N Jiménez-Juárez

Publications (1)2.43 Total impact

• Article: The pre-pore from Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin is necessary to induce insect death in Manduca sexta.

  N Jiménez-Juárez, C Muñoz-Garay, I Gómez, S S Gill, M Soberón, A Bravo
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  ABSTRACT: The insecticidal Cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis bacteria are pore-forming toxins that lyse midgut epithelial cells in insects. We have previously proposed that they form pre-pore oligomeric intermediates before membrane insertion. For formation of these oligomers coiled-coil structures are important, and helix alpha-3 from Cry toxins could form coiled-coils. Our data shows that different mutations in helix alpha-3 are affected in pore formation and toxicity. Mutants affected in toxicity bind Bt-R(1) receptor with a similar K(D) as the wild type toxin but do not form oligomers nor induce pore formation in planar lipid bilayers, indicating that the pre-pore oligomer is an obligate intermediate in the intoxication of Cry1Ab toxin and that interaction of monomeric Cry1Ab with Bt-R(1) is not enough to kill susceptible larvae.
  Peptides 03/2008; 29(2):318-23. · 2.43 Impact Factor