A decrease in cytotoxic and haemolytic activities by inactivation of a single enterotoxin gene in Bacillus cereus Cx5

Abstract

With the ability to colonize in the guts of a broad range of mosquito larvae, Bacillus cereus Cx5 has a potential to be utilized as a new host cell for the production of mosquito-larvicidal toxins aimed for mosquito control. However, the presence of one single (entFM) and two triple (hblCDA and nheABC) enterotoxin genes were previously confirmed in strain Cx5, raising concerns in its immediate use in the environment. Cx5 cells indeed showed recognizable levels of haemolytic and Vero cell cytotoxic activities. In this study, the single enterotoxin gene in B, cereus Cx5 (entCx5) has been inactivated in order to study the relationship between the presence of this gene and the cytotoxic and haemolytic activities found in the strain. We constructed a gene disruption plasmid, pΔTentCx5TV2, harbouring a truncated entCx5 gene in the temperature-sensitive shuttle vector, pUCTV2. After introducing the plasmid into B. cereus Cx5, we found that the plasmid was integrated via single crossover into the chromosome as expected at the entCx5 locus, disrupting the gene. Analysis of one mutant strain revealed that Vero cell cytotoxicity and haemolytic activity of the mutant were dramatically decreased compared to that of the wild type strain. This indicates an involvement of the entCx5 gene in haemolytic and Vero cell cytotoxic activities. The results also imply that there is a high possibility to generate an effective, and safe, host cell based on B. cereus Cx5 for the production of mosquito-larvicidal toxin.