• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.369-372
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• 1998

Microbial insecticide formulations were prepared by liquid and semi-solid fermentations using Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, HL-106 (BTK-HL106), B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis HL-63 (BTI-HL63) and B. sphaericus 1593 (BS-1593) strains. The liquid fermentation medium contained molasses 2%, dextrose 1.5%, peptone 2%, D-xylose 0.025%, CaCl$_2$ 0.1%, K$_2$HPO$_4$ 0.1%, KH$_2$PO$_4$ 0.1%, MgSO$_4$$.$7H$_2$O 0.03%, FeSO$_4$$.$7H$_2$O 0.002%, ZnSO$_4$$.$7H$_2$O 0.02%. The composition of the semi-solid fermentation medium was rice bran 45.2%, zeolite 31%, yeast powder 0.02%, corn powder 5%, dextrose 3%, lime 0.3%, NaCl 0.06%, CaCl$_2$ 0.02%, and H$_2$O 15.42%. Insecticide formulations produced in the liquid fermentation named BTK-HL106, BTI-HL63 and BS-1593 pesticides and those in the semi-solid fermentation were designated as BTK-HL106-1, BTI-HL63-1 and BS-1593-1 pesticides, respectively. The number of spore (endotoxin crystals) was 2.65${\times}$10$\^$9/ spores per $m\ell$ in the BTK-HL106 and 3.5${\times}$10$\^$10/ in the BTK-HL106-1 3.8${\times}$10$\^$9/ spores in the BTI-HL63 and 7.0${\times}$10$\^$10/ in the BTI-HL63-1, and 7.5${\times}$10$\^$9/ in the BS-1593 and 1.4${\times}$10$\^$10/ in the BS-1593-1. The spores in the BS-1593 formulation was produced two times more than the other formulations. The spores in the BTI-HL63-1 were contained twice than those in the BTK-HL106-1, and five times than those in the BS-1593-1. The results indicated that spore (endotoxin crystals) productions in the semi-solid fermentation increased about ten times than those in the liquid fermentations. $LC_{50}$s of the BTI-HL63 and BS-1593 were 4.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$, and those of the BTI-HL63-1 and BS-1593-1 were 1.5 $\mu\textrm{g}$. $LC_{50}$ of the BTK-HL106 was 1.5 mg and that of the BTK-HL106-1 was 0.9 mg. The $LC_{50}$s of the formulations in the semi-solid fermentations showed about two to three times higher than those in the liquid fermentations.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.685-691
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• 1998

Baculovirus Hyphantrin. cunea nuclear polyhedrosis virus (HcNPV) insecticide containing the insecticidal protein (ICP) gene from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD1 was constructed using a lacZ-HcNPV system. The ICP ($\delta$-endotoxin) gene was placed under the control of the polyhedrin gene promoter of the HcNPV. A polyhedrin-negative virus was derived and named ICP-HcNPV insecticide. Then, the insertion of the ICP gene in the ICP-HcNPV genome was confirmed by Southern hybridization analysis. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) analysis of the Spodoptera frugiperda cell extracts infected with the ICP-HcNPV showed that the ICP was expressed in the insect cells as 130 kDa at 5 days post-infection. The ICP produced in the cells was present in aggregates. When extracts from the cells infected with the ICP-HcNPV were fed to 20 Bombyx mori larvae, the following mortality rate was seen; 8 larvae at 1 h, 10 larvae at 3 h, and 20 larvae at 12 h. These data indicate that the B. thuringiensis ICP gene was expressed by the baculovirus insecticide in insect cells and there was a high insecticidal activity. The biological activities of the recombinant virus ICP-HcNPV were assessed in conventional bioassay tests by feeding virus particles and ICP to the insect larvae. The initial baculovirus insecticide ICP-HcNPV was developed in our laboratory and the significance of the genetically engineered virus insecticides is discussed.

