Walairat Pornwiroon. Mutational analysis of selected residues in [alpha]4 and the [alpha]4-[alpha]5 loop of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry4Aa Toxin . Doctoral Degree(Molecular Genetics and Genetic Engineering). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2003.
Mutational analysis of selected residues in [alpha]4 and the [alpha]4-[alpha]5 loop of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry4Aa Toxin
Abstract:
The current model for molecular mechanism of action of the Bacillus
thuringiensis Cry δ-endotoxins involves penetration of the α4-α5 hairpin into the
target larval midgut membrane to form ion-leakage pores. In this study, PCR-based
mutagenesis was employed to identify a functionally critical residue in α4 and the α4-α5
loop within the pore-forming domain of the 130-kDa Cry4Aa mosquito-larvicidal
protein. Substitutions with alanine of all charged amino acids (Asp-169, Arg-171 and
Glu-187 in α4; Asp-198 and Asp-200 in the α4-α5 loop) and selected polar residues
(Gln-173, His-178, His-180, Gln-182 and Asn-183 in α4; Asn-190, Asn-195, Tyr-201
and Tyr-202 in the α4-α5 loop) were initially performed. Unlike the others, only E. coli
cells that expressed H178A, H180A or Y202A mutant toxins were not toxic to Aedes
aegypti larvae. Further mutagenic analysis of these critical residues showed that
conversions of His-178 to Asp, Glu, Ser, Cys or Gln, His-180 to Leu, Asn, Gln, Trp,
Phe or Tyr and Tyr-202 to Phe did not affect the toxicity. These results together with
structure modeling suggested that the side chain-main chain H-bonding between His-
178 and Ile-174 as well as the size of the side chain at the position-180 in α4 and the
conserved aromatic structure at position 202 within the α4-α5 loop of the Cry4Aa
toxin is critical for toxin activity. In addition, the critical H-bonding between His-
178 and Ile-174 could be compensated by the side chain-side chain H-bonding formed
by Tyr-249 in α6 and the side chain of substituted residues at the position-178 (Asp,
Glu, Ser, Cys and Gln). When both larvicidal active (H178C, H178D and H180Q) and
inactive (H178Y, H180A, H180C, H180E, H180S and H180V) mutant toxins were
further characterised for their membrane-perturbation and ion-channel activity, it
was found that all these 65-kDa activated mutant toxins were able to release
entrapped calcein from hybrid liposomes and could assemble cation-selective channels
with the activity comparable to that of the wild-type toxin, indicating that His-178 and
His-180 in α4 are not involved in membrane perturbation or the passage of ions
through the channel. From this study, it is proposed that the side chain-main chain Hbonding
between His-178 and Ile-174 might participate in stabilising the structure of α
4 of the Cry4Aa toxin, while His-180 could be involved in maintaining an
appropriate conformation for the toxin and Tyr-202 might interact with the
phospholipid head groups of lipid membranes for stabilisation of the oligomeric pore
structure.