球形芽孢杆菌杀蚊毒素蛋白及其 遗传操作研究进展

蚊虫是多种人类传染疾病的主要传播媒介,如疟疾、丝虫病、乙型脑炎、黄热病和登革热等,对人类的健康造成了极大的危害［１］。控制蚊虫被认为是消除这些蚊媒疾病的有效途径。在过去的４５年里,尽管化学杀虫剂和各种抗病药物的使用对降低疟疾和蚊媒疾病的发病率和死亡率...     

Expression and purification of the active soluble form of Bacillus sphaericus binary toxin for structural analysis

The binary toxin produced from Bacillus sphaericus is highly toxic against larvae of Culex and Anopheles mosquitoes. The two major components of the binary toxin are 42-kDa BinA and 51-kDa BinB, which are produced as crystalline inclusions during sporulation. Currently, there is no detailed knowledge of the molecular mechanism of the binary toxin, mainly due to the lack of structural information. Herein, we describe an expression protocol with modified conditions allowing production of soluble, biologically active BinA and BinB for further structural analysis. The binA and binB genes from B. sphaericus 2297 strain were independently cloned and fused with a polyhistidine tag at their N-termini. Both (His)(6)-tagged BinA and (His)(6)-tagged BinB were expressed as soluble forms at low temperature. Highly pure proteins were obtained after two-step purification by Ni-NTA affinity and size exclusion chromatography. In vitro activation by trypsin digestion generated a resistant fragment, of 40kDa for BinA, and of 45kDa for BinB, and an oligomeric complex of BinA and BinB in solution was observed after proteolytic activation. Their functional and structural properties were confirmed by a biological assay and far-UV circular dichroism, respectively. The mixture of BinA and BinB, either as a protoxin or as a trypsin-activated form, exhibited high mosquito-larvicidal activity against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae with LC(50) of about 10ng/ml, while no toxicity was observed from the single binary toxin component. Results from far-UV circular dichroism of BinA and BinB suggest the presence of mainly β-structure. The expression and purification protocols reported here will be useful for the production of the active and homogeneous binary toxin to allow further detailed structural investigation.     

Tightly bound binary toxin in the cell wall of Bacillus sphaericus

We have shown that urea-extracted cell wall of entomopathogenic Bacillus sphaericus 2297 and some other strains is a potent larvicide against Culex pipiens mosquitoes, with 50% lethal concentrations comparable to that of the well-known B. sphaericus binary toxin, with which it acts synergistically. The wall toxicity develops in B. sphaericus 2297 cultures during the late logarithmic stage, earlier than the appearance of the binary toxin crystal. It disappears with sporulation when the binary toxin activity reaches its peak. Disruption of the gene for the 42-kDa protein (P42) of the binary toxin abolishes both cell wall toxicity and crystal formation. However, the cell wall of B. sphaericus 2297, lacking P42, kills C. pipiens larvae when mixed with Escherichia coli cells expressing P42. Thus, the cell wall toxicity in strongly toxic B. sphaericus strains must be attributed to the presence in the cell wall of tightly bound 51-kDa (P51) and P42 binary toxin proteins. The synergism between binary toxin crystals and urea-treated cell wall preparations reflects suboptimal distribution of binary toxin subunits in both compartments. Binary toxin crystal is slightly deficient in P51, while cell wall is lacking in P42.     

Genetic instability of sporulation-associated characters in a Bacillus subtilis mutant: relationship between sporulation, segregation and the synthesis of extracellular enzymes (kinetic studies).

