• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.199-204
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• 2009

The newly cloned Bacillus thuringiensis cry1-5 gene showed high activity to both Plutella xylostella and Spodoptera exigua, while cry1Ac only showed high activity against P. xylostella but low to S. exigua. Through the alignment of amino acid sequences between Cry1Ac and Cry1-5, we found 12 different residues in domain I (6 residues) and domain II (6 residues). In this study, the modified cry1Ac gene, which is constructed according to a crop-preferring codon usage, was used as a template to construct mutant B. thuringiensis cry1Ac genes based on cry1-5 gene through multi site-directed mutagenesis. Total 63 various mutant cry genes were obtained at 12 positions randomly. Among them, ten mutant cry genes, whose domain I was totally converted and domain II was randomly, were selected to express in baculovirus expression system as a polyhedrin fusion form. The recombinant proteins were 95 kDa in size and were stably activated as 65 kDa by trypsin. The expressed mutant Cry proteins were applied to bioassays against P. xylostella and S. exigua. All mutants showed high insecticidal activity both to P. xylostella and S. exigua similar to cry1-5. These results suggest that these mutant cry genes might be expected of desirable cry genes for introduction to transgenic crops.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.8
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• pp.749-759
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• 2009

A survey of Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) strains isolated from Spanish citrus orchards has been performed, and the strains were tested for insecticidal activity against the Mediterranean fruit fly Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), a key citrus pest in Spain. From a total of 150 environmental samples, 376 isolates were selected, recording a total B. thuringiensis index of 0.52. The collection was characterized by means of phase-contrast microscopy, SDS-PAGE, and PCR analysis with primer pairs detecting toxin genes cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4, cry5, cry7, cry8, cry9, cry10, cry11, cry12, cry14, cry17, cry19, cry21, cry27, cry39, cry44, cyt1, and cyt2. Diverse crystal inclusion morphologies were identified: bipyramidal (45%), round (40%), adhered to the spore (7%), small (5%), and irregular (3%). SDS-PAGE of spore-crystal preparations revealed 39 different electrophoresis patterns. All primer pairs used in PCR tests gave positive amplifications in strains of our collection, except for primers for detection of cry3, cry19, cry39, or cry44 genes. Strains containing cry1, cry2, cry4, and cry27 genes were the most abundant (48.7%, 46%, 11.2%, and 8.2% of the strains, respectively). Ten different genetic profiles were found, although a total of 109 strains did not amplify with the set of primers used. Screening for toxicity against C. capitata adults was performed using both spore-crystal and soluble fractions. Mortality levels were less than 30%. We have developed a large and diverse B. thuringiensis strain collection with huge potential to control several agricultural pests; however, further research is needed to find out Bt strains active against C. capitata.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.517-522
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• 1998

The cry1 gene content of a collection of Bacillus thuringiensis strains, which include new isolates from Malaysia and Indonesia, was determined by a multiplex PCR using a set of eight oligonucleotide forward primers specific to cry1Aa, cry1Ab, cry1Ac, cry1Ba, cry1Ca, cry1Da, cry1Ea, and cry1Fa genes, and two reverse primers, one specific to cry1Ab and the other common to the remaining cry1 genes. Two-thirds of the 59 strains screened were cry1 positive and contained one to four different genes. The cry gene profiles correlated well with toxicities of the strains to lepidopteran insects. The method can be used for rapid screening of a large number of new isolates as the total DNA extracted by boiling cells from single colonies can be used directly in the PCR. However, it is not suitable for follow-up monitoring of specific commercial strains after application in the field as the PCR product profiles of these strains could not be differentiated from those of new isolates.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.91-96
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• 1998

For the expression of the cry11Aa gene highly toxic to dipteran insects, we constructed two cyanobacteria-Escherichia coli(E. coli) shuttle vectors, pCYASK5-l and pCYASK5-2. These vectors were transformed into E. coli and selected with kanamycin. The expression of the cry11Aa gene in E. coli was characterized by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and Western blot analysis. Two E. coli transformants harboring pCYASK5-1 and pCYASK5-2 expressed the cry11Aa gene in size of 72 kDa and 64 kDa, respectively and showed over 89% mortality against Culex pipiens larvae.

• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.154-159
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• 1996

To isolate Bacillus thuringiensis toxic to Spodoptera species, we collected soil samples in Korea. In these samples, we characterized 7 B. thuringiensis isolates toxic to spodoptera exigua or S. litura from soil, granary and sericultural farm samples. The 7 isolates were named B. thuringiensis STB-1, STB-2, STB-3, STB-4, STB-5, STB-6 and STB-7, respectively. The bioassay of these isolates against S. exigua and S. litura showed highly insecticidal activity. The serotypes of them were determined by agglutination tests using 33 antisera ; STB-1 an STB-2 are identical to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurastaki, and STB-3, STB-4 and STB-5 are identical to subsp. kenyae. STB-6 and STB-7 did not react with 33 antisera. STB-1 and STB-3 which have different gene types from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurastaki and subsp. kenyae are identified new isolates. STB-6 and STB-7 which show no agglutination in serological tests havd cryIA(a), cryIA(b), cryIC, and cryII genes are also identified new isolates. Molecular weights of parasporal inclusions of all isolates were determined approximately 130 kDa by SDS-polyacrylamide gel elctrophoresis.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.773-782
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• 2007

