Draft genome sequence of Arthrospira platensis C1 (PCC9438)

Arthrospira platensis is a cyanobacterium that is extensively cultivated outdoors on a large commercial scale for consumption as a food for humans and animals. It can be grown in monoculture under highly alkaline conditions, making it attractive for industrial production. Here we describe the complete genome sequence of A. platensis C1 strain and its annotation. The A. platensis C1 genome contains 6,089,210 bp including 6,108 protein-coding genes and 45 RNA genes, and no plasmids. The genome information has been used for further comparative analysis, particularly of metabolic pathways, photosynthetic efficiency and barriers to gene transfer.     

Crystal structure of BinB: A receptor binding component of the binary toxin from Lysinibacillus sphaericus

The binary toxin (Bin), produced by Lysinibacillus sphaericus, is composed of BinA (42 kDa) and BinB (51 kDa) proteins, which are both required for full toxicity against Culex and Anopheles mosquito larvae. Specificity of Bin toxin is determined by the binding of BinB component to a receptor present on the midgut epithelial membranes, while BinA is proposed to be a toxic component. Here, we determined the first crystal structure of the active form of BinB at a resolution of 1.75 Å. BinB possesses two distinct structural domains in its N‐ and C‐termini. The globular N‐terminal domain has a β‐trefoil scaffold which is a highly conserved architecture of some sugar binding proteins or lectins, suggesting a role of this domain in receptor‐binding. The BinB β‐rich C‐terminal domain shares similar three‐dimensional folding with aerolysin type β‐pore forming toxins, despite a low sequence identity. The BinB structure, therefore, is a new member of the aerolysin‐like toxin family, with probably similarities in the cytolytic mechanism that takes place via pore formation. Proteins 2014; 82:2703–2712. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

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.     

Association of the components of the binary toxin from Bacillus sphaericus in solution and with model lipid bilayers

We show herein that interaction in aqueous solution of the two components of binary toxin from Bacillus sphaericus, BinA and BinB, leads to a dramatic conformational change, from beta turns or random coil, to beta structure. Also, either BinA or BinB separately or their equimolar mixture, interact with lipid bilayers resulting in further conformational changes. Upon membrane association, the change in conformation observed for BinA or BinB separately is different from that observed when the proteins are combined, indicating that proper folding depends on the presence of the complementary subunit. We also show, in contrast to previous reports, that BinB, but not BinA, is able to insert in model neutral lipid monolayers.     

Bacillus sphaericus Mtx1 and Mtx2 toxins co-expressed in Escherichia coli are synergistic against Aedes aegypti larvae

Mtx1 and Mtx2 are mosquitocidal toxins produced by some strains of Bacillus sphaericus during vegetative phase of growth. Mtx1 from B. sphaericus 2297 shows higher toxicity against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae than to Aedes aegypti larvae whereas Mtx2 from B. sphaericus 2297 shows lower toxicity against C. quinquefasciatus than to A. aegypti larvae. To test synergism of these toxins against A. aegypti larvae, mtx1 and mtx2 genes were cloned into a single plasmid and expressed in Escherichia coli. Cells producing both Mtx1 and Mtx2 toxins exhibited high synergistic activity against A. aegypti larvae approximately 10 times compared to cells expressing only a single toxin. Co-expression of both toxins offers an alternative to improve efficacy of recombinant bacterial insecticides. There is a high possibility to develop these toxins to be used as an environmentally friendly mosquito control agent.     

High-Level Expression in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>, Purification and Mosquito-Larvicidal Activity of the Binary Toxin from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus sphaericus</Emphasis>

The mosquito-larvicidal binary toxin produced by Bacillus sphaericus consists of two polypeptides: BinA and BinB. Both proteins function together, and maximum toxicity is obtained when both are present in equimolar ratio. Cloning and expression of each component separately in heterologous hosts led to low toxicity of the crystal proteins. To improve the expression level, the purification process, and the activity of the binary toxin, the binA and binB genes were separately cloned in Eschericia coli. Each gene was fused in frame to the glutathione S-transferase (GST) gene to be expressed as GST-fusion protein (GST-BinA and GST-BinB). A high expression level was observed from both constructs, and the fusion proteins exhibited high toxicity to Culex quinquefasciatus larvae. High-purity toxin could be obtained by affinity chromatography. The result suggests that GST moiety facilitates high protein production and enables better solubility of the toxin inclusions inside the larval gut, leading to higher toxicity of the fusion protein.     

Targeted Mutagenesis at Charged Residues in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus sphaericus</Emphasis> BinA Toxin Affects Mosquito-Larvicidal Activity

The mosquito-larvicidal binary toxin from Bacillus sphaericus is composed of two polypeptides called BinA and BinB with molecular masses of approximately 42 and 51 kDa. Both components are required for full activity, with BinB acting as a specificity determinant and BinA being responsible for toxic action. To investigate the role of the selected charged residues in BinA, four mutants were generated by replacing charged amino acids with alanine (R97A, E98A, R101A, and E114A). All mutant proteins were produced at high levels and formed inclusion bodies similar to that of the wild type. Mosquito-larvicidal assays against Culex quinquefasciatus larvae revealed that the mutant R97A completely lost its activity and mutants E98A, R101A, and E114A showed significantly reduced toxicity. Intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy analysis indicated that alanine substitutions at these positions did not alter the overall structure of the toxin. Binding of the mutants to BinB was not different from that of the wild type, suggesting that these mutations did not affect BinA-BinB interaction. Results demonstrated that R97, E98, R101, and E114 neither play a direct role in maintenance of BinA structure nor are involved in BinA-BinB interaction. Since these residues are required for full activity, they may play an important role during toxin internalization and/or toxic action of BinA inside the target cells.     

Efficient Expression of the Mosquito Larvicidal Binary Toxin Gene from <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus sphaericus</Emphasis> in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Escherichia coli</Emphasis>

The binary toxin gene encoding BinA (42 kDa) and BinB (51 kDa) from Bacillus sphaericus strain 2297 was cloned and expressed in E. coli. Low expression level was found when both proteins were expressed from a single operon. High expression was observed when the gene encoding an individual protein was placed downstream of the T7 promoter. The expression level of BinB was not different when expressed alone (non-fusion) or as a fusion form with T7 peptide (T7-BinB). Both forms of BinB were equally stable. Unlike BinB, the non-fusion form of BinA was less stable than T7-BinA. The mosquito larvicidal test showed that BinA or BinB alone was not toxic to mosquito larvae, but high toxicity was found when both BinA and BinB were applied. The results suggest that a short peptide of T7 linked to the N-terminus of either BinA or BinB does not affect their toxicity, but may make the toxin, especially BinA, more stable.     

Cloning and characterization of a cytolytic and mosquito larvicidal delta-endotoxin from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. darmstadiensis

The cytolytic delta-endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. darmstadiensis was amplified from genomic DNA by PCR by using primers designed from the sequence of cyt2Aa1 gene of B. thuringiensis subsp. kyushuensis. DNA sequence analysis revealed an open reading frame translating to a 259-amino acid sequence. The cloned gene was designated cyt2Aa2. This gene was highly expressed in Escherichia coli as inclusion bodies that could be solubilized in 50 m M Na(2)CO(3), pH 10.5. Activation of the solubilized protoxin by proteinase K (1% wt/wt, proteinase K/protoxin) yielded the active fragment of about 23 kDa. Cyt2Aa2 showed high hemolytic activity against sheep erythrocytes (hemolytic end- point 0.25 microgram/ml) and was toxic to Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti larvae (LC(50) 0.5-1.0 microgram/ml).