A structure-based nomenclature for Bacillus thuringiensis and other bacteria-derived pesticidal proteins

Abstract

In 1998 a nomenclature for the growing list of pesticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was derived based solely on protein sequence comparisons. This nomenclature was widely adopted and provided a robust framework for the naming and classification of the proteins. The success of these proteins in integrated pest management schemes prompted an increased effort to find others with improved or more diverse activities. These discovery activities led to the characterization of proteins from a wider range of bacteria and with a variety of different protein folds. Since most of these new proteins were grouped together as Cry proteins it became apparent that the existing nomenclature had limitations in representing the diverse range of proteins that had been identified. This revised nomenclature retains the basic principles of the 1998 version but provides specific mnemonics to represent different structural groups. For the purposes of consistency, the vast majority of the proteins have either retained their name or have a new name that clearly references the previous one. Other pesticidal proteins not previously included in the nomenclature have been incorporated into this version.

Keywords: Cry toxin; Nomenclature; Toxin classification.