Different isolates of the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis produce multiple crystal (Cry) proteins toxic to a variety of insects, nematodes and protozoans. These insecticidal Cry toxins are known to be active against specific insect orders, being harmless to mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Due to these characteristics, genes encoding several Cry toxins have been engineered in order to be expressed by a variety of crop plants to control insectpests. The cotton boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis, and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda, are the major economically devastating pests of cotton crop in Brazil, causing severe losses, mainly due to their endophytic habit, which results in damages to the cotton boll and floral bud structures. A cry1Ia-type gene, designated cry1Ia12, was isolated and cloned from the Bt S811 strain. Nucleotide sequencing of the cry1Ia12 gene revealed an open reading frame of 2160 bp, encoding a protein of 719 amino acid residues in length, with a predicted molecular mass of 81 kDa. The amino acid sequence of Cry1Ia12 is 99% identical to the known Cry1Ia proteins and differs from them only in one or two amino acid residues positioned along the three domains involved in the insecticidal activity of the toxin. The recombinant Cry1Ia12 protein, corresponding to the cry1Ia12 gene expressed in Escherichia coli cells, showed moderate toxicity towards first instar larvae of both cotton boll weevil and fall armyworm. The highest concentration of the recombinant Cry1Ia12 tested to achieve the maximum toxicities against cotton boll weevil larvae and fall armyworm larvae were 230 ${\mu}g/mL$ and 5 ${\mu}g/mL$, respectively. The herein demonstrated insecticidal activity of the recombinant Cry1Ia12 toxin against cotton boll weevil and fall armyworm larvae opens promising perspectives for the genetic engineering of cotton crop resistant to both these devastating pests in Brazil.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.133-140
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• 2012

A novel cry2Ab gene was cloned and sequenced from the indigenous isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. This gene was designated as cry2Ab25 and its sequence revealed an open reading frame of 1,902 bp encoding a 633 aa protein with calculated molecular mass of 70 kDa and pI value of 8.98. The amino acid sequence of the Cry2Ab25 protein was compared with previously known Cry2Ab toxins, and the phylogenetic relationships among them were determined. The deduced amino acid sequence of the Cry2Ab25 protein showed 99% homology to the known Cry2Ab proteins, except for Cry2Ab10 and Cry2Ab12 with 97% homology, and a variation in one amino acid residue in comparison with all known Cry2Ab proteins. The cry2Ab25 gene was expressed in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3) cells. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) revealed that the Cry2Ab25 protein is about 70 kDa. The toxin expressed in BL21(DE3) exhibited high toxicity against Malacosoma neustria and Rhagoletis cerasi with 73% and 75% mortality after 5 days of treatment, respectively.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.18-27
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• 2009

B. thuringiensis strain LY-99 belonging to subsp. alesti (H3a3c), was isolated from Chinese tobacco warehouse and showed significantly high toxicity to Plutella xylostella. For the identification of the cry1-type genes from B. thuringiensis LY-99, an extended multiplex PCRrestriction fragment length polymorphism (PCRRFLP) method was established by using two pairs of universal primers based on the conserved regions of the cry1-type genes to amplify around 2.4 kb cry1-type gene fragments. Then the DNA fragment was cloned into pGEM-T Easy vector and digested with EcoRI and EcoRV enzymes. Through this method, a known cry1-type gene was successfully identified from the reference strain, B. thuringiensis subsp. alesti. In addition, the RFLP patterns revealed that B. thuringiensis LY-99 included a novel cry1A-type gene in addition to cry1Aa, cry1Ac, cry1Be and cry1Ea genes. The novel cry1A-type gene was designated cry1Ah2 (Genbank accession No DQ269474). An inverse PCR method was used to amplify the flank regions of cry1Ah2 gene. Finally, 3143 bp HindIII fragment from B. thuringiensis LY-99 plasmid DNA including 5' region and partial ORF was amplified, and sequence analysis revealed that cry1Ah2 gene from LY-99 showed 89.31% of maximum sequence similarity with cry1Ac1 crystal protein gene. In addition, the deduced amino acid sequence of Cry1Ah2 protein shared 87.80% of maximum identity with that of Cry1Ac2. This protein therefore belongs to a new class of B. thuringiensis crystal proteins.

• 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.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.66-73
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• 1996

For the effective control of mosquito larvae, Anopheles sinensis, the expression vector pCYASK5-1 containing cryIVD gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni PG-14 was constructed and transformed into the cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC6803. The transformants were selected on BG-11 medium containing kanamycin. The expression of cryIVD gene in transformant was confirmed by SDS-PAGE and Western blot analysis. The mortality of A. sinensis larvae was scored for 3 days. Furthermore, growth and distribution rate of transformant were examined. The results showed that Synechocystis PCC6803 transformed with cryIVD gene of B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni PG-14 was highly toxic to A. sinensis larvae, demonstrating that it will be a potential agent for mosquito control.