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The Theoretical Three-dimensional Structure of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry5Aa and Its Biological Implications

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Abstract

Cry5Aa is a crystal protein produced by Bacillus thuringiensis serovar. damstadiensis during its stationary phase, this δ-endotoxin is active against nematodes and has great potential for nematodes control. The theoretical model of the three-dimensional structure of Cry5Aa was predicted by homology modeling on the structures of the Cry1Aa which is specific to Lepidopteran insects. The structure of the Cry5Aa resembles previously reported Cry toxin structures but shows the following distinctions. Cry5Aa has a long insertion in α2 of domain I. Some loops in the domain II and III of Cry5Aa are exposed to the solvent. In this work we give a brief description of our model and hypothesize the residues of the Cry5Aa that could be important in receptor recognition and pore formation. This model will be helpful for the design of mutagenesis experiments aimed to the improvement of toxicity, and lead to a deep understanding of the mechanism of action of nematicidal toxins.

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Abbreviations

ATP:

Adenosine-5′-triphosphate

Bt:

Bacillus thuringiensis

Cry:

Crystal

Cyt:

Cytolytic

RMSD:

Root mean square deviation

PMDB:

Protein model data base

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. You-min Zhang (Gene Bridge GmbH, Dresden, Germany) for a critical reading of the manuscript. This research was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30670052, 30570050) and 863 Program of China (2006AA02Z187, 2006AA10A212).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Microbial Molecular Biology of Hunan Province, College of Life Science, Hunan Normal University, Changsha, 410081, China

    Zhao Xin-Min, Xia Li-Qiu, Ding Xue-Zhi & Wang Fa-Xiang

  2. Department of Chemistry and Environmental Engineering, Hunan City University, Yiyang, 413000, China

    Zhao Xin-Min

Authors
  1. Zhao Xin-Min
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  2. Xia Li-Qiu
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  3. Ding Xue-Zhi
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  4. Wang Fa-Xiang
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Correspondence to Xia Li-Qiu.

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Xin-Min, Z., Li-Qiu, X., Xue-Zhi, D. et al. The Theoretical Three-dimensional Structure of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry5Aa and Its Biological Implications. Protein J 28, 104–110 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10930-009-9169-0

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