Delta endotoxin

delta endotoxin, N-terminal domain
crystal structure of the insecticidal bacterial del endotoxin Cry3Bb1 Bacillus thuringiensis
Identifiers
SymbolEndotoxin_N
PfamPF03945
InterProIPR005639
SCOP21dlc / SCOPe / SUPFAM
TCDB1.C.2
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary
delta endotoxin, middle domain
Identifiers
SymbolEndotoxin_M
PfamPF00555
Pfam clanCL0568
InterProIPR015790
SCOP21dlc / SCOPe / SUPFAM
TCDB1.C.2
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary
delta endotoxin, C-terminal
Identifiers
SymbolEndotoxin_C
PfamPF03944
Pfam clanCL0202
InterProIPR005638
SCOP21dlc / SCOPe / SUPFAM
TCDB1.C.2
CDDcd04085
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary
Cytolytic Delta-endotoxin Cyt1/2
Identifiers
SymbolCytB
PfamPF01338
InterProIPR001615
SCOP21cby / SCOPe / SUPFAM
TCDB1.C.71
Available protein structures:
Pfam  structures / ECOD  
PDBRCSB PDB; PDBe; PDBj
PDBsumstructure summary

Delta endotoxins (δ-endotoxins) are pore-forming toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis species of bacteria. They are useful for their insecticidal action and are the primary toxin produced by Bt maize/corn. During spore formation the bacteria produce crystals of such proteins (hence the name Cry toxins) that are also known as parasporal bodies, next to the endospores; as a result some members are known as a parasporin. The Cyt (cytolytic) toxin group is a group of delta-endotoxins different from the Cry group.

Mechanism of action

When an insect ingests these proteins, they are activated by proteolytic cleavage. The N-terminus is cleaved in all of the proteins and a C-terminal extension is cleaved in some members. Once activated, the endotoxin binds to the gut epithelium and causes cell lysis by the formation of cation-selective channels, which leads to death.

For many years there was no clarity as to the relationship between aminopeptidase N and Bt toxins. Although AP-N does bind Cry proteins in vitro (reviewed by Soberón et al. 2009 and Pigott & Ellar 2007), no cases of resistance – or even reduced in vitro binding – due to AP-N structure alteration were known through 2002, and there was some doubt that the resistance mechanism was so straight forward. Indeed, Luo et al. 1997, Mohammed et al. 1996, and Zhu et al. 2000 positively found this to not occur in Lepidoptera examples. Subsequently, however Herrero et al. 2005 showed correlation between nonexpression and Bt resistance, and actual resistance was found in Helicoverpa armigera by Zhang et al. 2009, in Ostrinia nubilalis by Khajuria et al. 2011, and in Trichoplusia ni by Baxter et al. 2011 and Tiewsiri & Wang 2011 (also all Lepidoptera). There continues to be confirmation that AP-Ns do not by themselves affect resistance in some cases, possibly due to sequential binding by the toxin being required to produce its effect. In this sequence each binding step is theoretically not indispensable, but if it occurs does contribute to the final pore formation result.

Structure

The activated region of the delta toxin is composed of three distinct structural domains: an N-terminal helical bundle domain (InterProIPR005639) involved in membrane insertion and pore formation; a beta-sheet central domain involved in receptor binding; and a C-terminal beta-sandwich domain (InterProIPR005638) that interacts with the N-terminal domain to form a channel.

Types

B. thuringiensis encodes many proteins of the delta endotoxin family (InterProIPR038979), with some strains encoding multiple types simultaneously. A gene mostly found on plasmids, delta-entotoxins sometimes show up in genomes of other species, albeit at a lower proportion than those found in B. thuringiensis. The gene names looks like Cry3Bb, which in this case indicates a Cry toxin of superfamily 3 family B subfamily b.

Cry proteins that are interesting to cancer research are listed under a parasporin (PS) nomenclature in addition to the Cry nomenclature. They do not kill insects, but instead kill leukemia cells. The Cyt toxins tend to form their own group distinct from Cry toxins. Not all Cry — crystal-form — toxins directly share a common root. Examples of non-three-domain toxins that nevertheless have a Cry name include Cry34/35Ab1 and related beta-sandwich binary (Bin-like) toxins, Cry6Aa, and many beta-sandwich parasporins.

Specific delta-endotoxins that have been inserted with genetic engineering include Cry3Bb1 found in MON 863 and Cry1Ab found in MON 810, both of which are maize/corn cultivars. Cry3Bb1 is particularly useful because it kills Coleopteran insects such as the corn rootworm, an activity not seen in other Cry proteins. Other common toxins include Cry2Ab and Cry1F in cotton and maize/corn. In addition, Cry1Ac is effective as a vaccine adjuvant in humans.

Some insects populations have started to develop resistance towards delta endotoxin, with five resistant species found as of 2013. Plants with two kinds of delta endotoxins tend to make resistance happen slower, as the insects have to evolve to overcome both toxins at once. Planting non-Bt plants with the resistant plants will reduce the selection pressure for developing the toxin. Finally, two-toxin plants should not be planted with one-toxin plants, as one-toxin plants act as a stepping stone for adaption in this case.

This article incorporates text from the public domain Pfam and InterPro: IPR015790

This page was last updated at 2024-01-27 07:28 UTC. Update now. View original page.

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