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Auto-crosslinking sporesilk fibers promote endospore and Cry toxin clustering
Open accessPreprint — published as 10.1038/s41467-026-70495-z
Abstract
Bacillus thuringiesis infects and kills insect larvae via its spores and associated entomotoxin-containing parasporal bodies (PSBs). We show that endospores and PSBs of B. thuringiensis Sv. Israëlensis are covered in a ‘sporesilk’ matrix that consist of 8 nm wide fibers with a double helical symmetry, formed by protofilaments of stacked alphahelical hairpins. These alpha endospore appendages (‘A-ENA’) are stabilized by up to ten autocatalytic and proximity-induced intermolecular isopeptide bonds per subunit, forming a continuous covalent polymer with remarkable chemical and physical robustness. We show A-ENA functions as B. thuringiensis virulence factor, increasing insecticidal activity by clustering spores and PSBs into an infectious biofilm-like unit. Moreover, we demonstrate the recombinant production and self-assembly of A-ENA nanofibers, and show that the exogenic addition of A-ENA fibers to B. thuringiensis strains natively lacking sporesilks results in spore-PSB clustering and gain of virulence, enabling the rational, non-GMO functionalization of these biological pest control agents.
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Metadata
- Authors
- Remaut, H., Sleutel, M., & Sogues, A.
- Affiliations
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- Corresponding author
- Remaut, Han
- Sleutel, Mike
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-05-16
- Volume
- 17
- Issue
- 1
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC13111695
- OpenAlex
- W7135041806
- Cited by
- 3
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 2 · 2025: 1
- FWCI
- 4.13
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Research Square (acceptedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- VUBIR (Vrije Universiteit Brussel) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- H2020 Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Insect Resistance and Genetics
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Insect Science › Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Silk-based biomaterials and applications
- Keywords
- Bacillus thuringiensis, parasporal bodies, delta-endotoxin, protein nanofibers, isopeptide bonds, self-assembly, insecticidal activity, biological control
- MeSH terms
- Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins, Animals, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacterial Proteins, Endotoxins, Hemolysin Proteins, Larva, Spores, Bacterial, Virulence, Virulence Factors
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