Expression and biological activity of the cystine knot bioinsecticide PA1b (Pea Albumin 1 Subunit b)

PLoS One. 2013 Dec 11;8(12):e81619. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081619. eCollection 2013.

Abstract

The PA1b (Pea Albumin 1, subunit b) peptide is an entomotoxin extract from Legume seeds with lethal activity on several insect pests, such as mosquitoes, some aphids and cereal weevils. This 37 amino-acid cysteine-rich peptide has been, until now, obtained by biochemical purification or chemical synthesis. In this paper, we present our results for the transient production of the peptide in Nicotiana benthamiana by agro-infiltration, with a yield of about 35 µg/g of fresh leaves and maximum production 8 days after infiltration. PA1b is part of the PA1 gene which, after post-translational modifications, encodes two peptides (PA1b and PA1a). We show that transforming tobacco with the PA1b cDNA alone does not result in production of the toxin and, in fact, the entire cDNA is necessary, raising the question of the role of PA1a. We constructed a PA1-cassette, allowing for the quick "cut/paste" of different PA1b mutants within a conserved PA1 cDNA. This cassette enabled us to produce the six isoforms of PA1b which exist in pea seeds. Biological tests revealed that all the isoforms display similar activity, with the exception of one which is inactive. The lack of activity in this isoform led us to conclude that the amphiphilic nature of the peptide is necessary for activity. The possible applications of this expression system for other cysteine-rich biomolecules are discussed.

MeSH terms

  • Amino Acid Sequence
  • Biological Control Agents
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Gene Expression
  • Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions
  • Insecticides / chemistry*
  • Insecticides / metabolism
  • Models, Molecular
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Nicotiana / genetics*
  • Nicotiana / metabolism
  • Pisum sativum / chemistry*
  • Pisum sativum / metabolism
  • Plant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Plant Proteins / chemistry*
  • Plant Proteins / genetics
  • Protein Isoforms / biosynthesis
  • Protein Isoforms / chemistry
  • Protein Isoforms / genetics
  • Protein Processing, Post-Translational
  • Protein Subunits / biosynthesis
  • Protein Subunits / chemistry*
  • Protein Subunits / genetics
  • Recombinant Proteins / biosynthesis
  • Recombinant Proteins / chemistry
  • Recombinant Proteins / genetics
  • Toxins, Biological / biosynthesis
  • Toxins, Biological / chemistry*
  • Toxins, Biological / genetics

Substances

  • Biological Control Agents
  • DNA, Complementary
  • Insecticides
  • Plant Proteins
  • Protein Isoforms
  • Protein Subunits
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Toxins, Biological

Grants and funding

Funding was provided by Institut National de le Recherche Agronomique (INRA, France) and Institut National des Sciences Appliquées (INSA de Lyon, France). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.