In the genetically unstable, protease-overproducing 'medusa (M) strains of Bacillus subtilis, segregation of stable, wild-type-like B cells occurred mainly during sporulation. After the end of the exponential growth phase, a small fraction of M cells sporulated quickly and formed M spores, while the majority of the cells, after a 'critical period', gave rise to B segregants which sporulated after a delay. Segregation occurred without cell division. Delayed sporulation, segregation and protease overproduction are related. Similar but more complex results were obtained with the highly unstable TD strains. Sporulation and the kinetics of protease overproduction were also followed in several stable segregants. Depending on the strain, either the rate of protease production or both the rate and time course were affected. The results are interpreted in terms of sequential activation and de-activation of sporulation genes. The production of the alkaline and the neutral proteases was, in general, under common genetic control. In some strains alpha-amylase was also overproduced.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Lysinibacillus sphaericus</Emphasis> S-layer protein toxicity against <Emphasis Type="Italic">Culex quinquefasciatus</Emphasis>

The main toxicity mechanism of Lysinibacillus sphaericus, which is used in the control of mosquitoes, is its binary toxin produced during sporulation; additionally the Mtx1, Mtx2 and Mtx 3 toxins are expressed in vegetative cells. Mosquito larvicidal potency of the S-layer protein that is expressed in vegetative cells has been determined. The protein is similar to other S-layer proteins of mosquitocidal L. sphaericus strains. The LC50 values of the S-layer protein of the L. sphaericus OT4b25, OT4b26, and III(3)7 strains against third-instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus were 8.7, 24 and 0.68 μg/ml, respectively. To our knowledge this is the first study showing the mosquito larvicidal potency of the S-layer protein from Lysinibacillus sphaericus.     

Expression in Bacillus subtilis of the 51- and 42-kilodalton mosquitocidal toxin genes of Bacillus sphaericus.

A 3,080-base-pair KpnI-HindIII DNA fragment from Bacillus sphaericus 2362 coding for 51- and 42-kilodalton mosquitocidal proteins was cloned into Bacillus subtilis DB104 by using the vector pUB18. In B. subtilis these proteins were not detected during vegetative growth but were expressed during sporulation at levels comparable to those found in B. sphaericus.     

Expression in Bacillus subtilis of the 51- and 42-kilodalton mosquitocidal toxin genes of Bacillus sphaericus

A 3,080-base-pair KpnI-HindIII DNA fragment from Bacillus sphaericus 2362 coding for 51- and 42-kilodalton mosquitocidal proteins was cloned into Bacillus subtilis DB104 by using the vector pUB18. In B. subtilis these proteins were not detected during vegetative growth but were expressed during sporulation at levels comparable to those found in B. sphaericus.     

Cloning of the gene for the larvicidal toxin of Bacillus sphaericus 2362: evidence for a family of related sequences.

During sporulation, Bacillus sphaericus 2362 produces a parasporal crystalline protein which is toxic for the larvae of a number of mosquito species. Using the Escherichia coli cloning vector lambda gt11, in which gene products of the inserts may be fused to beta-galactosidase, we isolated 29 bacteriophages which produced peptides-reacting with antiserum to crystal protein. On the basis of restriction enzyme analyses of the recombinants and Ouchterlony immunodiffusion experiments with induced lysogens as a source of antigens, the recombinants were assigned to three groups, designated A, B, and C. Group A consisted of three clones which appeared to express all or part of the B. sphaericus toxin gene from their own promoters and one clone producing a beta-galactosidase-toxin fusion protein. The host cells of two induced recombinant lysogens of this group were toxic to larvae of Culex pipiens. A cell suspension containing 174 ng (dry weight) of the more toxic recombinant per ml killed 50% of the larvae. Both recombinants formed peptides with molecular sizes of 27, 43, and 63 kilodaltons (kDa). The antigenically related 27- and 43-kDa peptides were distinct from the 63-kDa peptide, which resembled crystals from sporulating cells of B. sphaericus in which antigenically distinct 43- and 63-kDa proteins are derived from a 125-kDa precursor. A 3.5-kilobase HindIII fragment from recombinants having toxic activity against larvae was subcloned into pGEM-3-blue. E. coli cells harboring this fragment were toxic to mosquito larvae and produced peptides of 27, 43, and 63 kDa. The distribution of the A gene among strains of B. sphaericus of different toxicities suggested that it is the sole or principal gene encoding the larvicidal crystal protein. The two recombinants of group B and the 23 of group C were all beta-galactosidase fusion proteins, suggesting that in E. coli these genes were not readily expressed from their own promoters. The distribution of these two genes in different strains of B. sphaericus suggested that they do not have a role in the toxicity of this species to mosquito larvae.     

