secreted Vip3A were not toxic to the tested insect. It suggests that p20 can enhance the expression of Vip3A, but not improve its insecticidal toxicity remarkably.

Animals↗

PubMed2003

Cytotoxic activity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry proteins on mammalian cells transfected with cadherin-like Cry receptor gene of Bombyx mori (silkworm).

Cry1Aa, an insecticidal protein produced by Bacillus thuringiensis, has been shown to bind to cadherin-like protein, BtR175, in Bombyx mori (silkworm) midgut. We previously reported three variant alleles of BtR175 (BtR175a, b and c). When transiently expressed in COS7 cells, all the three BtR175 variants bound to Cry1Aa. We stably expressed BtR175b in HEK293 cells. These BtR175b-expressing cells swelled and died in the presence of activated Cry1Aa in a dose- and time-dependent manner, showing that BtR175b itself can impart Cry1Aa-susceptibility to mammalian cells. These cells were more susceptible to Cry1Aa than to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac. Since dispersed B. mori midgut cells were reported to be highly susceptible to Cry1Ac, this result suggested that other Cry1Ac-specific receptor(s) were simultaneously working with BtR175 in the midgut cells. Advantages are also discussed of applying these transfected mammalian cells to toxicity assays of mutant Cry proteins.

Animals↗

PubMed2006

Characterization of chimeric Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3 toxins.

Bacillus thuringiensis vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vip) are potential alternatives for B. thuringiensis endotoxins that are currently utilized in commercial transgenic insect-resistant crops. Screening a large number of B. thuringiensis isolates resulted in the cloning of vip3Ac1. Vip3Ac1 showed high insecticidal activity against the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda and the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa zea but very low activity against the silkworm Bombyx mori. The host specificity of this Vip3 toxin was altered by sequence swapping with a previously identified toxin, Vip3Aa1. While both Vip3Aa1 and Vip3Ac1 showed no detectable toxicity against the European corn borer Ostrinia nubilalis, the chimeric protein Vip3AcAa, consisting of the N-terminal region of Vip3Ac1 and the C-terminal region of Vip3Aa1, became insecticidal to the European corn borer. In addition, the chimeric Vip3AcAa had increased toxicity to the fall armyworm. Furthermore, both Vip3Ac1 and Vip3AcAa are highly insecticidal to a strain of cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) that is highly resistant to the B. thuringiensis endotoxin Cry1Ac, thus experimentally showing for the first time the lack of cross-resistance between B. thuringiensis Cry1A proteins and Vip3A toxins. The results in this study demonstrated that vip3Ac1 and its chimeric vip3 genes can be excellent candidates for engineering a new generation of transgenic plants for insect pest control.

Animals↗

PubMed1999

Potential side effects of insect-resistant transgenic plants on arthropod natural enemies.

Engineering genes encoding insecticidal proteins into crop plants offers numerous benefits to agriculture. However, like many conventional insecticides, this new technology has the potential to disrupt natural biological control through both direct and indirect side effects of the plants on the fitness or behaviour of arthropod predators and parasitoids. Interactions between transgenic plants and these beneficial insects are being assessed to avoid incompatibility.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

Transformation of Enterobacter gergoviae isolated from pink bollworm (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) gut with Bacillus thuringiensis toxin.

Production of molecules with toxic activity by genetically transformed symbiotic bacteria of pest insects may serve as a powerful approach to biological control. The symbiont, Enterobacter gergoviae, isolated from the gut of the pink bollworm (PBW), has been transformed to express Cyt1A, a cytolytic protein toxin lethal to mosquito and black fly larvae, as a model system. These transgenic bacteria might be used to spread genes encoding insecticidal proteins to populations of agricultural insects or as replacement for chemical insecticides such as malathion used in bait formulation to control specific insect pests, because of extreme public pressure against organophosphate pesticide spraying.

