PIP-72 Polypeptide Engineering for Broad-Spectrum Insect Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current genetically engineered crops that produce pesticidal proteins from Bacillus strains provide limited resistance to a narrow range of insect pests and can lead to insecticide resistance, necessitating the development of alternative biological control agents with broader insecticidal activity.
Innovation Solution
Development of novel nucleic acid molecules encoding Pseudomonas Insecticidal Protein-72 (PIP-72) polypeptides with a hydrophobic interface surface, including amino acid substitutions, deletions, and fragments, for use in transforming bacteria, plants, and seeds to confer pesticidal activity against Lepidopteran, Coleopteran, nematode, fungi, and Dipteran pests.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If genetically engineered crops produce pesticidal proteins from Bacillus strains, then insect resistance is provided, but the range of insecticidal activity is limited to a narrow range of pests
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies universality by developing PIP-72 polypeptides that can target multiple insect orders (Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Neuroptera) simultaneously. The modified PIP-72 protein structure, particularly the hydrophobic interface surface modifications, enables broad-spectrum activity across diverse insect pests while maintaining stable pesticidal function, thus providing multi-functional insect resistance in transgenic crops.
2Productivity
If genetically engineered crops use existing insecticidal compounds, then pest control is achieved, but insects develop resistance requiring alternative biological control agents
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically modifying the PIP-72 polypeptide structure, specifically altering the hydrophobic interface surface residues to create variants with enhanced stability and activity. These structural parameter modifications (amino acid substitutions at positions 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 45, 46, 48, 50, 57, 59, 61, 85, 86) generate novel pesticidal proteins that overcome insect resistance while maintaining productivity.
3Adaptability or versatility
If PIP-72 polypeptides are expressed in transgenic plants, then broader insecticidal activity is achieved, but the complexity of protein structure modification increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by focusing modifications specifically on the hydrophobic interface surface residues of the PIP-72 polypeptide rather than the entire protein structure. This localized approach to modifying specific residues (positions 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 45, 46, 48, 50, 57, 59, 61, 85, 86) enables broad-spectrum insecticidal activity while managing structural complexity through targeted rather than comprehensive protein engineering.
Data Source
AI summary
Compositions and methods for controlling pests are provided. The methods involve transforming organisms with a nucleic acid sequence encoding an insecticidal protein. In particular, the nucleic acid sequences are useful for preparing plants and microorganisms that possess insecticidal activity. Thus, transformed bacteria, plants, plant cells, plant tissues and seeds are provided. Compositions are insecticidal nucleic acids and proteins of bacterial species. The sequences find use in the construction of expression vectors for subsequent transformation into organisms of interest including plants, as probes for the isolation of other homologous (or partially homologous) genes. The pesticidal proteins find use in controlling, inhibiting growth or killing Lepidopteran, Coleopteran, Dipteran, fungal, Hemipteran and nematode pest populations and for producing compositions with insecticidal activity. Structure based methods for engineering insecticidal proteins of the disclosure to have modified physical properties are provided.