• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.34-39
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• 1998

For more convenient and rapidly isolation of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis(Bti), 1) heat treatment spore forming bacteria, 2) growth in enrichment culture media for Bacillus sp. and 3) selection of bacteria producing a lecithinase for Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, were performed. Spore forming bacteria were counted 4.8 $\times $ 10$^{8}$cells/g soil on NAPGCY media, 9.2 $\times $ 10$^{7}$cells/g soil on NA media, and 3.6 $\times $ 10$^{8}$cells/g soil on NAAC media, respectively. Bacteria producing only a lecithinase were reached at 25.2% on medium contained egg york, bacteria only producing a delta-endotoxin were reached at 23.2% by phase contrast microscope, and bacteria producing a lecithinase & a delta-endotoxin simultaneously were reached at 13.7%. Bacillus thuringiensis which producing a lecithinase and a delta-endotoxin simultaneously among bacteria producing a lecithinase, were reached at 56.5%; A half of Bacillus thuringiensis was produced a delta-endotoxin, but not produced a lecithinase. Among 8 isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis, two strain of Bti which has a mosquito-cidal toxin, were detected by PCR using a specific primer of $\delta $-endotoxin gene from Bti.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.566-570
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• 1997

During sporulation, Bacillus thuringiensis strains produce crystals consist of toxin proteins highly specific against insect pests. Their host specificities are desirable from a standpoint of environmental safety, but also limit market potential. Thus, development of improved Bacillus thuringiensis strains having broad host spectrum will contribute to increase its use. For the construction of Bacillus thuringiensis strain having broad host spectrum, we cloned cry1C gene encoding a toxin protein highly toxic against Spodoptera exigua from a B. thuringiensis isolate and constructed two recombinant plasmids, pUBClC and plC60. The plasmid PUBC1C has a replication origin of the natural plasmid pBC16 from B. cereus which is closely related species to B. thuringiensis, and the pBC16 was known to be replicated by rolling-circle mechanism. The plasmid pIC60 has a replication origin of a resident 60 MDa plasmid from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD263, and it is believed that the pIC60 is replicated in a theta mode. The two plasmids were introduced into B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki cryB strain, and the transformed strains produced well-shaped bipyramidal crystals. We confirmed the expression of the cry1C gene by SDS-PAGE, and Western blotting. By investigating the segregational stability, it was found that the plasmid pIC60 is more stable than the pUBC1C.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.137-140
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• 1998

The transgenic tomato plants showing the insecticidal activity against the coleopteran insect larvae have been bred to the 4th generation $(R_4)$. The Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis (B.t.t.)-toxin gene and the expression were detected in the $R_4$ transgenic plants. The expression of the toxin gene conferred a coleopteran insect larvae tolerance to the transgenic tomato plants. The ploidy levels of the $R_4$ transgenic plants were diploid. The results indicated that the toxin gene was inherrited to the next generation and expressed. Such a molecular breeding can provide a method for a permanent control of insects a agronomic relevance.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.166-176
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• 2011

Bacillus thuringiensis CAB530 was isolated from dead Anomata albopilosa (Rutelidae: Coleoptera) and soil of green tea field, and confirmed its insecticidal activities. CAB530 isolate showed a high insecticidal activity against the beet armyworm among the many lepidopteran insects that are difficult to control. $LC_{50}$ value of CAB530 isolate against the second larva of Spodoptera exigua was $1.49{times}10^4$ spore concentration (cfu/$m{\ell}$). SDS-PAGE result of insecticidal toxin protein of CAB530 isolate showed a band at 130 kDa that is similar pattern with B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki that took insecticidal activity against S. exigua. Otherwise, the crystal protein of the CAB530 isolate was conformed at 65 kDa level after 30 minute of incubation in S. exigua midgut juice. Six crystal genes (cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1C, cry1D, cry1F and cry1I) were identified by PCR. It different from genes of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. Crystal shape and pattern of toxin protein was similar with B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, however, insecticidal activity and PCR result of CAB530 isolate was similar with B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.788-792
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• 2012

We report the computational structural simulation of the Cry1Ab19 toxin molecule from B. thuringiensis BtX-2 based on the structure of Cry1Aa1 deduced by x-ray diffraction. Validation results showed that 93.5% of modeled residues are folded in a favorable orientation with a total energy Z-score of -8.32, and the constructed model has an RMSD of only $1.13{\AA}$. The major differences in the presented model are longer loop lengths and shortened sheet components. The overall result supports the hierarchical three-domain structural hypothesis of Cry toxins and will help in better understanding the structural variation within the Cry toxin family along with facilitating the design of domain-swapping experiments aimed at improving the toxicity of native toxins.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.181-190
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• 2014

