0000000000287986
AUTHOR
Francisco Granero
Insecticidal Activity of Strains of Bacillus thuringiensis on Larvae and Adults of Bactrocera oleae Gmelin (Dipt. Tephritidae)
The olive fly, Bactrocera oleae, is the key pest on olives in the Mediterranean area. The pest can destroy, in some cases, up to 70% of the olive production. Its control relies mainly on chemical treatments, sometimes applied by aircraft over vast areas, with their subsequent ecological and toxicological side effects. Bacillus thuringiensis is a spore-forming soil bacterium which produces a protein crystal toxic to some insects, including the orders of Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera and other invertebrates. The aim of this study was to search for isolates toxic to B. oleae. Several hundred B. thuringiensis isolates were obtained from olive groves and olive presses in different areas o…
Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins CRY1Ab and CRY1Fa share a high affinity binding site in Plutella xylostella (L.).
The future success of Bacillus thuringiensis based insecticides depends in part on our ability to prevent insects from developing resistance against their insecticidal crystal proteins. Two recent papers indicated cross-resistance between Cry1A proteins and Cry1Fa in two different insect species (Tabashnik et al., 1994, Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 60, 4627-4629; Gould et al., 1995, J. Econ. Entomol. 88, 1545-1559). Brush border membrane vesicles were prepared from Plutella xylostella and used in binding assays with 125I-labeled trypsin-activated crystal proteins. Competition experiments showed that Cry1Fa competed with Cry1Ab for a same binding site, though the latter still bound to a differe…
Global variation in the genetic and biochemical basis of diamondback moth resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis
Insecticidal proteins from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are becoming a cornerstone of ecologically sound pest management. However, if pests quickly adapt, the benefits of environmentally benign Bt toxins in sprays and genetically engineered crops will be short-lived. The diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) is the first insect to evolve resistance to Bt in open-field populations. Here we report that populations from Hawaii and Pennsylvania share a genetic locus at which a recessive mutation associated with reduced toxin binding confers extremely high resistance to four Bt toxins. In contrast, resistance in a population from the Philippines shows multilocus control, a …
Integrative Model for Binding of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins in Susceptible and Resistant Larvae of the Diamondback Moth (Plutella xylostella)
ABSTRACT Insecticidal crystal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis in sprays and transgenic crops are extremely useful for environmentally sound pest management, but their long-term efficacy is threatened by evolution of resistance by target pests. The diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ) is the first insect to evolve resistance to B. thuringiensis in open-field populations. The only known mechanism of resistance to B. thuringiensis in the diamondback moth is reduced binding of toxin to midgut binding sites. In the present work we analyzed competitive binding of B. thuringiensis toxins Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, and Cry1F to brush border membrane vesicles from larval midguts in a susceptib…
Distribution, frequency and diversity of Bacillus thuringiensis in olive tree environments in Spain
Summary Bacillus thuringiensis was isolated from samples collected from olive tree related habitats (olive groves, olive storage facilities and oil mills) of different olive producing regions in Spain. This bacterium was found in a high percentage (92%) of samples. From 72 samples analysed, 2244 sporulating colonies were selected and observed under phase contrast microscopy. From these, 414 colonies (18%) were classified as B. thuringiensis based on the production of parasporal crystals. A great variability of spore, crystal size and morphology was observed. The results indicate that olive groves are as rich as soil olive mills and olive storage facilities regarding the B. thuringiensis pop…
Role of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Domains in Toxicity and Receptor Binding in the Diamondback Moth
ABSTRACT The toxic fragment of Bacillus thuringiensis crystal proteins consists of three distinct structural domains. There is evidence that domain I is involved in pore formation and that domain II is involved in receptor binding and specificity. It has been found that, in some cases, domain III is also important in determining specificity. Furthermore, involvement of domain III in binding has also been reported recently. To investigate the role of toxin domains in the diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ), we used hybrid toxins with domain III substitutions among Cry1C, Cry1E, and Cry1Ab. Neither Cry1E nor G27 (a hybrid with domains I and II from Cry1E and domain III from Cry1C) was to…