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Auto-crosslinking sporesilk fibers promote endospore and Cry toxin clustering
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Journal Article
Auto-crosslinking sporesilk fibers promote endospore and Cry toxin clustering
2026
Overview
Bacillus thuringiesis
infects and kills insect larvae via its spores and associated entomotoxin-containing parasporal bodies (PSBs). We show that endospores and PSBs of
B. thuringiensis
Sv. Israëlensis are covered in a ‘sporesilk’ matrix that consist of 8 nm wide fibers with a double helical symmetry, formed by protofilaments of stacked alphahelical hairpins. These alpha endospore appendages (‘A-ENA’) are stabilized by up to ten autocatalytic and proximity-induced intermolecular isopeptide bonds per subunit, forming a continuous covalent polymer with remarkable chemical and physical robustness. We show A-ENA functions as
B. thuringiensis
virulence factor, increasing insecticidal activity by clustering spores and PSBs into an infectious clumps. Moreover, we demonstrate the recombinant production and self-assembly of A-ENA nanofibers, and show that the exogenic addition of A-ENA fibers to
B. thuringiensis
strains natively lacking sporesilks results in spore-PSB clustering and gain of virulence, enabling the rational, non-GMO functionalization of these biological pest control agents.
Authors reveal that protein nanofibrils govern assembly of bacterial spores and extrasporal toxins into insecticidal aggregates. Spores and parasporal bodies are incased in a “sporesilk” matrix that drives clustering of infectious co-assemblies. This work provides a non-GMO strategy for developing biological pest-control agents.
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group UK,Nature Publishing Group,Nature Portfolio
Subject
/ 14/63
/ 45/70
/ 82/80
/ Animals
/ Bacillus thuringiensis - genetics
/ Bacillus thuringiensis - metabolism
/ Bacillus thuringiensis - pathogenicity
/ Bacillus thuringiensis - ultrastructure
/ Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins
/ Bacterial Proteins - chemistry
/ Bacterial Proteins - metabolism
/ Fibers
/ Genes
/ Genetically modified organisms
/ Hemolysin Proteins - chemistry
/ Hemolysin Proteins - metabolism
/ Humanities and Social Sciences
/ Insects
/ Peptides
/ Pests
/ Polymers
/ Proteins
/ Science
/ Spores
/ Spores, Bacterial - chemistry
/ Spores, Bacterial - metabolism
/ Spores, Bacterial - ultrastructure
/ Toxins
