• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.15-20
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• 2007

To clone novel cry1-type genes from the Bacillus thuringiensis K1 isolate, about 2.4-kb-long PCR fragments were amplified with two primer sets of ATG1-F/N400-R and 1BeATG1-F/N400-R. Using PCR-RFLP, three novel cry1-type genes, cry1-1, cry1-7, and cry1-44, were obtained from B. thuringiensis K1 and the complete coding sequences of these novel genes were analyzed. The Cry1-1, Cry1-7, and Cry1-44 proteins showed maximum similarities of about 78.0%, 99.7%, and 91.0% with the Cry1Ha1, Cry1Be1, and Cry1Ac2 proteins, respectively. These novel cry1-type genes were expressed using a baculovirus expression vector system and their insecticidal activities were investigated. Whereas all three novel genes were toxic to Plutella xylostella larvae, only Cry1-1 showed insecticidal activity against Spodoptera exigua larvae.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.1033-1039
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• 2008

A 3-kb HindIII fragment bearing the cry6Aa2 gene and the adjacent and intergenic regions was cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis strain YBT-1518. Two open reading frames (ORFs), namely, orf1 (termed cry6Aa2) and orf2 that were separated by an inverted-repeat sequence were identified. orf1 encoded a 54-kDa protein that exhibited high toxicity to the plant-parasitic nematode Meloidogyne hapla. The orf2 expression product was not detected by SDS-PAGE, but its mRNA was detected by RT-PCR. The orf2 coexpressed with orf1 at a high level in the absence of the inverted-repeat sequence, whereas, the expression level of otfl was decreased. When orf2 was mutated, the level of orf1 expression was enhanced obviously. In conclusion, the inverted-repeat sequence disturbs orf2 expression, and the orf2 downregulates orf1 expression. This is an example of novel negative regulation in B. thuringiensis and a potential method for enhancing the expression level of cry genes.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.9
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• pp.1498-1503
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• 2007

To identify novel crystal proteins, Bacillus thuringiensis 2385-1 was isolated from Korean soil samples and characterized. The H-serotype of 2385-1 was identical to that of subsp. kenyae (H4a4c), and its crystal toxin was bipyramidal-shaped. However, 2385-1 showed a much higher toxicity towards Plutella xylostella and Spodoptera exigua larvae than subsp. kenyae. In addition, the crystal protein profile and plasmid DNA pattern of 2385-1 differed from those of subsp. kenyae. To verify the crystal protein gene types of 2385-1, a PCR-RFLP analysis was performed, and the results revealed that 2385-1 contained two novel cry1-type crystal protein genes, cryl-5 and cry1-12, in addition to the crylJal gene. The deduced amino acid sequences of cryl-5 and cry1-12 showed a 97.9% and 75.7% sequence similarity with the CrylAb and CrylJa crystal proteins, respectively. Among the novel crystal proteins, Cry1-5 showed a high toxicity towards P. xylostella and S. exigua larvae. In conclusion, B. thuringiensis 2385-1 is a new isolate in terms of its gene types, and should be a promising source for an insecticide to control lepidopteran larvae.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.547-559
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• 2007

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was first described by Berliner [10] when he isolated a Bacillus species from the Mediterranean flour moth, Anagasta kuehniella, and named it after the province Thuringia in Germany where the infected moth was found. Although this was the first description under the name B. thuringiensis, it was not the first isolation. In 1901, a Japanese biologist, Ishiwata Shigetane, discovered a previously undescribed bacterium as the causative agent of a disease afflicting silkworms. Bt was originally considered a risk for silkworm rearing but it has become the heart of microbial insect control. The earliest commercial production began in France in 1938, under the name Sporeine [72]. A resurgence of interest in Bt has been attributed to Edward Steinhaus [105], who obtained a culture in 1942 and attracted attention to the potential of Bt through his subsequent studies. In 1956, T. Angus [3] demonstrated that the crystalline protein inclusions formed in the course of sporulation were responsible for the insecticidal action of Bt. By the early 1980's, Gonzalez et al. [48] revealed that the genes coding for crystal proteins were localized on transmissible plasmids, using a plasmid curing technique, and Schnepf and Whiteley [103] first cloned and characterized the genes coding for crystal proteins that had toxicity to larvae of the tobacco hornworm, from plasmid DNA of Bt subsp. kurstaki HD-1. This first cloning was followed quickly by the cloning of many other cry genes and eventually led to the development of Bt transgenic plants. In the 1980s, several scientists successively demonstrated that plants can be genetically engineered, and finally, Bt cotton reached the market in 1996 [104].