Transfer of the toxin protein genes of Bacillus sphaericus into Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and their expression

The genes encoding the toxic determinants of Bacillus sphaericus have been expressed in a nontoxic and a toxic strain of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. In both cases, the B. sphaericus toxin proteins were produced at a high level during sporulation of B. thuringiensis and accumulated as crystalline structures. B. thuringiensis transformants expressing B. sphaericus and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis toxins did not show a significant enhancement of toxicity against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex pipiens larvae.     

Effect of oxygen on growth,sporulation, and mosquito larval toxin formation byBacillus sphaericus 1593

The effect of oxygen on growth, sporulation, and mosquito larval toxin synthesis byBacillus sphaericus 1593 grown in a small fermentor was investigated. With air as the source of oxygen, about one-half of the cells sporulated and 1022 units of toxicity/mg of cell dry weight were formed. A shift to 100% oxygen in the gas stream maintained a higher level of dissolved oxygen in the medium, but this produced a late block in sporulation; however, toxin synthesis was normal. The mechanism of oxygen inhibition of sporulation byB. sphaericus is unknown, but the same effect was observed inB. subtilis 168. Stopping of the air flow at 8 h, after forespores were completed in about one-half the cells, inhibited the completion of sporulation, but did not decrease toxin production.     

Transfer of the toxin protein genes of Bacillus sphaericus into Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and their expression.

The genes encoding the toxic determinants of Bacillus sphaericus have been expressed in a nontoxic and a toxic strain of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. In both cases, the B. sphaericus toxin proteins were produced at a high level during sporulation of B. thuringiensis and accumulated as crystalline structures. B. thuringiensis transformants expressing B. sphaericus and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis toxins did not show a significant enhancement of toxicity against Aedes aegypti, Anopheles stephensi, and Culex pipiens larvae.     

Proteolytic stability of insecticidal toxins expressed in recombinant bacilli

The production of the vegetative mosquitocidal toxin Mtx1 from Bacillus sphaericus was redirected to the sporulation phase by replacement of its weak, native promoter with the strong sporulation promoter of the bin genes. Recombinant bacilli developed toxicity during early sporulation, but this declined rapidly in later stages, indicating the proteolytic instability of the toxin. Inhibition studies indicated the action of a serine proteinase, and similar degradation was also seen with the purified B. sphaericus enzyme sphericase. Following the identification of the initial cleavage site involved in this degradation, mutant Mtx1 proteins were expressed in an attempt to overcome destructive cleavage while remaining capable of proteolytic activation. However, the apparently broad specificity of sphericase seems to make this impossible. The stability of a further vegetative toxin, Mtx2, was also found to be low when it was exposed to sphericase or conditioned medium. Random mutation of the receptor binding loops of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa toxin did, in contrast, allow production of significant levels of spore-associated protein in the form of parasporal crystals. The exploitation of vegetative toxins may, therefore, be greatly limited by their susceptibility to proteinases produced by the host bacteria, whereas the sequestration of sporulation-associated toxins into crystals may make them more amenable to use in strain improvement.     

New high-toxicity mosquitocidal strains of Bacillus sphaericus lacking a 100-kilodalton-toxin gene.

Five new high-toxicity mosquitocidal strains of Bacillus sphaericus were isolated in Singapore. They all belong to phage group 8 and have binary toxin (51.4- plus 41.9-kDa) genes located on the chromosome but lack a 100-kDa-toxin gene. These strains of B. sphaericus constitute a new subgroup, as only two weakly toxic strains in phage group 8 have previously been described and all the known high-toxicity strains have both binary toxin and 100-kDa-toxin genes.     

