• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.730-736
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• 1995

The solubilization and proteolytic process of $\delta $-endotoxin was analvsed to compare the biochemical property of the toxin isolated from B. thuringiensis subsp. sotto. The purified crystals were dissolved in 50 mM carbonate buffer containing 10 mM dithiothreitol at pH 10 for various times. The electrophoretic pattern showed that a rapid disappearance of 138 kDa protein band. This disappearance of protein with high molecular weight was accompanied by the appearance of new protein fragment with 104 kDa, 60 kDa, and 25 kDa. For proteolvtic processing, the soluble crystals were digested with trypsin for various times. The soluble crystal protein of 104 kDa was completely disappeared. However, the protein fragment of 60 kDa and 25 kDa still remained after complete proteolysis. The comparative immunoblot analysis showed that the antiserum against intact crystals showed strong immunoreactivity to the homologous inclusion protein of 138 kDa, 104 kDa, and 25 kDa, and to the intact spores of 221 kDa and 138 kDa, but not to the vegetative cell homogenate. The sera against crystals and spores had no immunoreactivity to the vegetative cell homogenate.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.59 no.1
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• pp.41-54
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• 2020

Two mosquito species were collected in still-water near farming area in Andong, Korea. Based on morphological characters, these two mosquitoes were identified as Aedes koreicus and Culex vagans, respectively. DNA barcode analyses supported the identification. An entomopathogenic bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (BtI), exhibited insecticidal activities against the two mosquito species and its virulence was more potent than that of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. It has been known that the bacterial metabolites of Xenorhabdus spp. suppress insect immunity and enhance pathogenicity of B. thuringiensis. This study tested the effect of the bacterial culture broth of Xenorhabdus spp. on enhancing BtI pathogenicity. Among three Xenorhabdus spp., culture broth of X. ehlersii (Xe) was relatively effective to enhance BtI pathogenicity against both mosquito species. Indeed, organic extracts of Xe culture broth suppressed the hemocyte-spreading behavior, suggesting the presence of immunosuppressant in the culture broth. These results suggest a formulation of BtPlus by mixing BtI spore and Xe culture broth to be applied to control the two mosquito species.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2000

Expression of the crylAcl gene of an acrystalliferous Bacillus thuringiensis strain under the control of the native or $\alpha$-amylase gene promoter was investigated. The crylAcl gene was cloned in a B. thuringiensis - E. coli shutle vector, pHT3101, undder the control of either the native promoter (pProAc) or the $\alpha$-amylase promoter from Bacillus subtilis (pAmyAc). These two recombinant plasmids were successfully expressed in B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Cry B. The first transformant (ProAc/CB), harboring pProAc, expressed an about 130 kDa protein begining 24 hr after inoculations just as in the case of the wild type of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-73. The second pAmyAc-transformant (AmyAc/CB) began to express the gene just 6 hr after inoculation, but Western analysis showed that the activity of the $\alpha$-amylase promoter was relatively weaker than that of the native promoter. As expected, their toxicity against Plutella xylostella larvae was dependent on the amount of Cry1Acl protein expressed.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.428-434
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• 1993

Cloning and expression of two different crystal protein genes from transformed Bacillus thuringiensis were investigated. B. thuringiensis NT0423 is toxic to both Lepidopterous and Dipte-rous larvae. The pCG5 vector carrying crystal protein genes (mosquitocidal and hemolytic activity) of B. thurigiensis subsp. morrisoni PG-14 was transformed into B. thurigiensis NT0423. Transformant has expressed two type crystals of bipyramid from NT0423 and ovoid from pCG5 in one cell.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.69-75
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• 1989

The extracellular amylase production by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-l in amylase production media and its characteristics were investigated. The amylase production was highest in the medium composed of 0.2% soluble starch, 1.0% Bacto-peptone, 0.3% beef extract, 0.3% yeast extract, 0.5% NaCl, 0.3% $K_2HPO_4$, 0.1% $KH_2PO_4$, 0.012% $CaCl_2$.$2H_2O$, 0.005% $MnSO_4$.$H_2O$, and 0.03% $MgSO_4$.$7H_2O$. The amylase activity was inhibited by 50mM EDT A. The enzyme was optimally active from pH 6.5 to 7.0 at $55^{\circ}C$, The specific activity of the enzyme in the ethanol precipitate was 2.01 units/mg, and the Km value was approxi-mately 0.8 mg/ml.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.9 no.5
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• pp.534-540
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• 1999

