• 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 Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.710-715
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• 2005

A novel recombinant baculovirus, Bactrus, was constructed by the insertion of the Bacillus thuringiensis cry1Ac gene between two polyhedrin genes of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcNPV) under the control of the polyhedrin gene promoter. Polyhedra produced by Bactrus in insect cells were incorporated with 130 kDa of polyhedrin-Cry1Ac-polyhedrin fusion protein, and 30 kDa of intact polyhedrin, resulting from a homologous recombination between two polyhedrin genes, was also expressed. The insecticidal activity of Bactrus against Spodoptera exigua larvae was similar to that of AcNPV, but it showed significantly higher toxicity towards Plutella xylostella larvae in comparison with that of AcNPV. The expression level of fusion protein and the insecticidal activity of recombinant polyhedra produced by the Bactrus against P. xylostella larvae were decreased after serial passages. In conclusion, the Bactrus had improved insecticidal activity and returned to wild-type AcNPV after several passages.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.202-208
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• 2009

The genetically modified leaffolder-resistant (Cry1Ac1) rice plant was evaluated for the changes of resistance by comparing the occurrence of major diseases with a japonica type Korean rice variety, Nakdong which was the mother plant of the transgenic rice event, in greenhouse and field conditions. There was no difference in the occurrence of sheath blight and Helminthosporium blight between the two varieties in the fields. We couldn't find any difference of resistance for fungal blast and bacterial leaf blight by artificial inoculation in greenhouse. There was also no difference in the susceptibility to sheath blight in artificial inoculation tests confirming the results in the fields. The possibility of gene transfer of Bar and Cry1Ac1 from the genetically modified rice plant to naturally infected pathogens such as Fusarium moniliforme and Pyricularia oryzae in the field conditions was tested by PCR. And the possible transfer of those genes by continuous inoculation of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Rhizoctonia solani was also tested. However, we couldn't find any possibility of transfer of the genes in natural and artificial conditions.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.33-36
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• 2007

To improve insecticidal activity of B. thuringiensis 2385-1 (Bt 2385-1), a recombinant plasmid, pHT1K-1Ac, was introduced into lepidopteran toxic Bt 2385-1 by electroporation. The presence of the recombinant plasmid in Bt 2385-1 after electroporation was confirmed by PCR. Bt 2385-1 transformant was named as Bt pHT1K-1Ac/2385-1 (1K-1Ac/2385-1). The 1K-1Ac/2385-1 transformant produced bipyramidal-shaped parasporal inclusion as like the wild-type strain, Bt 2385-1, and showed an 130 kDa band of Cry1Ac protein. The insecticidal activity of 1K-lAc/2385-1 against S. exigua was similar to that of Bt 2385-1 but the $LC_{50}$ value of transformant against P. xylostella was 1.8 times lower. Through these bioassay results, it was confirmed that toxicity of Bt 2385-1 transformant showed synergistic effect by introducing Cry1Ac. These results suggested that the multiple expressions of Cry proteins in a promising Bt strain may interact synergistically in insect midgut, resulting in increase of toxicity and expansion of host spectrum.

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Entomolohy Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.155-155
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• 2002

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.19-23
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• 2001

Two B. thuringiensis strains, which possess mosquitocidal activities, were isolated from Korean soil samples and named K-1205-1 and K-1381-1. Serological studies indicated that K-1205-1 and K-1381-1 belonged to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki (H3a3b3c) and subsp. aizawai (H7), respectively. K-1205-1 produced typical bipyramidal parasporal inclusions, but K-1381-1 produced irregular bipyramidal shape. Total plasmid DNA patterns analysis shewed that K-1205-1 and K- 1381-1 were different from their reference strains, subsp. kurstaki and subsp. aizawai, respectively, in high molecules, whereas their crystal protein patterns showed no difference. The cry gene contents of K-1205-1 and K-1381-1 were identical with those of the reference strains. Mosquitocidal activities of crystal proteins produced by K-1205-1 and K-1381-1 were significantly high by about 40-50 folds at $LC_50$ when compared to those of subsp. kurstaki and subsp. aizawai. Finally, in southern blot analysis using cry1A-type specific probe, K-1205-1 and K-1381-1 had different bands from subsp. kurstaki and subsp. aizawai, respectively. In conclusion, our results suggest that K-1205-1 and K-1381-1 appear to be new moquitocidal B. thuringiensis strains isolated from Korean soil.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.1223-1229
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• 2009

To construct a new recombinant strain of Bacillus velezensis that has antifungal and insecticidal activity via the expression of the insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein, a B. thuringiensis expression vector (pHT1K-1Ac) was generated that contained the B. thuringiensis cry1Ac gene under the control of its endogenous promoter in a minimal E. coli-B. thuringiensis shuttle vector (pHT1K). This vector was introduced into a B. velezensis isolate that showed high antifungal activities against several plant diseases, including rice blast (Magnaporthe grisea), rice sheath blight (Rhizotonia solani), tomato gray mold (Botrytis cinerea), tomato late blight (Phytophthora infestans), and wheat leaf rust (Puccinia recondita), by electroporation. The recombinant B. velezensis strain was confirmed by PCR using cry1Ac-specific primers. Additionally, the recombinant strain produced a protein approximately 130 kDa in size and parasporal inclusion bodies similar to B. thuringiensis. The in vivo antifungal activity assay demonstrated that the activity of the recombinant B. velezensis strain was maintained at the same level as that of wild-type B. velezensis. Furthermore, it exhibited high insecticidal activity against a lepidopteran pest, Plutella xylostella, although its activity was lower than that of a recombinant B. thuringiensis strain, whereas wild-type B. velezensis strain did not show any insecticidal activity. These results suggest that this recombinant B. velezensis strain can be used to control harmful insect pests and fungal diseases simultaneously in one crop.