Anopheles gambiae alkaline phosphatase is a functional receptor of Bacillus thuringiensis jegathesan Cry11Ba toxin

Biochemistry. 2009 Oct 20;48(41):9785-93. doi: 10.1021/bi9014538.

Abstract

Alkaline phosphatases (ALPs, EC 3.1.3.1) isolated from lepidopteran and dipteran species are identified as receptors for Cry1Ac and Cry11Aa toxins, respectively [Jurat-Fuentes, J. L., and Adang, M. J. (2004) Eur. J. Biochem. 7, 3127-3135; Fernandez, L. E., et al. (2006) Biochem. J. 396, 77-84]. In our study, an alkaline phosphatase cDNA (AgALP1) was cloned from the midgut of Anopheles gambiae larvae. The encoded 63 kDa protein has a predicted glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor omega-site ((526)Asp), an N-glycosylation site ((239)Asn-Leu-Thr), and an O-glycosylation site ((312)Ser). AgALP1(t) was expressed in Escherichia coli and used to prepare antiserum and to analyze the interaction of AgALP with mosquitocidal Cry11Ba toxin. Anti-AgALP serum localized AgALP to the apical brush border in the anterior and posterior midgut of larvae and detected a 65 kDa species on a blot of brush border membrane vesicles (BBMVs) protein prepared from larvae. ALP activity was released from larval BBMVs prepared by phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC) treatment, and after separation by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and blotting, a chain of doublet spots at 65 kDa was detected by anti-AgALP. A subset of these doublet spots bound Cry11Ba on a reprobed blot. Heterologously expressed AgALP1(t) bound [(125)I]Cry11Ba on dot blots and reduced the level of binding of [(125)I]Cry11Ba to brush border membrane vesicles by 41%, a percentage comparable to that of unlabeled Cry11Ba and aminopeptidase AgAPN2(t1) peptide. AgALP1(t) binds Cry11Ba toxin with a high affinity (23.9 nM) and shares a binding site on Cry11Ba with AgAPN2(t1). In bioassays against An. gambiae larvae, the presence of AgALP1(t) reduced larval mortality from 78 to 8%. We conclude that AgALP1 is a binding protein and a functional receptor for Cry11Ba toxin.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

  • Alkaline Phosphatase / metabolism*
  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Aminopeptidases / metabolism
  • Animals
  • Anopheles / enzymology*
  • Anopheles / genetics
  • Bacillus thuringiensis / chemistry
  • Bacillus thuringiensis / genetics
  • Bacillus thuringiensis / metabolism
  • Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins
  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Proteins / genetics
  • Bacterial Proteins / metabolism
  • Bacterial Toxins / chemistry
  • Bacterial Toxins / genetics
  • Bacterial Toxins / metabolism
  • Binding Sites
  • Cloning, Molecular
  • Computational Biology
  • Conserved Sequence
  • DNA Primers
  • Diptera
  • Endotoxins / chemistry
  • Endotoxins / genetics
  • Endotoxins / metabolism
  • Hemolysin Proteins / chemistry
  • Hemolysin Proteins / genetics
  • Hemolysin Proteins / metabolism
  • Lepidoptera
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Pest Control, Biological
  • Polymerase Chain Reaction

Substances

  • Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Bacterial Toxins
  • CRY11BB protein, Bacillus thuringiensis
  • DNA Primers
  • Endotoxins
  • Hemolysin Proteins
  • insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis
  • Alkaline Phosphatase
  • Aminopeptidases