The surface layer protein of Bacillus thuringiensis CTC forms unique intracellular parasporal inclusion body

Abstract

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. finitimus strain CTC forms round parasporal inclusion body. The inclusion body protein gene ctc has been cloned and characterized. Sequence homology analysis reveals that the amino acid sequence of CTC protein shows 87% identity with the surface layer (S-layer) protein Sap (GenBank Z36946) in B. anthracis. In this report, transmission electron microscope observation showed that CTC formed intracellular parasporal inclusion body and sheet structure of S-layer-like protein at the spore phase. Furthermore, the ctc gene was transformed into an acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis strain BMB171. The resulting transformant could form parasporal body which had the same shape and molecular weight of protein with that of B. thuringiensis CTC. These results, together with the sequence homology analysis of ctc gene, confirmed that the unique intracellular parasporal inclusion body of B. thuringiensis was comprised of S-layer protein.