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.377-383
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• 1992

Seven strains of Bacillus thuringiensis were isolated from soil in Korea and characterized. The isolates were named HL-8, 10, 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16 which produced parasporal crystals and endospores in their cells. The biochemical characteristics of the seven isolates were only minor different in specific chracteristics to the known serotypes of Bacillus thuringiensis. The number of the plasmid DNA elements from the isolates were studied. The computerized molecular weights of the six plasmid elements in the HL-8 and HL-lO strains were from 3.01 to 15.1 Md, four plasmid elements in the HL-12 were from 5.4 to 21.9 Md, four plasmid elements in HL-13 were from 5.1 to 20 Md, three plasmid elements in HL-15 were from 3.4 to 11.3 Md and three plasmid elements in the HL-16 were from 2.4 to 20.1 Md. The seven isolates showed resistances to ampicillin, bacitracin, cephalothin, methicillin and penicillin G. The strains of HL-8, HL-lO, HL12, HL-14, HL-15 and HL-16 showed lethalities against Culex pipiens 3rd instar larvae. The HL8 and 14 strains showed 100% lethality to the larvae within 48 hours. HL-13 strain did not have toxicity against the larvae.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2000

Both the production of high spore concentration and high insecticidal activity are required in the production of Bacillus thuringiensis to be used for the bacterial insecticide. In the production of high cell and spore concentrations of B. thuringiensis the continuous fed-batch culture(CFBC) and intermittent fed-batch culture(IFBC) were investigated at $28^{\circ}C$ by maintaining 40% dissolved oxygen concentration. When the final glucose concentration was 50 g/L the maximum viable cell number obtained using the CFBC with linear gradient feeding was $9.37{\times}109$ cells/mL and maximum spore concentration was $8.33{\times}109$ spores/mL which was approximately 84.4% yield of spore formation. When the final glucose concentration was 100 g/L the aximum viable cell and spore concentrations obtained using the IFBC with pH-statb were $1.38{\times}$1010 cells/mL and $1.35{\times}1010$ spores/mL respectively and the yield of spore formation was approximately 97.8%.

• BMB Reports
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.150-155
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• 2001

The mosquito-larvicidal Cry4B protein from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensds was expressed in Escherichia coli. Upon activation by trypsin, the 130-kDa protoxin was processed into the 65-kDa active toxin containing two polypeptide fragments of ca. 47 and ca. 20 kDa. These two polypeptides are products of internal cleavages on the exposed loop connecting helices 5 and 6 in the seven-helical bundle domain. PCR-based mutagenesis was employed to introduce an additional cleavage site into the loop connecting helices 3 and 4. A series of amino acid changes were introduced into the targeted loop, resulting in seven mutant protoxins. Upon digestion with trypsin, a group of mutants with arginine introduced into the loop (EPRNQ, EPNRNQ, EPRNP, ESRNP and SSRNP) produced polypeptide products similar to those of the wild type (EPNNQ). When the loop, SSRNP, was expanded by an insertion of either asparagine (NSSRNP) or valine (VSSRNP), an additional cleavage was detected with proteolytic products of 47,12 and 6 kDa. This cleavage was confirmed to be at the introduced arginine residue by N-terminal sequencing. The mosquito larvicidal assay against Aedes aegypti demonstrated a relatively unchanged toxicity for the mutants without cleavage and reduced toxicity for those with an additional cleavage.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.1107-1115
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• 2013

