Scanning mutagenesis identifies residues that improve the long-term stability and insecticidal activity of cyclotide kalata B1.

ABSTRACT: Cyclotides are plant-derived disulfide-rich cyclic peptides that have a natural function in plant defense and potential for use as agricultural pesticides. Because of their highly constrained topology, they are highly resistant to thermal, chemical, or enzymatic degradation. However, the stability of cyclotides at alkaline pH for incubation times of longer than a few days is poorly studied but important since these conditions could be encountered in the environment, during storage or field application as insecticides. In this study, kalata B1 (kB1), the prototypical cyclotide, was engineered to improve its long-term stability and retain its insecticidal activity via point mutations. We found that substituting either Asn29 or Gly1 to lysine or leucine increased the stability of kB1 by twofo

SUBMITTER: Huang YH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10877628 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature