Toxicity Analysis of N- and C-Terminus-Deleted Vegetative Insecticidal Protein from Bacillus thuringiensis

A vegetative insecticidal protein (VIP)-encoding gene from a local isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis has been cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed protein shows insecticidal activity against several lepidopteran pests but is ineffective against Agrotis ipsilon. Comparison of the amino acid sequence with those of reported VIPs revealed a few differences. Analysis of insecticidal activity with N- and C-terminus deletion mutants suggests a differential mode of action of VIP against different pests.     

Toxicity analysis of N- and C-terminus-deleted vegetative insecticidal protein from Bacillus thuringiensis.

A vegetative insecticidal protein (VIP)-encoding gene from a local isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis has been cloned, sequenced, and expressed in Escherichia coli. The expressed protein shows insecticidal activity against several lepidopteran pests but is ineffective against Agrotis ipsilon. Comparison of the amino acid sequence with those of reported VIPs revealed a few differences. Analysis of insecticidal activity with N- and C-terminus deletion mutants suggests a differential mode of action of VIP against different pests.     

Field performance and seasonal changes in the efficacy against Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) of transgenic cotton expressing the insecticidal protein vip3A

1 Three years of field experiments in Eastern Australia were carried out on transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) event Cot102 expressing the insecticidal protein gene vip3A from Bacillus thuringiensis to evaluate performance against Helicoverpa armigera Hübner. Efficacy, defined as the capacity of plant tissues to induce larval mortality, was determined with a well‐validated leaf bioassay fortnightly through the growth cycle of the cotton in each season. 2 Cot102 plants proved highly efficacious against H. armigera, particularly early in the season, although their efficacy declined as the season progressed, in a manner similar to, but not as dramatic as, that observed with commercial Cry1Ac expressing cotton (Bollgard or Ingard cotton). 3 Field surveys indicated that very few larvae survived beyond first instar on intact growing plants. 4 In one season efficacy declined for a period of approximately 20 days after a cool wet period, suggesting that this may have had a detrimental effect on the expression or efficacy of the gene, but this will need to be verified in further replicated trials. 5 Quantitative enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays indicated that there was no dramatic reduction in production of the vip3A protein during growth and maturation of the crop, suggesting that other host plant factors were affecting the efficacy of the insecticidal protein in the insect gut. 6 These data indicate that Cot102 cotton would provide a useful alternative to Bollgard cotton but, given the similar lytic mode of action of vip3A proteins in the insect midgut, there may be similar inherent vulnerabilities to resistance evolution for these proteins if used alone. Pyramiding of the vip3A trait with a second insecticidal gene would appear to be a high priority for achieving sustainable deployment against H. armigera or similar susceptible species.     

A selective insecticidal protein from Pseudomonas mosselii for corn rootworm control

The coleopteran insect western corn rootworm (WCR, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera) is an economically important pest in North America and Europe. Transgenic corn plants producing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins have been useful against this devastating pest, but evolution of resistance has reduced their efficacy. Here, we report the discovery of a novel insecticidal protein, PIP‐47Aa, from an isolate of Pseudomonas mosselii. PIP‐47Aa sequence shows no shared motifs, domains or signatures with other known proteins. Recombinant PIP‐47Aa kills WCR, two other corn rootworm pests (Diabrotica barberi and Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) and two other beetle species (Diabrotica speciosa and Phyllotreta cruciferae), but it was not toxic to the spotted lady beetle (Coleomegilla maculata) or seven species of Lepidoptera and Hemiptera. Transgenic corn plants expressing PIP‐47Aa show significant protection from root damage by WCR. PIP‐47Aa kills a WCR strain resistant to mCry3A and does not share rootworm midgut binding sites with mCry3A or AfIP‐1A/1B from Alcaligenes that acts like Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1. Our results indicate that PIP‐47Aa is a novel insecticidal protein for controlling the corn rootworm pests.     

Structure of the full‐length insecticidal protein Cry1Ac reveals intriguing details of toxin packaging into in vivo formed crystals

For almost half a century, the structure of the full‐length Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal protein Cry1Ac has eluded researchers, since Bt‐derived crystals were first characterized in 1965. Having finally solved this structure we report intriguing details of the lattice‐based interactions between the toxic core of the protein and the protoxin domains. The structure provides concrete evidence for the function of the protoxin as an enhancer of native crystal packing and stability.     