Animals↗

PubMed2001

Effects of efrapeptin and destruxin, metabolites of entomogenous fungi, on the hydrolytic activity of a vacuolar type ATPase identified on the brush border membrane vesicles of Galleria mellonella midgut and on plant membrane bound hydrolytic enzymes.

The brush border membrane of the insect midgut is an initial site for interaction of insecticidal proteins. We have investigated the possibility that it may contain a target site for two insecticidal fungal toxins, destruxin and efrapeptin, both of which are ATPase inhibitors. We have studied the effects of the toxins on the hydrolytic activity of a vacuolar type ATPase (V-ATPase) that we have identified from Galleria mellonella midgut columnar cell brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) by its cation and pH dependence, sensitivity to proton pump inhibitors and K(m) (0.49 mM ATP). Efrapeptin strongly inhibited the BBMV V-ATPase but destruxin had little effect. We compared the effects of the inhibitors on known plant membrane hydrolytic enzymes, and although the vacuolar pyrophosphatase and plasma membrane ATPase were not inhibited by the toxins, the V-ATPase from mung bean, but not barley, was inhibited (50%) by 10 microM concentrations of both compounds. Different forms of the toxins were tested on the ATPases and destruxin B and efrapeptin F were the most effective. Kinetic analysis showed that the purified forms of both compounds inhibited the V-ATPases uncompetitively and modelling of data for inhibition of the BBMV V-ATPase by efrapeptin at concentrations of 0.06--12 microM yielded a K(i) of 0.125 microM.

Adenosine Triphosphatases↗

PubMed2003

Advances in plant biotechnology and its adoption in developing countries.

Developing countries are already benefiting and should continue to benefit significantly from advances in plant biotechnology. Insect-protected cotton containing a natural insecticide protein from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt cotton) is providing millions of farmers with increased yields, reduced insecticide costs and fewer health risks. Many other useful plant biotechnology products that can benefit poor farmers and consumers are in the research and development pipelines of institutions in developing countries, and should soon reach farmers' fields.

Biotechnology↗

PubMed1993

Insect-resistant chrysanthemum calluses by introduction of a Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein gene.

A 3'-end truncated crystal protein gene, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) subsp. aizawai 7.21, encoding the toxic fragment of the insecticidal protein cryIA(b), was constructed. The gene was inserted into a transformation vector, also carrying the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene and the beta-glucuronidase (gus) gene, and introduced in the oncogenic Agrobacterium tumefaciens strain A281, harbouring the Ti-plasmid pTiBO542. The recombinant Agrobacterium strain was used to transform leaf explants of chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora) cultivar Parliament. The resulting tumours were kanamycin-resistant, exhibited beta-glucuronidase activity and produced agropine and mannopine. In most tumours, all simultaneously transferred genes were expressed, owing to selection for the presence of both T-DNAs, but no correlation was found between the level of expression of the various genes. A bioassay was developed, in which larvae were fed with tumorous chrysanthemum tissue, in order to detect the effect of the transferred toxin gene on larval development. Using this bioassay with second instar larvae of Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm), 17 tumour lines were tested. Several of these lines proved to be strongly inhibitory to larval growth. These results indicate that Bt-based insect resistance might be used as a tool in reducing the amount of pesticides used in chrysanthemum culture.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗

PubMed2003

The three-dimensional solution structure of NaD1, a new floral defensin from Nicotiana alata and its application to a homology model of the crop defense protein alfAFP.

