Can (We Make) Bacillus thuringiensis Crystallize More Than Its Toxins?

ABSTRACT: The development of finely tuned and reliable crystallization processes to obtain crystalline formulations of proteins has received growing interest from different scientific fields, including toxinology and structural biology, as well as from industry, notably for biotechnological and medical applications. As a natural crystal-making bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has evolved through millions of years to produce hundreds of highly structurally diverse pesticidal proteins as micrometer-sized crystals. The long-term stability of Bt protein crystals in aqueous environments and their specific and controlled dissolution are characteristics that are particularly sought after. In this article, I explore whether the crystallization machinery of Bt can be hijacked as a means to produce (mic

SUBMITTER: Tetreau G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8309801 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature