Question

What are cry proteins and explain?

Answer 1

Cry proteins are a large family of crystalline toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis. Individually, the family members are highly specific, but collectively, they target a diverse range of insects and nematodes. Domain II of the toxins is important for target specificity, and three loops at its apex have been studied extensively. There is considerable interest in determining whether modifications in this region may lead to toxins with novel specificity or potency. In this work, we studied the effect of loop substitution on toxin stability and specificity. For this purpose, sequences derived from antibody complementarity-determining regions (CDR) were used to replace native domain II apical loops to create “Crybodies.”

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Answer 2

Cry proteins are a large family of crystalline toxins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis. Individually, the family members are highly specific, but collectively, they target a diverse range of insects and nematodes. Domain II of the toxins is important for target specificity, and three loops at its apex have been studied extensively. There is considerable interest in determining whether modifications in this region may lead to toxins with novel specificity or potency. In this work, we studied the effect of loop substitution on toxin stability and specificity. For this purpose, sequences derived from antibody complementarity-determining regions (CDR) were used to replace native domain II apical loops to create “Crybodies.”