NMR spectroscopy and simulated annealing calculations have been used to determine the three-dimensional structure of NaD1, a novel antifungal and insecticidal protein isolated from the flowers of Nicotiana alata. NaD1 is a basic, cysteine-rich protein of 47 residues and is the first example of a plant defensin from flowers to be characterized structurally. Its three-dimensional structure consists of an alpha-helix and a triple-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet that are stabilized by four intramolecular disulfide bonds. NaD1 features all the characteristics of the cysteine-stabilized alphabeta motif that has been described for a variety of proteins of differing functions ranging from antibacterial insect defensins and ion channel-perturbing scorpion toxins to an elicitor of the sweet taste response. The protein is biologically active against insect pests, which makes it a potential candidate for use in crop protection. NaD1 shares 31% sequence identity with alfAFP, an antifungal protein from alfalfa that confers resistance to a fungal pathogen in transgenic potatoes. The structure of NaD1 was used to obtain a homology model of alfAFP, since NaD1 has the highest level of sequence identity with alfAFP of any structurally characterized antifungal defensin. The structures of NaD1 and alfAFP were used in conjunction with structure-activity data for the radish defensin Rs-AFP2 to provide an insight into structure-function relationships. In particular, a putative effector site was identified in the structure of NaD1 and in the corresponding homology model of alfAFP.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Bacillus thuringiensis cry3Ca1 protein is toxic to the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say).

We expressed the wild-type cry3Aa3 and cry3Ca1 Bacillus thuringiensis genes, which code for insecticidal proteins, in an Escherichia coli expression system. Highly purified preparations of the soluble delta-endotoxins were used to perform comparative bioassays with third-instar larvae of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB). Acute mortality data showed that Cry3Ca1 (LD(50) = 320.1 ng) was 2-fold more toxic than Cry3Aa3 (LD(50) = 672.9 ng). We also compared the chronic effects of sublethal doses of these toxins by measuring the consumption of untreated foliage and monitoring survival and development for 6 days after intoxication. No significant additional mortality was recorded, but we found that surviving larvae fed Cry3Ca1 consumed foliage at a slower rate than the larvae fed Cry3Aa3, suggesting more damage to their digestive epithelium. This study, the first assessment of the toxicity of cry3Ca1 in third-instar CPB, suggests cry3Ca1 will prove useful for the control of this important insect pest.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

The plasmid pBMBt1 from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. darmstadiensis (INTA Mo14-4) replicates by the rolling-circle mechanism and encodes a novel insecticidal crystal protein-like gene.

This work describes a novel rolling-circle replicating (RCR) plasmid pBMBt1 from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. darmstadiensis (INTA Mo14-4) encoding an insecticidal crystal protein-like gene. pBMBt1 (6700 bp) contains three ORFs and their putative transcription initiation sites and Shine-Dalgarno sequences were localized. ORF1 encodes a 34.6 kDa protein which showed identity with the protein CryC53 from B. thuringiensis subsp. cameroun (24.6%), the Cry15Aa insecticidal crystal protein from B. thuringiensis subsp. thompsoni (21.9%) and the Mtx3 protein from Bacillus sphaericus (27.8%). The ORF2 (52.3 kDa) showed a 74% identity with the Mob protein coded by pUIBI-1 from B. thuringiensis subsp. entomocidus and 64% identity with the Mob protein of pBMY1 from Bacillus mycoides; both Mob proteins belong to the pMV158 superfamily. To evaluate the Mob protein, the plasmid pHTMob14-4 was constructed. This plasmid shows transfer frequencies of 9.1x10(-6) in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (4Q7Gm(R)). The ORF3 (23.6 kDa) gene product is homologous to the Rep protein from the plasmid pBMYdx of B. mycoides (37.6%). A putative double-strand origin with significant homology to that of B. thuringiensis plasmids, and an ssoA-type single-strand origin were also identified. Detection of single-stranded pBMBt1 DNA replicating intermediaries suggests that replication occurs via the rolling-circle mechanism.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1985

Binding of insecticides to serum proteins in mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis).

Incubation of various organochlorine insecticides with mosquitofish serum leads to their association with, primarily, the vitellogenin/lipoprotein and albumin fractions. A significant variation in the quantity of each insecticide bound in the particular fractions was observed. Binding appeared to increase with compounds of increasing polarity, suggestive of protein binding. Preincubation of serum with endrin or aldrin significantly reduced the quantity of [3H]DDT subsequently bound while the reverse was not observed. Although the reason for the apparent quantitative decrease in binding is unknown, the reduction in binding of a particular xenobiotic, due to the presence of a second, has serious toxicological implications.

