Sequence of an operon containing a novel delta-endotoxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis

The First Cry2Ac-Type Protein Toxic to Helicoverpa armigera: Cloning and Overexpression of Cry2ac7 Gene from SBS-BT1 Strain of Bacillus thuringiensis

The Cry (crystal) proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis are known to have toxicity against a variety of insects and have been exploited to control insect pests through transgenic plants and biopesticides. B. thuringiensis SBS BT-1 carrying the cry2 genes was isolated from soil samples in Pakistan. The 2-kb full length cry2Ac gene was cloned, sequenced, and submitted to the EMBL DNA database (Accession No. AM292031). For expression analysis, Escherichia coli DH5α was transformed with the fragment sub-cloned in pET22b expression vector using NdeI and HindIII restriction sites, and later confirmed by restriction endonuclease analysis. To assess the toxicity of Cry2Ac7 protein against lepidopteran and dipteran insects, BL21 (codon plus) strain of E. coli was further transformed with the recombinant plasmid. The 65-kDa protein was expressed in the form of inclusion bodies up to 180 OD units per liter of the medium. Inclusions were washed with a buffer containing 1.5% Triton-X 100 and >90% pure Cry2Ac7 was obtained. The inclusion bodies were dissolved in 50 mM K₂CO₃ (pH 11.5), dialyzed, and freeze-dried. This freeze-dried protein as well as inclusion bodies were used in bioassays against larvae of Helicoverpa armigera and Musca domestica. The freeze-dried protein was toxic to H. armigera larvae with an LC₅₀ value of 131 ng/mL. However, Cry2Ac7 produced in E. coli did not show any mortality to M. domestica larvae. This is the first report of Cry2Ac protein toxic to H. armigera.

In Vivo Crystallization of Three-Domain Cry Toxins

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is the most successful, environmentally-friendly, and intensively studied microbial insecticide. The major characteristic of Bt is the production of proteinaceous crystals containing toxins with specific activity against many pests including dipteran, lepidopteran, and coleopteran insects, as well as nematodes, protozoa, flukes, and mites. These crystals allow large quantities of the protein toxins to remain stable in the environment until ingested by a susceptible host. It has been previously established that 135 kDa Cry proteins have a crystallization domain at their C-terminal end. In the absence of this domain, Cry proteins often need helper proteins or other factors for crystallization. In this review, we classify the Cry proteins based on their requirements for crystallization.

Characterization of a Chitin-Binding Protein from Bacillus thuringiensis HD-1

Strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce insecticidal proteins. These strains have been isolated from diverse ecological niches, such as soil, phylloplane, insect cadavers and grain dust. To effectively propagate, these strains produce a range of molecules that facilitate its multiplication in a competing environment. In this report, we have examined synthesis of a chitin-binding protein and evaluated its effect on fungi encountered in environment and its interaction with insecticidal proteins synthesized by B. thuringiensis. The gene encoding chitin-binding protein has been cloned and expressed. The purified protein has been demonstrated to interact with Cry insecticidal protein, Cry1Ac by Circular Dichrosim spectroscopy (CD) and in vitro pull down assays. The chitin-binding protein potentiates insecticidal activity of bacillar insecticidal protein, Cry1Ac. Further, chitin-binding protein was fungistatic against several soil fungi. The chitin binding protein is expressed in spore mother cell and deposited along with insecticidal protein, Cry1Ac. It interacts with Cry1Ac to potentiate its insecticidal activity and facilitate propagation of Bacillus strain in environment by inhibiting growth of certain fungi.

Identification of the promoter in the intergenic region between orf1 and cry8Ea1 controlled by sigma H factor

Bacillus thuringiensis Cry8Ea toxin is specifically toxic to larvae of the Asian cockchafer, Holotrichia parallela. Here we investigated the mechanism of transcriptional regulation of the cry8Ea1 gene. Reverse transcription-PCR (RT-PCR) results indicated that cry8Ea1 and an upstream gene (orf1) were cotranscribed. Transcriptional fusions with the lacZ gene demonstrated that transcription of the cry8Ea1 gene started from two promoters: P(orf1), which is located upstream of the orf1 gene, and P(cry8E), located in the intergenic region mapping between orf1 and cry8Ea1. Of the known, similar orf1-cry operons, this is the first report of the existence of a promoter in the intergenic region between the orf1 and cry genes. The transcriptional activity of P(orf1) was found during sporulation in B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-73 and was almost abolished in the sigE mutant, while the transcriptional activity of P(cry8E) was detected after the end of the exponential phase in HD-73 and was considerably lower in the sigH mutant. The transcription start sites generated by the two cry8Ea1 promoters were determined by the 5' -SMARTer rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE) method. The -35 and -10 regions of P(orf1) and P(cry8E) showed high sequence similarity with the σ(E) and σ(H) promoters, respectively. These results indicated that P(orf1) is controlled by the σ(E) factor and P(cry8E) by the σ(H) factor.

