UNASSIGNED: Toxic strains of @entity11304 have been used in the field for larval control of mosquito vector diseases. The high @entity137 of @entity11304 is attributed to the binary (BinAB) toxin produced as parasporal crystalline inclusions during the early stages of sporulation. BinA and BinB, the primary components of these spore-crystals, exert high @entity137 when administered together. However, instability, short half-lives, and rapid proteolytic digestion can limit their use as an effective insecticide. BinA alone displays @entity137 , in the absence of BinB, albeit with much reduced activity. Here for the first time, we demonstrate the beneficial effect of PEGylation (covalent attachment of @entity968 ) on mosquito-larvicidal activity of BinA. Polymer conjugation was achieved using 750 Da @entity968 ( @entity970 ) at two different pH values (pH 7.2 and 8.5). Two different isoforms of the biopolymers, purified to homogeneity, were highly water-soluble and resistant to trypsin and proteinase K. The mono-PEGylated BinA isoforms also displayed preservation of the toxin structure with improved thermal stability by about 3-5   C, as evident from thermal denaturation studies by circular dichroism and differential scanning fluorimetry. Notably, PEGylation enhanced BinA @entity137 by nearly 6-fold. The PEGylated BinA isoforms alone displayed high larvicidal activity (LC50 value of    3.4 ng/mL) against the third instar Culex larvae, which compares favorably against LC50 reported for the combination of BinA and BinB proteins. Since BinA can be synthesized easily through recombinant technology and easily PEGylated, the conjugated biopolymers offer a promising opportunity for mosquito control programs.

PEGylation Enhances Mosquito-Larvicidal Activity of XXXX Binary Toxin.

@entity137 :: ('MESH:D064420', 'Disease') :: ['toxicity', 'larvicidal toxicity'] @entity970 :: ('CHEBI:46793', 'Chemical') :: ['PEG'] @entity968 :: ('MESH:D011092', 'Chemical') :: ['polyethylene glycol'] @entity11304 :: ('1421', 'Species') :: ['L. sphaericus', 'Lysinibacillus sphaericus']
@entity11304 :: (1421,Species) :: ['Lysinibacillus sphaericus']
