title: Structural stability of Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin homolog-scanning mutants determined by susceptibility to proteases.
abstract: Forty homolog-scanning (double-reciprocal-crossover) mutant proteins of two Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin genes (cryIAa and cryIAc) were examined for potential structural alterations by a series of proteolytic assays. Three groups of mutants could be identified. Group 1, consisting of 13 mutants, showed no delta-endotoxin present during overexpression conditions in Escherichia coli (48 h at 37 degrees C, with a ptac promoter). These mutants produced full-sized delta-endotoxin detectable by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis with Coomassie blue staining or Western immunoanalysis after 24 h of growth but not after 48 h, suggesting sensitivity to intracellular proteases. Group 2 consisted of 13 mutants that produced stable delta-endotoxins that were completely digested by 2% bovine trypsin. In contrast, native delta-endotoxin produces a 65,000-Da trypsin-resistant peptide, which is the active toxin. Group 3 mutants expressed delta-endotoxin and trypsin-stable toxins, similar to the wild type. In this study, 12 group 3 mutant toxins were compared with wild type toxins by thermolysin digestion at a range of temperatures. The two wild-type toxins exhibited significant differences in thermolysin digestion midpoints. Among the group 3 mutants, most possessed significantly different protein stabilities relative to their parental toxins. Two of the group 3 mutants were observed to have exchanged the thermolysin sensitivity properties of the parental toxins.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210.
authors.forename: B D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Almond
authors.forename: D H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Dean
mesh_terms: D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D010450:Endopeptidases / Q000378:metabolism; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D015183:Restriction Mapping; D013820:Thermolysin; D014357:Trypsin
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis; D010450:Endopeptidases; D014357:Trypsin; D013820:Thermolysin