Bacillus thuringiensis: from biodiversity to biotechnology

Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive bacterium, widely used in agriculture as a biological pesticide. The biocidal activity mainly resides in a parasporal protein inclusion body, or crystal. The inclusion is composed of one or more types of δ-endotoxins (Cry and Cyt proteins). Cry proteins are selectively toxic to different species from several invertebrate phyla: arthropods (mainly insects), nematodes, flatworms and protozoa. The mode of action of the insecticidal proteins is still a matter of investigation; generally, the active toxin is supposed to bind specific membrane receptors on the insect midgut brush-border epithelium, leading to intestinal cell lysis and subsequent insect death by starvation or septicemia. The toxin-encoding cry genes have been extensively studied and expressed in a large number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The expression of such genes in transgenic plants has provided a powerful alternative for crop protection. Received 25 February 1997/ Accepted in revised form 15 August 1997     

鳞翅目昆虫中肠Bt杀虫蛋白受体研究进展

杀虫晶体蛋白(insecticidal crystal proteins,ICPs;含有Cry和Cyt 2大家族)和营养期杀虫蛋白(vegetative insecticidal proteins,Vips)等Bt杀虫蛋白可有效防治鳞翅目害虫,其中Cry应用最广泛。然而,一些地区的鳞翅目害虫已对Bt杀虫蛋白产生了抗性。目前,普遍认为鳞翅目昆虫中肠受体与Bt杀虫蛋白结合能力的改变是导致其对Bt杀虫蛋白产生抗性的最主要因素。在鳞翅目昆虫中,Cry受体是研究得最为透彻的Bt受体,已经被证实的有氨肽酶N、钙黏蛋白、碱性磷酸酶和ABC转运蛋白等。Vips杀虫蛋白类与鳞翅目昆虫中肠受体的结合方式与Cry杀虫蛋白相似,但结合位点与Cry杀虫蛋白不同。本文从结构特点、作用机制及不同鳞翅目昆虫间的表达差异等角度对以上4种鳞翅目昆虫中肠Bt受体进行了综述,并提出如下展望:(1)以棉铃虫或小菜蛾等鳞翅目昆虫为农业害虫模式生物进行深入研究,阐明其对Bt杀虫蛋白产生抗性的机制,为研究其他鳞翅目农业害虫对Bt杀虫蛋白产生抗性的机制提供理论借鉴;(2)鉴于在不同鳞翅目昆虫间,中肠Bt受体与Bt杀虫蛋白结合存在差异,且同一Bt杀虫蛋白与鳞翅目昆虫Bt受体并不专一性结合,Bt杀虫蛋白多基因组合策略是较为有效的田间鳞翅目昆虫防治策略,是今后一段时间内Bt杀虫蛋白应用的发展方向。     

苏云金芽胞杆菌营养期杀虫蛋白基因特性分析

营养期杀虫蛋白是在苏云金芽胞杆菌营养期中发现的一种非晶体状胞外杀虫蛋白 .通过Southern杂交的基因定位实验 ,证实了营养期杀虫蛋白基因并非位于染色体和环型质粒上 ;在 2 0个不同血清型的 2 3种菌株中 ,营养期杀虫蛋白基因的存在率为 5 6 5 % (13 2 3) .同时对随机选择的 3个不同亚种菌株进行基因克隆和序列分析 ,表明其基因具有相当高的同源性 .运用生物信息技术 ,对营养期杀虫蛋白多肽进行了功能结构域比对分析 ,发现这 789多肽蛋白的N端 31至 15 0残基之间存在一种趋化信号传导因子相似序列 ,C端 5 36至 6 6 6残基之间则存在着纤维素结合结构域相似肽 .上述结果提示 ,营养期杀虫蛋白基因在苏云金芽胞杆菌天然菌株中高度保守并较为广泛分布 ,其编码蛋白的特殊结构提示了营养期杀虫蛋白潜在的功能特性 ,为进一步研究营养期杀虫蛋白奠定了基础 .     