Animals↗

PubMed2005

Inhibitory specificity and insecticidal selectivity of alpha-amylase inhibitor from Phaseolus vulgaris.

The primary structure and proteolytic processing of the alpha-amylase isoinhibitor alpha AI-1 from common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris cv. Magna) was determined by protein chemistry techniques. The inhibitory specificity of alphaAI-1 was screened with a panel of the digestive alpha-amylases from 30 species of insects, mites, gastropod, annelid worm, nematode and fungal phytopathogens with a focus on agricultural pests and important model species. This in vitro analysis showed a selective inhibition of alpha-amylases from three orders of insect (Coleoptera, Hymenoptera and Diptera) and an inhibition of alpha-amylases of the annelid worm. The inhibitory potential of alphaAI-1 against several alpha-amylases was found to be modulated by pH. To understand how alphaAI-1 discriminates among closely related alpha-amylases, the sequences of the alpha-amylases sensitive, respectively, insensitive to alphaAI-1 were compared, and the critical determinants were localized on the spatial alpha-amylase model. Based on the in vitro analysis of the inhibitory specificity of alphaAI-1, the in vivo activity of the ingested alphaAI-1 was demonstrated by suppression of the development of the insect larvae that expressed the sensitive digestive alpha-amylases. The first comprehensive mapping of alphaAI-1 specificity significantly broadens the spectrum of targets that can be regulated by alpha-amylase inhibitors of plant origin, and points to potential application of these protein insecticides in plant biotechnologies.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Novel insecticidal toxins from nematode-symbiotic bacteria.

The current strategy of using transgenic crops expressing insecticidal protein toxins is placing increasing emphasis on the discovery of novel toxins, beyond those already derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis. Here we review the cloning of four insecticidal toxin complex (tc) encoding genes from a different bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens and of similar gene sequences from Xenorhabdus nematophilus. Both these bacteria occupy the gut of entomopathogenic nematodes and are released into the insect upon invasion by the nematode. In the insect the bacteria presumably secrete these insecticidal toxins, as well as a range of other antimicrobials, to establish the insect cadaver as a monocultural breeding ground for both bacteria and nematodes. In this review, the protein biochemistry and structure of the tc encoding loci are discussed in relation to their observed toxicity and histopathology. These toxins may prove useful as alternatives to those derived from B. thuringiensis for deployment in insect-resistant transgenic plants.

Agriculture↗

PubMed2002

The uptake machinery of clostridial actin ADP-ribosylating toxins--a cell delivery system for fusion proteins and polypeptide drugs.

Several bacterial protein toxins, including Clostridium botulinum C2 toxin, Clostridum perfringens iota toxin, Clostridium difficile ADP-ribosyltransferase, and the Bacillus-produced vegetative insecticidal proteins, target the cytoskeleton by ADP-ribosylation of actin. All these toxins are binary in structure and consist of an enzyme component, possessing ADP-ribosyltransferase activity and a separated binding and translocation component, which is involved in the delivery of the enzyme component into the cell. The toxins are not only important virulence factors but also cell biological tools to study the function of the actin cytoskeleton. Moreover, the binary toxins turned out to be effective transporter systems for the delivery of specific fusion toxins (e.g., Rho-ADP-ribosylating C3 exoenzyme) into cells. The present review describes the biological functions of the toxins, focuses on recent studies on the uptake and delivery mechanism and discusses the usage as a drug delivery system.

ADP Ribose Transferases↗

PubMed1999

Evolution and mechanism from structures of an ADP-ribosylating toxin and NAD complex.

