The mechanistic basis of tropism in an insecticidal pore-forming toxin

该项目旨在回答一个关于最近发现的杀虫蛋白复合物家族的机制的基本问题-这些成孔蛋白如何识别和靶向特定宿主？该项目将使用创新的跨学科方法来确定分子尺度上的细胞识别和摄取机制。这些成果有可能影响ABC毒素在生物技术许多领域的使用，带来的好处包括开发用于害虫控制和作物保护的新生物杀虫剂，以及开发可用于生物技术和治疗应用的定制蛋白质递送装置。

This project aims to answer a fundamental question regarding the mechanism of a recently discovered family of insecticidal protein complexes - how do these pore-forming proteins recognise and target specific hosts? The project will use an innovative, cross-disciplinary approach to determine the mechanisms of cellular recognition and uptake on a molecular scale. These outcomes have the potential to influence the use of ABC toxins in many areas of biotechnology, delivering benefits including the development of new bioinsecticides for pest control and crop protection as well as in the development of bespoke protein delivery devices which may find use in biotechnological and therapeutic applications.