The Cyt1Aa protein of Bacillus thuringiensis susbp. israelensis elaborates demonstrable toxicity to mosquito larvae, but more importantly, it enhances the larvicidal activity of this species Cry proteins (Cry11Aa, Cry4Aa, and Cry4Ba) and delays the phenotypic expression of resistance to these that has evolved in Culex quinquefasciatus. It is also known that Cyt1Aa, which is highly lipophilic, synergizes Cry11Aa by functioning as a surrogate membrane-bound receptor for the latter protein. Little is known, however, about whether Cyt1Aa can interact similarly with other Cry proteins not primarily mosquitocidal; for example, Cry2Aa, which is active against lepidopteran larvae, but essentially inactive or has very low toxicity to mosquito larvae. Here we demonstrate by ligand binding and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays that Cyt1Aa and Cry2Aa form intermolecular complexes in vitro, and in addition show that Cyt1Aa facilitates binding of Cry2Aa throughout the midgut of C. quinquefasciatus larvae. As Cry2Aa and Cry11Aa share structural similarity in domain II, the interaction between Cyt1Aa and Cry2Aa could be a result of a similar mechanism previously proposed for Cry11Aa and Cyt1Aa. Finally, despite the observed interaction between Cry2Aa and Cyt1Aa, only a 2-fold enhancement in toxicity resulted against C. quinquefasciatus. Regardless, our results suggest that Cry2Aa could be a useful component of mosquitocidal endotoxin complements being developed for recombinant strains of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and B. sphaericus aimed at improving the efficacy of commercial products and avoiding resistance.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.358-363
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• 2014

We was investigated parasporal inclusion proteins change to use industrial medium of new strain Bacillus thuringiensis CAB 565, CAB 566. To confirm medium's oxygen efficient consist of glucose and yeast extract, we was conducted oxygen transfer coefficients (KLa) of medium's concentration and impeller in 20 l-Jar fermentor. When to increase air flow rate and medium concentration, KLa rate is rise. Also it is effective on agitation rate 200 rpm, but KLa rate is decrease when to rise agitation rate. To hold dissolved oxygen rate (upper 50%), Air flow rate is steadily increase on culture to use microsparger. When 16 hour of culture stage, B.t. CAB 565 and B.t. CAB 566 harvested respectively $2.3{\times}10^{10}$, $1.8{\times}10^{10}$ viable cell/ml. When 54 hour, B.t. CAB565, 566 harvested respectively $1.9{\times}10^{10}$, $1.4{\times}10^{10}spore/ml$. To resulting carbon's concentration, It is the most effective that glucose concentration is contained 5% in medium.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.23-30
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• 1998

The cryIB, truncated cryIB$[cryIB({\alpha})]$, cryIA(b), and cytA genes, encoding 135-, 89-, 131-, and 27-kDa proteins, respectively, from Bacillus thuringiensis were cloned into a shuttle vector pBES and expressed in E. coli and Bacillus species. The morphology and solubility in alkaline buffer of the insecticidal crystal proteins were investigated. Transformation of intact cells of E. coli and Bacillus species was achieved by electroporation. High field strength of 11.0 kV/cm and resistance of 129 ohms were required for efficient transformation of E. coli strains and 4.5 kV/cm and 48 ohms for Bacillus species. Strains of recombinant E. coli and Bacillus species produced the insecticidal crystal proteins and accumulated as the same bipyramidal and irregular structures as those of CryIB and IA(b) and CytA of B. thuringiensls, respectively. The insecticidal crystal proteins accumulated in recombinant E. coli wire smaller in size than those in recombinant Bacillus species. The solubility in alkaline buffer of the insecticidal crystal proteins of recombinant E. coli increased gradually as the pH increased, whereas in the case of Bacillus species the solubility increased gradually as the pH increased up to 9 and then the solubility increased greatly up to two times higher than that of E. coli proteins.