Iteron-binding ORF157 and FtsZ-like ORF156 proteins encoded by pBtoxis play a role in its replication in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis

We recently identified a minireplicon of pBtoxis from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis that contained an operon encoding two novel proteins (ORF156 and ORF157), both of which are required for replication. ORF157 contains a helix-turn-helix motif and shares no homology with known plasmid replication proteins (Rep), and ORF156 contains the signature motif present in FtsZ/tubulin proteins, the latter of which are known to function in cell division and chromosome segregation. Here we show that the minimal sequence composed of four 12-bp imperfect direct repeats (iterons) in the pBtoxis minireplicon was sufficient to replicate a reporter plasmid in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis when ORF156 and ORF157 functions were provided in trans. To further investigate the roles of ORF156 and ORF157 in pBtoxis replication, six-histidine-tagged recombinant rORF156 and rORF157 proteins were purified from Escherichia coli and used in electrophoretic mobility shift assays. Our results demonstrated that rORF157, but not rORF156, binds specifically to the pBtoxis iterons, suggesting that ORF157 functions as a Rep protein. Although rORF156 did not bind to the iteron sequence, we showed that it bound to rORF157-DNA complexes. In addition, we showed that rORF156 has GTPase activity characteristic of the FtsZ/tubulin superfamily of proteins. Taken together, these results suggest that the iterons compose the minimal replication origin (ori) of pBtoxis and that ORF157 and ORF156 are involved in the initiation of pBtoxis replication and possibly in the segregation and partitioning of this plasmid to daughter cells.

Loss of catabolite repression function of HPr, the phosphocarrier protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, affects expression of the cry4A toxin gene in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis

HPr, the phosphocarrier protein of the bacterial phosphotransferase system, mediates catabolite repression of a number of operons in gram-positive bacteria. In order to participate in the regulatory process, HPr is activated by phosphorylation of a conserved serine-46 residue. To study the potential role of HPr in the regulation of Cry4A protoxin synthesis in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, we produced a catabolite repression-negative mutant by replacing the wild-type copy of the ptsH gene with a mutated copy in which the conserved serine residue of HPr was replaced with an alanine. HPr isolated from the mutant strain was not phosphorylated at Ser-45 by HPr kinase, but phosphorylation at His-14 was found to occur normally. The enzyme I and HPr kinase activities of the mutant were not affected. Analysis of the B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis mutant harboring ptsH-S45A in the chromosome showed that cry4A expression was derepressed from the inhibitory effect of glucose. The mutant strain produced both cry4A and sigma(35) gene transcripts 4 h ahead of the parent strain, but there was no effect on sigma(28) synthesis. In wild-type B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cells, cry4A mRNA was observed from 12 h onwards, while in the mutant it appeared at 8 h and was produced for a longer period. The total amount of cry4A transcripts produced by the mutant was higher than by the parent strain. There was a 60 to 70% reduction in the sporulation efficiency of the mutant B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis strain compared to the wild-type strain.

Bacillus popilliae cry18Aa operon is transcribed by sigmaE and sigmaK forms of RNA polymerase from a single initiation site

Bacillus popilliae is an obligate pathogen for larvae of the insect family Scarabaeidae (Coleoptera). It forms parasporal crystals upon sporulation. The gene cry18Aa coding for the parasporal crystal protein and an upstream open reading frame, orf1, were previously isolated from B.popilliae. Here we report an analysis of cry18Aa transcription in Bacillus thuringiensis. The only transcriptional start site of cry18Aa was found 29 bp upstream of the open reading frame orf1, suggesting that orf1 and cry18Aa are transcribed as an operon. lacZ fusion to the cry18Aa promoter was used to follow the time-course of cry18Aa transcription in wild type B.thuringiensis and in various B.thuringiensis sporulation-deficient mutants (spo0A, sigE or sigK). In wild type B.thuringiensis, the cry18Aa promoter was activated 2 h after the end of exponential growth and the expression lasted to the late sporulation phase. The results of promoter activity in Spo+or Spo-backgrounds together with the results of primer extension experiments suggest that the transcription from this promoter can be driven by both sigmaE and sigmaK types of RNA polymerase at a single start site. The promoter region of cry18Aa operon fits the consensus sequences of both sigmaE and sigmaK dependent promoters of Bacillus.

