• BMB Reports
• /
• 제40권1호
• /
• pp.58-64
• /
• 2007

Similar to the other known structures of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry $\delta$-endotoxins, the crystal structure of the 65-kDa activated Cry4Ba toxin comprises three domains which are, from the N- to C-terminus, a bundle of $\alpha$-helices, a three-$\beta$-sheet domain, and a $\beta$-sandwich. To investigate the properties of the C-terminal domain III in isolation from the rest of the toxin, the cloned Cry4Ba-domain III was over-expressed as a 21-kDa soluble protein in Escherichia coli, which cross-reacted with anti-Cry4Ba domain III monoclonal antibody. A highly-purified domain III was obtained in a monomeric form by ion-exchange and size-exclusion FPLC. Circular dichroism spectroscopy indicated that the isolated domain III fragment distinctly exists as a $\beta$-sheet structure, corresponding to the domain III structure embodied in the Cry4Ba crystal structure. In vitro binding analysis via immuno-histochemical assay revealed that the Cry4Ba-domain III protein was able to bind to the apical microvilli of the susceptible Stegomyia aegypti larval midguts, albeit at lower-binding activity when compared with the full-length active toxin. These results demonstrate for the first time that the C-terminal domain III of the Cry4Ba mosquito-larvicidal protein, which can be isolated as a native folded monomer, conceivably participates in toxin-receptor recognition.

• 한국미생물·생명공학회지
• /
• 제26권4호
• /
• pp.358-364
• /
• 1998

본 연구에서는 새로 분리된 B. thuriniensis(Bt) NT0423 균주를 이용하여 효과적인 미생물 살충제를 개발하고 그 효력을 검정하였다. 농업부산물인 저가의 대두박과 밀기울을 이용한 새로운 SW32 배지로 Bt NT0423 균주를 대량배양하여 BioBact 10%, 20% 및 40%로 명명된 세 종류의 미생물 살충제를 수화제 제형으로 제조하였다. 제조된 세 종의 BioBact 제제는 수화성, 현수성, 입도 및 부착성에서 우수한 물성을 보였고 또한 SDS-PAGE분석 결과,약 130kDa의 내독소 단백질도 안정적으로 존재하였다. 세 종의 BioBact로 명명된 제제중, BioBact 10%는 독성이 낮았지만, BioBact 20%와 40%는 배추좀나방을 공시충으로하여 시판중인 Bt 제제인 subsp. kurstaki 균주를 사용한 A 제품, Bt subsp. aizawai 균주를 사용한 B 제품 및 화학살충제와 더불어 실내 및 야외 독성검정 실험을 비교 수행한 결과, 각각 100%와 80% 이상의 매우 높은 살충력을 보였다. 또한 야외에서 독성의 지속성도 다른 제제에 비해 최소 7일 이상 살충력이 유지되었다.

• 한국잠사곤충학회지
• /
• 제40권2호
• /
• pp.126-130
• /
• 1998

A noninsecticidal strain, Bacillus thuringiensis NTB-88, isolated from Korean soil, had a typical bipyramidal parasporal inclusion and its serotype is identical to B. thuringiensis subspmorrisoni (H8a8b). To elucidate differences between insecticidal and noninsecticidal strains, we compared strain NTB-88 to other toxic B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni strains (HD-12 and PG-14). Restriction endonucleases digested plasmid DNA patterns showed that strain NTB-88 was different from lepidopteran-toxic strain, HD-12, but it was similar to dipteran-toxic strain, PG-14. The gene type of strain NTB-88 was different from those of other insecticidal strains, Furthermore, the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of crystal protein of strain NTB-88 had no relation to those of the previously known $\delta$-endotoxins in other toxic strains as well as HD-12 and PG-14 strains. Therefore, the noninsecticidal crystal protein in strain NTB-88 is novel and its property is different from insecticidal ones.

• 한국응용곤충학회지
• /
• 제32권4호
• /
• pp.426-432
• /
• 1993

경기도 일원의 양잠 농가의 먼지에서 채취한 45개의 샘플중에서 내독소 단백질 결정체를 생산하는 13개의 Bacillus thuringiensis를 분리하였다. 이 중 2개 균주는 파리목에 독성을 나타냈으며, 특히 독성검정에서 NT0423균주의 $LC_{50}$수치는 나비목의 배추좀나방이 최소 1.30$\times$$10^{6}$ CFU/ml이며, 파리목인 빨간 집모기에는 2.88$\times$$10^{5}$ CFU/ml로 나타났다. 새로 분리된 NT0423균주가 생산하는 내독소 단백질 결정체는 주사 전자현미경사진에서 전형적인 이중 피라미드모양을 보였다. 그리고 이 내독소 단백질 결정체의 SDS-PAGE 분석에서는 주요한 130kDa의 polypeptide을 나타내었다. 또한 NT0423균주의 총 플라스미드 DNA분석에서는 9개의 플라스미드를 갖고 있어 기존의 유사한 독성을 나타내는 균주들과 다른 패턴을 보였다.

• BMB Reports
• /
• 제37권3호
• /
• pp.304-313
• /
• 2004

Three-dimensional (3D) models for the 65-kDa activated Cry4A and Cry4B $\delta$-endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis that are specifically toxic to mosquito-larvae were constructed by homology modeling, based on atomic coordinates of the Cry1Aa and Cry3Aa crystal structures. They were structurally similar to the known structures, both derived 3D models displayed a three-domain organization: the N-terminal domain (I) is a seven-helix bundle, while the middle and C-terminal domains are primarily comprise of anti-parallel $\beta$-sheets. Circular dichroism spectroscopy confirmed the secondary structural contents of the two homology-based Cry4 structures. A structural analysis of both Cry4 models revealed the following: (a) Residues Arg-235 and Arg-203 are located in the interhelical 5/6 loop within the domain I of Cry4A and Cry4B, respectively. Both are solvent exposed. This suggests that they are susceptible to tryptic cleavage. (b) The unique disulphide bond, together with a proline-rich region within the long loop connecting ${\alpha}4$ and ${\alpha}5$ of Cry4A, were identified. This implies their functional significance for membrane insertion. (c) Significant structural differences between both models were found within domain II that may reflect their different activity spectra. Structural insights from this molecular modeling study would therefore increase our understanding of the mechanic aspects of these two closely related mosquito-larvicidal proteins.