• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.126-130
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• 1998

A noninsecticidal strain, Bacillus thuringiensis NTB-88, isolated from Korean soil, had a typical bipyramidal parasporal inclusion and its serotype is identical to B. thuringiensis subspmorrisoni (H8a8b). To elucidate differences between insecticidal and noninsecticidal strains, we compared strain NTB-88 to other toxic B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni strains (HD-12 and PG-14). Restriction endonucleases digested plasmid DNA patterns showed that strain NTB-88 was different from lepidopteran-toxic strain, HD-12, but it was similar to dipteran-toxic strain, PG-14. The gene type of strain NTB-88 was different from those of other insecticidal strains, Furthermore, the NH2-terminal amino acid sequence of crystal protein of strain NTB-88 had no relation to those of the previously known $\delta$-endotoxins in other toxic strains as well as HD-12 and PG-14 strains. Therefore, the noninsecticidal crystal protein in strain NTB-88 is novel and its property is different from insecticidal ones.