Extended screening by PCR for seven cry-group genes from field-collected strains of Bacillus thuringiensis

An extended multiplex PCR method was established to rapidly identify and classify Bacillus thuringiensis strains containing cry (crystal protein) genes toxic to species of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. The technique enriches current strategies and simplifies the initial stages of large-scale screening of cry genes by pinpointing isolates that contain specific genes or unique combinations of interest with potential insecticidal activities, thus facilitating subsequent toxicity assays. Five pairs of universal primers were designed to probe the highly conserved sequences and classify most (34 of about 60) genes known in the following groups: 20 cry1, 3 cry2, 4 cry3, 2 cry4, 2 cry7, and 3 cry8 genes. The DNA of each positive strain was probed with a set of specific primers designed for 20 of these genes and for cry11A. Twenty-two distinct cry-type profiles were identified from 126 field-collected B. thuringiensis strains. Several of them were found to be different from all published profiles. Some of the field-collected strains, but none of the 16 standard strains, were positive for cry2Ac. Three standard and 38 field-collected strains were positive by universal primers but negative by specific primers for all five known genes of cry7 and cry8. These field-collected strains seem to contain a new gene or genes that seem promising for biological control of insects and management of resistance.

Cloning and analysis of the first cry gene from Bacillus popilliae

An 80-kDa parasporal crystal protein was detected in protein extracts of sporangia of Bacillus popilliae isolated from a diseased larva of the common cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha L.). Amino acid analysis of tryptic peptides revealed significant homology to the Cry2Aa endotoxins of Bacillus thuringiensis. The gene cryBP1 (cry18Aa1), which codes for the parasporal crystal protein, was found in a putative cry operon on the bacterial chromosome, which contains at least one further (smaller) open reading frame, orf1. The 706-amino-acid-long CryBP1 (Cry18Aa1) protein has a predicted molecular mass of 79 kDa and shows about 40% sequence identity to the Cry2 polypeptides of B. thuringiensis. In the light of published observations which suggest that the parasporal crystal proteins of B. popilliae are slightly toxic to their grub hosts, we propose the following survival strategy of B. popilliae. As an obligate pathogen of grubs, B. popilliae germinates in the gut of a grub and the parasporal crystal proteins are released and activated. The activated protein does not cause colloid osmotic lysis but instead damages the gut wall somehow to allow the vegetative cells to enter the hemolymph more easily. By becoming a parasite, B. popilliae can continue to proliferate efficiently while the living grub provides a food supply. This process is in contrast to that of B. thuringiensis, which rapidly kills the insect and is then limited to growth on the larval carcass.

Transcriptional regulation of the cryIVD gene operon from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis

The CryIVD protein is involved in the overall toxicity of the Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis parasporal inclusions and is one of the four major components of the crystals. Determination of the DNA sequence indicated that the cryIVD gene is the second gene of an operon which includes three genes. The first one encodes a 19-kDa polypeptide and has sequence homology with the orf1 gene of the Bacillus thuringiensis cryIIA and cryIIC operons. The second and third genes have already been identified and encode the CryIVD crystal protein and the P20 polypeptide, respectively. The promoter region was located by deletion analysis, and the 5' end of the mRNA was determined by primer extension mapping. Transcription of the cryIVD gene in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis strains is induced 9 h after the beginning of sporulation. Sequence analysis indicated two potential promoters, a strong one and a weak one, recognized respectively by the RNA polymerase associated with the sigma 35 or the sigma 28 factor of B. thuringiensis (sigma E and sigma K of Bacillus subtilis, respectively). Transcriptional lacZ fusion integrated in single copy into the chromosome of various B. subtilis sporulation mutants confirmed the sigma E dependence of cryIVD gene transcription.

Improved production of the insecticidal CryIVD protein in Bacillus thuringiensis using cryIA(c) promoters to express the gene for an associated 20-kDa protein

Previous studies have shown that a 20-kDa protein enhances production of the insecticidal CytA and CryIVA proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis in Escherichia coli as well as CytA production and crystal formation in B. thuringiensis. To determine whether the 20-kDa protein could enhance CryIVD production, an expression vector was constructed with the 20-kDa open-reading frame under control of cryIA(c) promoters and the cryIVD gene under control of its own promoter. Acrystalliferous cells of B. thuringiensis transformed with this plasmid, designated pWF53, produced large bitrapezoidal CryIVD crystals that averaged 1.3 x 0.92 x 0.31 microns, approximately fivefold larger in volume than wild-type CryIVD crystals, and 1.7 fold the volume of crystals produced using the cryIVD operon, which contains the cryIVD gene and the gene for the 20-kDa protein. These results demonstrate that the 20-kDa protein significantly improves net synthesis of CryIVD and promotes CryIVD crystal formation. Improved production of proteins as diverse as CryIVD and CytA by the 20-kDa protein indicates this protein may be useful in facilitating the production of other proteins.

