• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.390-396
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• 1995

Bacillus sphaericus 1593 is a larvicidal toxin-producing mosquitocidal bacterium. The toxin contains a parasporal crystalline inclusion which is composed of a protein that is activated under alkaline condition. To enhance alkaline environment around toxin protein, cryptic plasmid cured, B. sphaericus 1593 was transformed by the Bacillus pasteurii urease gene which generate ammonia from urea. Transformant produced urease at about 80% more than wild type strain. B. sphaericus 1593, and the urease gene was stably maintained. It also produced crystalline toxin protein at the same level as the wild type strain B. sphaericus 1593.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.156-163
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• 1995

Bacillus sphaericus 1593 is pathogenic to the larvae of a number of mosquito species that are known as important vectors for the transmission of certain human and animal diseases. As a preliminary experiment for developing a multfunctional B. sphaericus 1593 as a potent antagonist, we investigated the conditions for the protoplast transformation system of B. sphaericus 1593 using the plasmid pGB215-110$\Delta$B. The protoplast of B. sphaericus 1593 were obtained most efficiency by treating the cells with 500 $\mu$g/ml of lysozyme in the SMM buffer containing 0.5 M sucrose at pH 8.0 and 40$\circ$C for 60 minutes. The cell wall was regenerated on the plate containing 1.2% agar and 0.8 M mannitol. Under the best condition for protoplast formation and regeneration established in the work the highest frequency of transformation was achieved with the 40% PEG (M.W 4,000) treatment for 15 minutes of incubation at 4$\circ$C, and subsequently for 120 minutes incubation at 30$\circ$C for phenotypic expression. The highest transformation efficiency were observed at 1.0 $\mu$g/ml of the final concentration of the plasmid DNA and the plasmids were found to be fairly stable since about 70% of the plasmids were maintained after 8 successive daily transfers onto the fresh medium.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.389-392
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• 1988

A clone pSL 2-1, which is a recombinant plasmid believed to contain the mosquitocidal crystal-line protein gene of the Bacillus sphaericus 1593, was expressed in Escherichia coli JM83 and the product of the clone was purified and identified. The unsolubilized mosquitocidal crystal proteins from the B. sphaericus had formed 43, 58, 64, 100, 113, and 130 Kd bands in the SDS-polyacrylamide gel, but the NaOH-solublized proteins at pH 12 formed 2 protein bands of 43- and 64Kd in the gel because the larger protein (precursor) bands were cleaved. The products of the pSL 2-1 clone was purified by Sephadex G-200 and only the fractions having lethal activity to the 3rd in-star larvae of mosquito Culex pipiens were analyzed by the gel. The only single protein band of 42 Kd toxic to the larvae was formed. The major toxic protein being produced from the B. sphaericus 1593 and the pSL 2-1 clone was found to be the 42 Kd.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 1985

The cell cultures and crude extracts of Bacillus sphaericus 1593 K-5 and its mutant Spo-Dl216 were respectively bioassayed against Culex pipiens var. pollens mosquito larvae. The B. sphaeriucs 1593 K-5 showed toxic activity against the larvae. LC$_{50}$ values (cells/$m\ell$) was 2.6$\times$10$^2$. Also the LC$_{50}$ ($\mu\textrm{g}$ Protein/$m\ell$) of the crude extract was 10.26. However, B. sphaericus Spo-Dl216 didn't show toxic activity against the larvae. The soluble cytoplasmic toxin in broken B. sphaeriucs 1593k-5 cells was partially purified by gel permeation chromatography and ion exchange chromatography. Among the fractions of the gel permeation chromatography only a single fraction was found to be toxic. LC$_{50}$ values ($\mu\textrm{g}$ protein/$m\ell$) of the active fraction was 0.182. The active fraction of the gel permeation was subjected to ion exchange chromatography. Only a single fraction showed toxic activity and its LC$_{50}$ values ($\mu\textrm{g}$ protein/$m\ell$) was 0.02..02.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.1106-1110
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• 2001

The parasporal biogenesis of crystal inclusion during the sporulation of Bacillus sphaericus strain 1593 was observed using transmission electron microscopy. The crystal biogenesis and sporulation process involved a sequence of events talking about 10 h. The sporulation Precesses were found to be similar to previous findings. The crystal biogenesis of B. sphaericus was initiated at the start of engulfment and nearly completed by the time of exosporium formation. The crystal formation was clearly associated with the outer forespore membrane from stages III through VI, and the crystals grew from polypeptide-like chains originated from the outer forespore membrane. These observations are different from previous findings, which report no association with the forespore membrane. The crystals were located adjacent to the outer membrane of the spore until the release stage. The axes size of the bipyramidal crystal was approximately $0.25{\mu}m{\times}42{\mu}m$. During crystal biogenesis, the crystal development could be classified into four stages; initiation stage Cl (sporulation stage . III), growth stage C2 (sporulation III to V), envelopment and maturation C3 (sporulation V to V), and finally release stage C4 (sporulation Vll).

• 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.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.535-540
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• 1990

Bacitlus sphaericus ts-Dl290 was characterized comparatively with the wild type strain 1593 by themeasurements of the biosynthesis of total DNA, RNA and protein on the temperature-shift culturesat permissive temperature of $30^{\circ}C$ and at nonpermissive temperature of $42^{\circ}C$. The growth patterns of the wild type strain and ts-Dl290 were similar at $30^{\circ}C$, but at 4Z C the mutant almost did not grow (temperature-sensitivity). When the growth temperatures of both stains were shifted-up from $30^{\circ}C$ to $42^{\circ}C$ after a 4 hour culture, their growths were normal, but when shifted-down from $42^{\circ}C$ to $30^{\circ}C$ after a 4 h culture, the mutant did not grow. When shifted up from $30^{\circ}C$ to $42^{\circ}C$ after a 4 hculture, the DNA syntheses of the two strains were at a normal rate for 1 h, but after 1 h the biosynthesesdecreased. The rate of DNA synthesis of the wild type strain at the nonpermissive temperature was about 93%, and that of the mutant was about 50% of the ratio of the wild type strain, and the RNA synthesis of the wild type strain was maintained for 3 h, and that of the mutant for 2 h. Thereafter the RNA synthesis decreased, and the synthesis of proteins in the both strains were similarlykept high for 8 h. The reversibility of the DNA synthesis of the mutant at $42^{\circ}C$ was lessened whenthe culture times were increased.re times were increased.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.41-49
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• 1985

Bacillus sphaericus was mutagenized with UV light irradiation and dimethyl sulfate. Thirty-five conditional lethal temperature-sensitive(ts) mutants were isolated at the nonpermissive temperature of $42^{\circ}C$ and classified into three groups by their growth characteristics on the nutrient broth, peptone glucose yeast extract agar and mineral salts agar. First was the lethal ts group, 24 mutants, which did not grow at the nonpermissive temperature, the second, 9 mutants, was the less growth is group whose growth was restricted to one-half, and the third, 2 mutants, was the cold lethal ts group whose growth was restricted at the permissive temperature($25^{\circ}C$and $30^{\circ}C$)