Abstract:
Previously, it has been demonstrated that S410 and E417 in the β8-β9 loop, and Y455
and N456 in the β10-β11 loop within domain II are essential in toxicity of the Bacillus
thuringiensis Cry4Ba mosquito-larvicidal protein. In this study, double mutations of E417 in the
β8-β9 loop (S410A/E417D, S410A/E417Q, S410A/E417R and S410A/E417Y), Y455 in the β10-
β11 loop (Y455E/N456A, Y455R/N456A, Y455F/N456A and Y455T/N456A) and N456 in the
β10-β11 loop (Y455A/N456D, Y455A/N456Q, Y455A/N456R and Y455A/N456Y) were
constructed via PCR-based mutagenesis. All double mutant toxins were overexpressed in
Escherichia coli as a 130-kDa protoxin at levels comparable to the wild-type toxin. Bioassays
against Stegomyia aegypti mosquito larvae revealed that E. coli cells that only express
S410A/E417D or Y455F/N456A mutant toxins could retain toxicity of 65% similar to the
single mutants (S410A and N456A). When Asn456 of the Y455A/N456A mutant was replaced
with Gln, Arg, Asp or Tyr, all the mutant toxins exhibited ca. 20% toxicity.
Immunohistochemical assays revealed that the S410A/E417D and Y455F/N456A toxins could
bind to S. aegypti larval midgut section at the apical microvilli of epithelial cells with a signal
similar to S410A and N456A template but lower than the wild-type Cry4Ba toxin. However,
the Y455A/N456Q toxin showed lower signal compared with the Y455A template and the
wild-type toxin. Altogether, the data suggested that a negatively charged residue at position
417, an aromatic residue at position 455 and a specific structure of asparagine at position 456
are essential in larvicidal activity of the Cry4Ba toxin.