An entomopathogenic bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), can sporulate along with production of insecticidal Cry toxins. Bt Cry toxins exhibit relatively narrow spectrum to target insects due to their specific interactions with midgut receptors. This study designed several strategies to enhance Bt efficacy in target insect spectrum and insecticidal activity. Four Cry toxins were purified from four different Bt strains and showed relatively narrow target insect spectrum. However, the Cry mixtures significantly expanded their target insect spectra. The additional effect of baculovirus to Cry toxin was tested with recombinant baculoviruses expressing Cry1Ac or Cry1Ca. However, the baculovirus was little effective to expand target insect spectrum. Bacterial culture broth of Xenorhabdus nematophila (Xn) significantly suppressed insect cellular immune response and increased Cry toxicity. The addition of Xn culture broth to Cry mixture significantly enhanced Bt efficacy in target insect spectrum and insecticidal activity.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.361-366
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• 1992

The antagonistic bacteria, showing distinguished effect against Fusarium oxysporum and Rhizoctonia solani were isolated from the rhizosphares of horticultural plants and identified as Bacillus subtilis. The strains were studied for their chracteristics of biochemistry, physiology, antagonistic effect against plant pathogenic fungi, and growth promoting effect on horticultural plants. The Bacillus thuringiensis(BT) HD-1 toxin gene was introduced into these B. subtilis. The BT toxin genes on chromosome of the bacteria were identified by southern blotting, but its proteins were not detected by SDS-PAGE. These transformed bacteria showed growth promoting effect and showed also insecticidal and antagonistic effects against Bombix mori and fungi F. oxysporum and R. solani but not against nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.21 no.9
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• pp.937-946
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• 2011

Several isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were screened for the vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip) effective against sap-sucking insect pests. Screening results were based on $LC_{50}$ values against cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), one of the dangerous pests of various crop plants including cotton. Among the isolates, the Bt#BREF24 showed promising results, and upon purification the aphidicidal protein was recognized as a binary toxin. One of the components of this binary toxin was identified by peptide sequencing to be a homolog of Vip2A that has been reported previously in other Bacillus spp. Vip2 belongs to the binary toxin group Vip1-Vip2, and is responsible for the enzymatic activity; and Vip1 is the translocation and receptor binding protein. The two genes encoding the corresponding proteins of the binary toxin, designated as vip2Ae and vip1Ae, were cloned from the Bt#BREF24, sequenced, and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Aphid feeding assay with the recombinant proteins confirmed that these proteins are indeed the two components of the binary toxins, and the presence of both partners is essential for the activity. Aphid specificity of the binary toxin was further verified by ligand blotting experiment, which identified an ~50 kDa receptor in the brush border membrane vesicles of the cotton aphids only, but not in the lepidopteran insects. Our finding holds a promise of its use in future as a candidate gene for developing transgenic crop plants tolerant against sap-sucking insect pests.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Applied Microbiology Conference
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• 1986.12a
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• pp.522.2-522
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• 1986

In order to optimally induce sporulation and toxin formation in Bacillus thuringiensis, exhaustion of specific nutrients as well as resuspension experiments were tried. Sporulation and toxin formation was most abunduntly occurred when the growth was limited by carbon source. It was also occurred in a resuspension medium containing only distilled water. Various environmental and physiological factors affecting the efficiencies of spore and toxin formation were examined in chemically defined media. As a result of these studies, a batch fermentation resulted in higher spore and toxin yield than ever reported

• Journal of Plant Biotechnology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.21-24
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• 2004

A modified $\delta$-endotoxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. tenebrionis (B.t.t.), encoding a coleoptera-specific toxin, was utilized to transform citrus plants, Citrus reticulata Blanco 'Ponkan' mandarian. By co-culturing the nucelli with Agrobacterium tumefaciens harboring the modified gene in the binary vector pBinAR-Btt, the chimeric toxin gene was transferred into citrus plants. The transgenic plants were selected on modified Murashige and Skoog medium containing kanamycin. Hybridization experiments demonstrated that the transgenic plants contained and expressed the toxin protein gene.