• 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.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.81-85
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• 2003

To verify importance of the intervening sequence between the ribosome binding site (RBS) and the initiation codon for expression of Bacillus thuringiensis $\delta$-endotoxin, the pProMu, containing SphI and NcoIsites between RBS and the initiation codon of the cry1Ac gene, and the deletion derivatives of pProMu were constructed and transformed into the B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki $Cry^{-B}$ strain. The pProMu-ΔSphIhad identical six bases of intervening sequence to pProAc though the arrangement of sequence was different. Other mutants containing pProMu had 1 or 10 or 14 bases between RBS and the initiation codon. Among deletion mutants, only ProMu-ΔSphI/CB only produced 130 kDa typical bipyramidal crystals like those seen for ProAc/CB. However, ProMu/CB, $ProMu-{\Delta}NcoI$, and ProMu-ΔSphI＋NcoIdid not produce Cry1Ac crystals. In conclusion, the results suggest that 6-base intervening sequence was important for expression of cry1-type class gene. Furthermore, spacing effect of the intervening sequences may play an important role in expression of individual crystal proteins in B. thuringiensis without doubt.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.32-39
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• 1999

The following is experimental result of selecting soil bacteria showing toxicity against Root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne hapla). Out of 286 strains isolated from soil, one(NC67) showing toxicity against M.hapla is selected The selected strain(NC67) is identified of B. thuringiensis subsp. indiana. It proved out that the toxic maerial against M. hapla produce by NC67 strain is an exotoxin. The result of examining the existence of the extercellular toxicity product by the toxic strain(NC67) by usign activated carbon column chromatography, Dowex 50W column chromatography and TLC of silical gel etc. proved out that it is a single material.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2003.04a
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• pp.72-72
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• 2003

A new Bacillus thuringiensis strain (Kl), having high toxicities to Plutella xylostella and Spodoptera exigua was isolated from Korean soil sample. It was determined to belong to subsp. kurstaki (H3a3b3c) and produced bipyramidal inclusion. PCR-RFLP analysis showed that this isolate contains three novel cryl-type crystal protein genes in addition to crylAa and crylE genes. (omitted)

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.295-300
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• 1989

Screening of Pseudomonas strains that can be used as hosts for expression of crystal protein gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-73 was carried out. From rhizosphere soil of 7 kinds or crops as fluorescent Pseudomonas strains were isolated. A hybrie plasmid, pKTC1, composed of the broad host range vector pKT230 and the crystal protein gene was constructed and used for transformation of the 35 Pseudomonas strains. As the result, the crystal protein gene could be introduced into 4 isolates. Several methods including bioassay and immunochemical detection indicated that the crystall protein gene was expressed in the Pseudomonus isolates.

• 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].

• 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.

• Korean Journal of Organic Agriculture
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.385-396
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• 2011

This study was carried out to develop environmental friendly control for major diseases and pests on Boxthorn (Lycium chinense Mill.). Outbreak of Eighteen diseases and pests were found at the Boxthorn organic yards in Chung-nam province. Among them Powdery mildew (Erysiphe polygoni de Cand.), Hypophyllous mold (Pseudocercospora chengtuensis (Tai)), Western flower trips (Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande)), Green peach aphid (Myzus pericae (Sulzer)) and Corn earworm (Helicoverpa armigera) needed to be controled by environmental friendly methods for high fruit yield of organic Boxthorn. In summer(Jun) test Bacilus subtilis QST 713 wettable powder and Sulfur wettable powder were effective and in autumn (Sep.) test Sulfur, Copper hydroxide and Paraffinic oil were relatively effective in Powdery mildew. In Hypophyllous mold control test Paraffinic oil and Bacilus subtilis GB - 0365 were effective with above 70% control value. And it was possible to control Western flower trips by natural enemy (Orius laevigatus) by 80% control value. Corn earworm was possible to control by Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai GB413 flowable and Bacillus thuringiensis aizawa 0423 wettable powder application above 70%. And Green peach aphid was controllable with environmental friendly materials, such as, Bacillus subtilis (Seoncho), Bacillus subtilis (Jinsami) above 80% and Ginkgo nut extract above 70% control value.