Cytolytic toxin Cyt1Aa of Bacillus thuringiensis synergizes the mosquitocidal toxin Mtx1 of Bacillus sphaericus

Using the shuttle vector pBU4, the mosquitocidal toxin gene mtx1 from Bacillus sphaericus strain SSII-1 was introduced into an acrystalliferous strain of B. thuringiensis both individually and in combination with the accessory protein gene p20 and the cytolytic protein gene cyt1Aa from B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. Bioassay results indicated that the recombinants B-pMT4(Mtx1) and B-pMT9(Mtx1), both individually containing mtx1, had moderate toxicities to binary toxin susceptible and binary toxin resistant Culex quinquefasciatus larvae during the vegetative growth stage, but that their toxicities declined rapidly during the sporulation phase. The LC50 values were 2.5 and 4.8 mg/ml respectively, against 3-4 instar susceptible and resistant larvae for the final sporulated cultures of recombinants B-pMT9(Mtx1), and little toxicity was detected for B-pMT4(Mtx1). Meanwhile, the recombinant B-pMPX2(Mtx1+Cyt1Aa) expressing Mtx1, P20 alone, and Cyt1Aa in combination had stable toxicities during both the vegetative phase and the sporulation phase, with a LC50 ranging from 0.45-0.58 mg/ml. Furthermore, expression of Cyt1Aa appeared to enhance the activity of Mtx1 to target mosquito larvae, suggesting a synergism between Cyt1Aa and Mtx1 toxins.     

Sporulation-associated activation of Bacillus sphaericus larvicide.

Preparations of the larvicidal crystal from 46-h cultures of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 contain 125-, 110-, 63-, and 43-kilodalton (kDa) proteins (P. Baumann, B. M. Unterman, L. Baumann, A.H. Broadwell, S.J. Abbene, and R.D. Bowditch, J. Bacteriol. 163:738-747, 1985). The 63- and 43-kDa proteins, which have been purified, are not immunologically cross-reactive, and only the 43-kDa protein is toxic to mosquito larvae. Since antigenic determinants of the two smaller proteins have been detected in the higher-molecular-weight proteins (125 and 110 kDa), it has been suggested that the latter are precursors of the 43- and 63-kDa peptides. In the present study, purified 110-kDa protein was found to be toxic to the larvae of Culex pipiens (50% lethal concentration = 115 ng/ml). A luciferase-luciferin assay for intracellular ATP as well as an assay based on the exclusion of Trypan Blue by live cells indicated that the 110-kDa protein had no effect on tissue-culture-grown cells of C. quinquefasciatus, while cells exposed to the 43-kDa protein rapidly lost viability (50% lethal concentration = 54 microgram(s)/ml by the intracellular ATP assay). These findings suggested that the 110-kDa protein and, by extension, the 125-kDa protein are protoxins which are activated during sporulation by cleavage to a 43-kDa toxin. To further investigate the origins and relationships of the crystal proteins of B. sphaericus, we analyzed samples during the growth and sporulation of the culture. Synthesis of crystal proteins was initiated at the end of exponential growth and was completed after about 7 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Plasmid stability in Bacillus sphaericus 2362 during recycling in mosquito larvae.

Bacillus sphaericus 2362 strains transformed with the plasmid pUB110 (4.5 kb) and plasmids derived from it, pLDT103 (7.6 kb) and pLDT117 (9.3 kb), were able to recycle (spore germination, vegetative growth, sporulation) in larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus. During the course of recycling, the pUB110 vector and the recombinant plasmid pLDT103 were stable (100 and 99.2%, respectively). However, the recombinant plasmid pLDT117 exhibited 23% segregational instability. Isolates which lost pLDT117 during recycling retained the one large plasmid native to B. sphaericus 2362.     

