Activation pattern and toxicity of the Cry11Bb1 toxin of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. medellin

Bacillus thuringiensis protoxins undergo proteolytic processing in the midgut of susceptible insects to become active. The ability to process the Cry11Bb1 protoxin by trypsin and Culex quinquefasciatus larval gut extracts was tested. The protease activity indicated by the appearance of proteolytic products increased with an increment in pH, with the highest activity being observed at pH 10.6. A time course study showed the proteolysis of the 94-kDa Cry11Bb protein ending with the production of fragments of relative molecular mass of 30 and 35 kDa within 5 min. In vitro, gut proteases extract cleaved the solubilized toxin between Ser59 and Ile60 and between Ala395 and Asn396, generating a 30-kDa N-terminal and a 35-kDa C-terminal fragment, respectively. Similarly, mosquito larvae processed in vivo the parasporal inclusions, generating the same fragments as those observed in vitro. The Cry11Bb1 protoxin activated with trypsin or gut proteases showed larvicidal activity against C. quinquefasciatus first instar larvae. The data suggest that gut proteases participate in the activation of CryllBbl protoxin, generating at least two different fragments on which the activity could reside.