Thirty-seven strains of Bacillus thuringiensis were isolated from Korean soil and examined for H-antigen serotyping, toxicity, and different spectra of biological activities. The isolate HL-175 bore a specific H-antigen, different from the 51 known serotypes, a spherical $\delta$-endotoxin crystal, and minor different biochemical characteristics. It was resistant to ampicillin, colistin, and penicillin G. Therefore, it was classified as a new serotype, H52, with the name kim. The other 36 isolates also produced endotoxin crystals and endospores. The crystal shape of eight strains was cuboidal while the others were bipyramidal. Biochemical characteristics of the isolates were only slightly different from the known serotypes of B. thuringiensis. The flagellar (H) antigens of the 36 isolates were identified as: one colmeri (H21), three galleriae (H5a,5b); two pakistani (H13); one toumanoffi (H11a, 11b); and twenty-nine kurstaki (H3a,3b). All 36 isolates were resistant to ampicillin, colistin, penicillin, cephalothin, and chloramphenicol.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 1991

A shuttle promoter-probe vector, pEB203, was derived from pBR322, pPL703 and pUB110. Using the vector, a useful DNA fragment, 319 bp EcoRI fragment, having strong promoter activity has been cloned from Bacillus subtills chromosomal DNA. Selection was based on chloramphenicol resistance which is dependent upon the introduction of DNA fragments allowing expression of a chloramphenicol acetyl transferase gene. The nucleotide sequence of the 319 bp fragment has been determined and the putative -35 and -10 region, ribosome binding site, and ATG initiation codon were observed. This promoter was named EB promoter and the resultant plasmid which can be used as an expression vector was named pEBP313. The crystal protein gene from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-73 was cloned downstream from the EB promoter without its own promoter. When the resultant plasmid, pBT313, was introduced into Escherichia coli and B. subtilis, efficient synthesis of crystal protein was observed in both cells, and the cp gene expression in B. subtilis begins early in the vegetative phase. The cell extracts from both clones were toxic to Hyphantria cunea larvae.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.553-557
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• 2007

In order to detect and identify the most toxic Bacillus thuringiensis strains against pests, we isolated a B. thuringiensis strain (Bn1) from Balaninus nucum (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), the most damaging hazelnut pest. Bn1 was characterized via morphological, biochemical, and molecular techniques. The isolate was serotyped, and the results showed that Bn1 was the B. thuringiensis serovar, kurstaki (H3abc). The scanning electron microscopy indicated that Bn1 has crystals with cubic and bipyramidal shapes. The Polymerase Chain Reactions (PCRs) revealed the presence of the cry1 and cry2 genes. The presence of Cry1 and Cry2 proteins in the Bn1 isolate was confirmed via SDS-PAGE, at approximately 130 kDa and 65 kDa, respectively. The bioassays conducted to determine the insecticidal activity of the Bn1 isolate were conducted with four distinct insects, using spore-crystal mixtures. We noted that Bn1 has higher toxicity as compared with the standard B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (HD-1). The highest observed mortality was 90% against Malacosoma neustria and Lymantria dispar larvae. Our results show that the B. thuringiensis isolate (Bn1) may prove valuable as a significant microbial control agent against lepidopteran pests.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1991

The crystal protein gene (cp) of Bacillus tizuringienszs subsp. liuvstaki (B.t.k.) HI173 was subcloned into HanzHI site of central region (Tn5-cp) or BglII site of IS50L region (IS50L-cp) in Tn5, and transposed into the chromosomal DNA of five strains of root-colonizing Pseudomonas. The expression of cp gene in Acwiomoncrs transconjugants was demonstrated by immunoblot analysis and bioassay against larvae of the Hyphantria cunea.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.290-295
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• 1994

30 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were produced against Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. canadensis. Out of the these, 6 mAbs were selected for further studies. SDS-PAGE analyses of sonicated antigens of 10 8. thuringiensis strains showed that they generally had both predominant protein antigens of molecular weights of 45 kilodalton (kd) except for shandogiensis and konkukian, and 37kd except for israelensis, tochigiensis, and shandogiensis, respectively. These results indicate that 4kd and 37kd may be important for demonstrating common antigens except for a few strains of B. thuringiensis. In comparing the result of the westem blot using mAbs with that of using polyclonal antibodies to canadensis, we found that immunoreactive proteins of 99 and 39 kd were identified as common antigens, which might act as antigenic determinants, and might be surface or flagella antigens. Reactivities of mAbs with 41 strains of 8. thuringiensis demonstrated that mAbs of C-1, C-3, C-4, C-S and C-6 except C-2 did not recognize epitopes of thuringiensis, but that all of the mAbs recognized epitopes of galleriae, kurstaki, dakota, tolrJokuensis, silo, toguchini, and leesis. The potential applications of the mAbs we produced would be useful tools for the clarification of taxonomy, investigation of antigenic relationship between B. thuringiensis strains, and localization of specific surface and flagella antigens.