苏云金杆菌营养期杀虫蛋白的研究

营养期杀虫蛋白 (vegetativeinsecticidalproteins ,VIPs)是苏云金杆菌 (Bacillusthuringiensis,Bt)在对数生长中期分泌的一类新型杀虫毒蛋白。VIPs主要分为VIP1、VIP2和VIP3三种。VIP1和VIP2构成二元毒素 ,对鞘翅目叶甲科的昆虫具有杀虫特异性 ;而VIP3对鳞翅目昆虫具有较广谱的杀虫活性。VIP1和VIP2的杀虫作用机理还不清楚 ;VIP3通过诱发细胞凋亡 ,最终导致昆虫死亡 ,这种作用机理与Bt杀虫晶体蛋白的作用机理完全不同 ,这为筛选新的杀虫活性物质提供了新的思路。vip基因现已被应用于转基因杀虫植物的构建 ,得到高效抗虫的多价转基因玉米。此外 ,VIPs嵌合蛋白的构建、vip及其融合基因导入其它许多宿主微生物等方面的研究也具有诱人的潜在应用前景。     

Effect of C-terminus site-directed mutations on the toxicity and sensitivity of Bacillus thuringiensis Vip3Aa11 protein against three lepidopteran pests

The insecticidal activities and specificities of the Vip3Aa proteins derived from different Bt strains are very different, although the similarities between these proteins are higher than 95%. In this study, we hypothesised that the differences in Vip3Aa11 and Vip3Aa39 C-terminal amino acids determine their differences in insecticidal activity against three Lepidoptera insects. To find the amino acid residues associated with insecticidal activity, nine different amino acid residues of Vip3Aa11 were substituted with the corresponding amino acid residues from Vip3Aa39 by site-directed mutagenesis. The toxicity of each protein was estimated by bioassays, and the results demonstrated that the mutant Y784N lost its insecticidal activity against three insects (Agrotis ipsilon, Helicoverpa armigera, and Spodoptera exigua). The insecticidal activity of S543N, I544L, and S686R against S. exigua increased 5-fold, 2.65-fold, and 8.98-fold, while the toxicity to H. armigera and A. ipsilon slightly decreased compared with that of the Vip3Aa11 protein. These findings indicate that the amino acid residues Ser⁵⁴³, Ile⁵⁴⁴, Thr⁶⁸⁵, Ser⁶⁸⁶, Arg⁷⁰⁴, Ile⁷⁸⁰, and Tyr⁷⁸⁴ may be insecticidal activity-related residues. Additionally, the trypsin activation of the four mutants indicated that all proteins can form a 62-kDa core fragment, except Y784N. A possible association between the insecticidal activity and trypsin sensitivity of Vip3A proteins is suggested.     

Managing Insect Resistance to Plants Producing Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins

ABSTRACT:?

Insect-resistant transgenic plants have become an important tool for the protection of crops against insect pests. The acreage of insecticidal transgenic plants is expected to increase significantly in the near future. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is currently the source of insecticidal proteins in commercial insect-resistant transgenic plants and will remain the most important source during the next decade. Insect resistance to B. thuringiensis Cry toxins is the main problem. Only one species, the diamondback moth, has evolved a resistance to B. thuringiensis-based formulations under field conditions. However, many other insect species were selected for resistance under laboratory conditions, indicating that there is a potential for evolution of resistance in most major pests. Many studies were conducted to elucidate the mode of action of the Cry toxins, the mechanisms and genetics of resistance, and the various factors influencing its development. This article reviews insect resistance to B. thuringiensis insecticidal proteins and related aspects, including the development of insect-resistant transgenic plants, B. thuringiensis toxins, their mode of action, mechanisms, stability, and genetics of resistance and management strategies for delaying resistance.     

Exposure of helices α4 and α5 is required for insecticidal activity of Cry2Ab by promoting assembly of a prepore oligomeric structure

Cry2Ab, a pore‐forming toxin derived from Bacillus thuringiensis, is widely used as a bio‐insecticide to control lepidopteran pests around the world. A previous study revealed that proteolytic activation of Cry2Ab by Plutella xylostella midgut juice was essential for its insecticidal activity against P. xylostella, although the exact molecular mechanism remained unknown. Here, we demonstrated for the first time that proteolysis of Cry2Ab uncovered an active region (the helices α4 and α5 in Domain I), which was required for the mode of action of Cry2Ab. Either the masking or the removal of helices α4 and α5 mediated the pesticidal activity of Cry2Ab. The exposure of helices α4 and α5 did not facilitate the binding of Cry2Ab to P. xylostella midgut receptors but did induce Cry2Ab monomer to aggregate and assemble a 250‐kDa prepore oligomer. Site‐directed mutagenesis assay was performed to generate Cry2Ab mutants site directed on the helices α4 and α5, and bioassays suggested that some Cry2Ab variants that could not form oligomers had significantly lowered their toxicities against P. xylostella. Taken together, our data highlight the importance of helices α4 and α5 in the mode of action of Cry2Ab and could lead to more detailed studies on the insecticidal activity of Cry2Ab.     