Sporulation-associated activation of Bacillus sphaericus larvicide

Preparations of the larvicidal crystal from 46-h cultures of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 contain 125-, 110-, 63-, and 43-kilodalton (kDa) proteins (P. Baumann, B. M. Unterman, L. Baumann, A.H. Broadwell, S.J. Abbene, and R.D. Bowditch, J. Bacteriol. 163:738-747, 1985). The 63- and 43-kDa proteins, which have been purified, are not immunologically cross-reactive, and only the 43-kDa protein is toxic to mosquito larvae. Since antigenic determinants of the two smaller proteins have been detected in the higher-molecular-weight proteins (125 and 110 kDa), it has been suggested that the latter are precursors of the 43- and 63-kDa peptides. In the present study, purified 110-kDa protein was found to be toxic to the larvae of Culex pipiens (50% lethal concentration = 115 ng/ml). A luciferase-luciferin assay for intracellular ATP as well as an assay based on the exclusion of Trypan Blue by live cells indicated that the 110-kDa protein had no effect on tissue-culture-grown cells of C. quinquefasciatus, while cells exposed to the 43-kDa protein rapidly lost viability (50% lethal concentration = 54 microgram(s)/ml by the intracellular ATP assay). These findings suggested that the 110-kDa protein and, by extension, the 125-kDa protein are protoxins which are activated during sporulation by cleavage to a 43-kDa toxin. To further investigate the origins and relationships of the crystal proteins of B. sphaericus, we analyzed samples during the growth and sporulation of the culture. Synthesis of crystal proteins was initiated at the end of exponential growth and was completed after about 7 h.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cloning and sequencing of the gene encoding a 125-kilodalton surface-layer protein from Bacillus sphaericus 2362 and of a related cryptic gene.

Using the vector pGEM-4-blue, a 4,251-base-pair DNA fragment containing the gene for the surface (S)-layer protein of Bacillus sphaericus 2362 was cloned into Escherichia coli. Determination of the nucleotide sequence indicated an open reading frame (ORF) coding for a protein of 1,176 amino acids with a molecular size of 125 kilodaltons (kDa). A protein of this size which reacted with antibody to the 122-kDa S-layer protein of B. sphaericus was detected in cells of E. coli containing the recombinant plasmid. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequence indicated a highly hydrophobic N-terminal region which had the characteristics of a leader peptide. The first amino acid of the N-terminal sequence of the 122-kDa S-layer protein followed the predicted cleavage site of the leader peptide in the 125-kDa protein. A sequence characteristic of promoters expressed during vegetative growth was found within a 177-base-pair region upstream from the ORF coding for the 125-kDa protein. This putative promoter may account for the expression of this gene during the vegetative growth of B. sphaericus and E. coli. The gene for the 125-kDa protein was followed by an inverted repeat characteristic of terminators. Downstream from this gene (11.2 kilobases) was an ORF coding for a putative 80-kDa protein having a high sequence similarity to the 125-kDa protein. Evidence was presented indicating that this gene is cryptic.     

Bacillus sphaericus as a mosquito pathogen: properties of the organism and its toxins.

In the course of sporulation, Bacillus sphaericus produces an inclusion body which is toxic to a variety of mosquito larvae. In this review we discuss the general biology of this species and concentrate on the genetics and physiology of toxin production and its processing in the midgut of the larval host. The larvicide of B. sphaericus is unique in that it consists of two proteins of 51 and 42 kDa, both of which are required for toxicity to mosquito larvae. There is a low level of sequence similarity between these two proteins, which differ in their sequences from all the other known insecticidal proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis. Within the midgut the 51- and 42-kDa proteins are processed to proteins of 43 and 39 kDa, respectively. The conversion of the 42-kDa protein to a 39-kDa protein results in a major increase in toxicity; the significance of the processing of the 51-kDa protein is not known. In contrast to the results with mosquito larvae, the 39-kDa protein is alone toxic for mosquito-derived tissue culture-grown cells, and this toxicity is not affected by the 51-kDa protein or its derivative, the 43-kDa protein. Comparisons of larvae from species which differ in their susceptibility to the B. sphaericus toxin indicate that the probable difference resides in the nature of the target sites of the epithelial midgut cells and not in uptake or processing of the toxin. A similar conclusion is derived from experiments involving tissue culture-grown cells from mosquito species which differ in their susceptibility to the B. sphaericus toxin.