A member of the Bacillus-produced vegetative insecticidal proteins (VIPs) possesses high specificity against the major insect pest, corn rootworms, and belongs to a class of binary toxins and regulators of biological pathways distinct from classical A-B toxins. The 1.5 A resolution crystal structure of the enzymatic ADP-ribosyltransferase component, VIP2, from Bacillus cereus reveals structurally homologous N- and C-terminal alpha/beta domains likely representing the entire class of binary toxins and implying evolutionary relationships between families of ADP-ribosylating toxins. The crystal structure of the kinetically trapped VIP2-NAD complex identifies the NAD binding cleft within the C-terminal enzymatic domain and provides a structural basis for understanding the targeting and catalysis of the medically and environmentally important binary toxins. These structures furthermore provide specific experimental results to help resolve paradoxes regarding the specific mechanism of ADP-ribosylation of actin by implicating ground state destabilization and nicotinamide product sequestration as the major driving forces for catalysis.

Actins↗

PubMed2000

Molecular characterization of a new arcelin-5 gene.

Arcelins are insecticidal proteins found in some wild accessions of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris. They are grouped in six allelic variants and arcelin-5 is the variant with the highest inhibitory effect on the development of Zabrotes subfasciatus larvae. Characterization of the protein and its genes resulted in the identification of three polypeptides and the isolation of two genes that encode the Arc5a and Arc5b polypeptides. Here we describe a new gene, Arc5-III. The protein it encodes has 81% amino acid identity with the derived amino acid sequences of Arc5-I and Arc5-II. The Arc5-III gene is highly expressed in developing seeds and at a much lower level in roots. Data obtained by a combination of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, protein sequencing and MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry analysis support the conclusion that Arc5-III encodes a polypeptide present in Arc5c band. Using ion-exchange chromatography, three fractions containing arcelin-5 polypeptides were eluted by increasing the salt concentration. The three fractions contain various amounts of the three arc-5 polypeptides and inhibit the growth of Zabrotes subfasciatus larvae differentially, suggesting differences in insecticidal activity among the arcelin-5 isoforms.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2001

Sequence analysis of insecticidal genes from Xenorhabdus nematophilus PMFI296.

Three strains of Xenorhabdus nematophilus showed insecticidal activity when fed to Pieris brassicae (cabbage white butterfly) larvae. From one of these strains (X. nematophilus PMFI296) a cosmid genome library was prepared in Escherichia coli and screened for oral insecticidal activity. Two overlapping cosmid clones were shown to encode insecticidal proteins, which had activity when expressed in E. coli (50% lethal concentration [LC(50)] of 2 to 6 microg of total protein/g of diet). The complete sequence of one cosmid (cHRIM1) was obtained. On cHRIM1, five genes (xptA1, -A2, -B1, -C1, and -D1) showed homology with up to 49% identity to insecticidal toxins identified in Photorhabdus luminescens, and also a smaller gene (chi) showed homology to a putative chitinase gene (38% identity). Transposon mutagenesis of the cosmid insert indicated that the genes xptA2, xptD1, and chi were not important for the expression of insecticidal activity toward P. brassicae. One gene (xptA1) was found to be central for the expression of activity, and the genes xptB1 and xptC1 were needed for full activity. The location of these genes together on the chromosome and therefore present on a single cosmid insert probably accounted for the detection of insecticidal activity in this E. coli clone. Although multiple genes may be needed for full activity, E. coli cells expressing the xptA1 gene from the bacteriophage lambda P(L) promoter were shown to have insecticidal activity (LC(50) of 112 microg of total protein/g of diet). This is contrary to the toxin genes identified in P. luminescens, which were not insecticidal when expressed individually in E. coli. High-level gene expression and the use of a sensitive insect may have aided in the detection of insecticidal activity in the E. coli clone expressing xptA1. The location of these toxin genes and the chitinase gene and the presence of mobile elements (insertion sequence) and tRNA genes on cHRIM1 indicates that this region of DNA represents a pathogenicity island on the genome of X. nematophilus PMFI296.

Animals↗