Ferritin acts as a target site for the snowdrop lectin (GNA) in the midgut of the cotton leafworm Spodoptera littoralis

The snowdrop lectin GNA (Galanthus nivalis agglutinin) has been shown to possess insecticidal activity to a range of economically important insect pests. However, the precise mechanism of insecticidal action of GNA against insects remains unknown. In this investigation, we attempted to purify and identify receptor(s) responsible for binding of GNA in the larval midgut of a major lepidopteran pest (the cotton leafworm, Spodoptera littoralis) to better understand its mode of action. Therefore, cytoplasmic as well as membrane proteins from 800 larval midguts were chromatographed on a column with immobilized GNA. Sodium dodecyl sulfate‐polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis of the proteins eluted from the GNA column followed by sequencing of the GNA‐binding proteins and BLAST analyses revealed that the N‐terminal sequences of a 24 kDa polypeptide purified from the cytoplasmic and membrane protein fraction revealed sequence similarity to sequences encoding heavy chain homologs of ferritin from Manduca sexta (76% sequence identity), Calpodes ethlius (80% sequence identity) and Bombyx mori (61% sequence identity). Furthermore, the N‐terminal sequence of a 31 kDa polypeptide from the membrane protein fraction showed sequence similarity to a light chain homolog of ferritin from Manduca sexta (88% sequence identity).     

Insecticidal activity of the chitinase from the Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedrovirus

Baculovirus chitinase gene (chiA) is a late gene essential for liquefying the host insect at a late stage of infection for its hydrolyzing chitin function. In a previous report, baculovirus ChiA has been shown to offer many interesting new opportunities for pest control. Recently, a putative chiA gene was identified in the Korean isolate of the Spodoptera litura nucleopolyhedorvirus (SpliMNPV‐K1) genome. The open reading frame (ORF) contains 1692 nucelotides and encodes a protein of 563 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of about 62.6 kDa. To study the insecticidal activity of ChiA from SpliMNPV‐K1, we constructed a recombinant AcMNPV, Ap‐SlChiA, which is designed to express the ChiA under the control of a polyhedrin promoter. Western blot analysis indicated that ChiA was successfully expressed by this recombinant virus. Chitinase assay revealed that the chitobiosidase and endochitinase activity of the recombinant virus was 2.5‐ and 3.9‐flods higher than those of wild‐type AcMNPV, respectively. In addition, the recombinant virus showed higher evident insecticidal activity against 3rd instar larvae of Spodotera exigua than that of the AcMNPV. These results suggest that the chiA gene from SpliMNPV‐K1 could be successfully applied to improve pathogenicity of baculoviruses.     

Evolution of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins insecticidal activity

Insecticidal Cry proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis are use worldwide in transgenic crops for efficient pest control. Among the family of Cry toxins, the three domain Cry family is the better characterized regarding their natural evolution leading to a large number of Cry proteins with similar structure, mode of action but different insect specificity. Also, this group is the better characterized regarding the study of their mode of action and the molecular basis of insect specificity. In this review we discuss how Cry toxins have evolved insect specificity in nature and analyse several cases of improvement of Cry toxin action by genetic engineering, some of these examples are currently used in transgenic crops. We believe that the success in the improvement of insecticidal activity by genetic evolution of Cry toxins will depend on the knowledge of the rate‐limiting steps of Cry toxicity in different insect pests, the mapping of the specificity binding regions in the Cry toxins, as well as the improvement of mutagenesis strategies and selection procedures.     

苏云金杆菌Cyt类杀虫晶体蛋白及其特征

本文综述了国内外有关苏云金杆菌Cyt类杀虫晶体蛋白的分类、杀虫特性、作用机理 ;具有分子伴侣功能的 2 0kDa蛋白对cyt基因在大肠杆菌和苏云金杆菌中的表达的影响 ;以及利用Cyt类蛋白控制害虫对苏云金杆菌抗性的意义。