Synergism of mosquitocidal toxicity between CytA and CryIVD proteins using inclusions produced from cloned genes of Bacillus thuringiensis

The toxicity to mosquito larvae of the parasporal body produced by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and the PG-14 isolate of B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni is at least 20-fold greater than any of the four mosquitocidal proteins of which it is composed (CytA, CryIVA, B, and D). This high toxicity is postulated to be due to synergistic interactions among parasporal proteins. However, this remains controversial because values reported for the specific toxicity of individual proteins, especially the CytA protein, vary widely owing to the methods used to purify and assay toxins against larvae. In an attempt to resolve questions of purity, specific toxicity, and synergism, individual genes encoding the CytA and CryIVD toxins were cloned and expressed in acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cells using the shuttle vector pHT3101. CytA and CryIVD inclusions were purified and their toxicity was determined alone and when combined at different ratios using bioassays against first instars of Aedes aegypti. The LC50 for the CytA inclusion was 60 ng ml-1, whereas the LC50 for the CryIVD was 85 ng ml-1. In comparison, the LC50s for different combinations of CytA and CryIVD inclusions ranged from 12-15 ng ml-1, 4-5 times higher than the toxicity of either protein alone, demonstrating marked synergism between these two proteins. These results suggest that the high toxicity of the wild-type parasporal bodies of B. thuringiensis subspp. israelensis and morrisoni is due to synergism among three or four of their major proteins.

Use of an operon fusion to induce expression and crystallisation of a Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin encoded by a cryptic gene

A delta-endotoxin gene previously cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae has been shown by a combination of restriction mapping and DNA sequence analysis to be a cryIIB clone; in common with other cryIIB genes it was found to lack a functional promoter. Addition of a promoter resulted in expression of the gene in Bacillus thuringiensis but did not result in the formation of the crystalline inclusions normally associated with such toxins. Inclusion formation was only observed when the gene was incorporated into an operon containing a gene known to be involved in the crystallisation of another delta-endotoxin.

A 20-kilodalton protein preserves cell viability and promotes CytA crystal formation during sporulation in Bacillus thuringiensis

The effect of a 20-kDa protein on cell viability and CytA crystal production in its natural host, Bacillus thuringiensis, was studied by expressing the cytA gene in the absence or presence of this protein. In the absence of the 20-kDa protein, B. thuringiensis cells either were killed during sporulation (strain cryB) or produced very small CytA crystals (strain 4Q7). Expression of cytA in the presence of the 20-kDa protein, however, preserved cell viability, especially in strain cryB, and in both strains yielded bipyramidal crystals of the CytA protein that were larger than those of wild-type B. thuringiensis. These results suggest that the 20-kDa protein promotes crystal formation, perhaps by chaperoning CytA molecules during synthesis and crystallization, concomitantly preventing the CytA protein from interacting lethally with the bacterial host cell.

The two faces of Bacillus thuringiensis: insecticidal proteins and post-exponential survival

Post-exponential Bacillus thuringiensis cells produce both an endospore and a variety of intracellular inclusions. The latter are comprised of protoxins, each being specific for the larvae of certain species from at least three orders of insects. Following ingestion of spores and inclusions, toxicity results in the spores gaining access to haemolymph, a source of nutrients suitable for germination and growth. Most B. thuringiensis subspecies contain multiple, plasmid-encoded protoxin genes, often with several on the same plasmid. These genes have been manipulated in order to understand the basis of toxicity and specificity, information which is important to the use of these toxins as biological control agents. Some protoxin genes are in operons, and others are in close proximity, perhaps to enhance the chances of recombination, and some are on unstable plasmids. The arrangement of these genes is probably important for flexibility in the variety of protoxins packaged into inclusions by a particular subspecies and thus the capacity to adapt to changing populations of insects. Protoxins accumulate over a prolonged period during sporulation because of the sequential transcription from two promoters, each being dependent upon a specific sporulation sigma factor, the relative stability of the messenger RNA, and the synthesis of proteins which stabilize protoxins and perhaps facilitate inclusion assembly. During the post-exponential phase, spore and inclusion formation must be balanced so as to ensure that both are available to contribute to the survival of these bacilli.

Involvement of a possible chaperonin in the efficient expression of a cloned CryIIA delta-endotoxin gene in Bacillus thuringiensis

The Bacillus thuringiensis cryIIA delta-endotoxin gene is found as the third-gene in a three-gene operon, with a sporulation-dependent promoter lying upstream of the first gene, orf1. We show here that the polypeptide product of the middle gene (orf2) is required for efficient expression of the toxin gene. In the absence of a functional ORF2 polypeptide the toxin does not form the crystalline inclusions characteristic of other known Bacillus thuringiensis toxins. We discuss the importance of this finding with respect to the possible role of chaperonins in the crystallization of these proteins.