A new group of parasporal inclusions encoded by the S-layer gene of Bacillus thuringiensis

Bacillus thuringiensis produces various groups of active proteins, such as Cyt, Vip and Parasporin, in addition to the Cry protein. In this study we show S-layer proteins to be a new group of parasporal inclusions of B. thuringiensis. The S-layer consists of a two-dimensional lattice structure and is the outermost component of many archaeobacteria and eubacteria. The parasporal inclusion of B. thuringiensis strain CTC was found to be not a typical crystal protein encoded by the cry gene, but a proteinaceous inclusion encoded by the S-layer gene. Furthermore, the CTC-like strains (with their parasporal inclusions coded by the S-layer gene) are widely distributed and accounted for 25.4% of the B. thuringiensis strains tested. These strains constitue a new group of parasporal inclusions encoded by the S-layer gene of B. thuringiensis and shed new light on B. thuringiensis nontoxic strains.