• 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.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.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.185-189
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• 2001

Wild type Bacilus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and B. sphaericus toxins have been used separately as active in ingredients for bacterial insecticides to control mosquito larvae due to their comparable toxicity to chemical insecticides. Cry11B, recently cloned from B. thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan, shows higher toxicity against three major species of mosquito larvae than Cry11A, one of the major component of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis inclusion body. To determine whether the combination of cry11B and B. sphaericus binary toxins is as toxic as B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis parental strain, cry11B and B. sphaericus binary toxins genes were co-expressed as an operon using cytlA promoters/STAB-SD hybrid expression system in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis acrystalliferous strain 4Q7. However, unexpectedly, B. sphaericus binary toxins were barely produced, whereas relatively large amount of Cry11B was produced. When this strain was grown in four different media, NB+G and Peptonized Milk produced more toxin proteins and spores per unit of media than GYS and G-Tris. Toxicity of this strain against fourth instar Culex quinquefasciatus was ranged from of 8.3 to 45.7 ng/ml, with NB+G culture being the highest, and GYS culture was the lowest.

• Microbiology and Biotechnology Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.308-312
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• 1991

The delta-endotoxin from B. thuringiensis subsp. damstadienszs 73E10-2 was resistant to high concentration of salt (4M NaBr), organic solvents (50% acetone), denaturants (4 M urea), and neutral detergents (10% triton X-100). In contrast, the toxin was inactivated by treating with charged detergents as well as guanidine hydrochloride or carbon tetra-chloride. The delta-endotoxin is not a sulfhydryl activated toxin, but modification of the lysine side chains eliminated toxicity against mosquito larvae.

• 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.