Search results for "Moths"

Production and characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac-resistant cotton bollworm Helicoverpa zea (Boddie).

2007

ABSTRACT Laboratory-selected Bacillus thuringiensis -resistant colonies are important tools for elucidating B. thuringiensis resistance mechanisms. However, cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa zea , a target pest of transgenic corn and cotton expressing B. thuringiensis Cry1Ac (Bt corn and cotton), has proven difficult to select for stable resistance. Two populations of H. zea (AR and MR), resistant to the B. thuringiensis protein found in all commercial Bt cotton varieties (Cry1Ac), were established by selection with Cry1Ac activated toxin (AR) or MVP II (MR). Cry1Ac toxin reflects the form ingested by H. zea when feeding on Bt cotton, whereas MVP II is a Cry1Ac formulation used for resistance se…

Comparison of Different Methodologies for Binding Assays of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins to Membrane Vesicles from Insect Midguts

2002

Occurrence of a common binding site in Mamestra brassicae, Phthorimaea operculella, and Spodoptera exigua for the insecticidal crystal proteins CryIA…

1997

Specific binding to midgut membrane proteins is required for the toxicity of insecticidal crystal proteins (ICP) from Bacillus thuringiensis. A direct relationship between toxicity and binding has been proposed. It has been hypothesized that sharing of a single receptor by more than one ICP could lead to the occurrence of multiple resistance in the event of an alteration in the common receptor. Binding of CryIA(a), CryIA(b) and CryIA(c), three structurally related ICPs, has been studied in Phthorimaea operculella, Mamestra brassicae and, Spodoptera exigua using brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from the midgut tissue. Using iodinated CryIA(b), the three insects showed similar results: o…

Variation in Susceptibility to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins among Unselected Strains of Plutella xylostella

2001

ABSTRACT So far, the only insect that has evolved resistance in the field to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins is the diamondback moth ( Plutella xylostella ). Documentation and analysis of resistant strains rely on comparisons with laboratory strains that have not been exposed to B. thuringiensis toxins. Previously published reports show considerable variation among laboratories in responses of unselected laboratory strains to B. thuringiensis toxins. Because different laboratories have used different unselected strains, such variation could be caused by differences in bioassay methods among laboratories, genetic differences among unselected strains, or both. Here we tested three unselected st…

High Genetic Variability for Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins in a Single Population of Diamondback Moth

2001

ABSTRACT The long-term benefit of insecticidal products based on Cry toxins, either in sprays or as transgenic crops, is threatened by the development of resistance by target pests. The models used to predict evolution of resistance to Cry toxins most often are monogenic models in which two alleles are used. Moreover, the high-dose/refuge strategy recommended for implementation with transgenic crops relies on the assumption that the resistance allele is recessive. Using selection experiments, we demonstrated the occurrence in a laboratory colony of diamondback moth of two different genes (either allelic or nonallelic) that confer resistance to Cry1Ab. At the concentration tested, resistance…

Global variation in the genetic and biochemical basis of diamondback moth resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis

1997

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 …

Genetic and Biochemical Approach for Characterization of Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac in a Field Population of the Diamondback M…

2000

ABSTRACT Four subpopulations of a Plutella xylostella (L.) strain from Malaysia (F 4 to F 8 ) were selected with Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1, Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai , Cry1Ab, and Cry1Ac, respectively, while a fifth subpopulation was left as unselected (UNSEL-MEL). Bioassays at F 9 found that selection with Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab, B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki , and B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai gave resistance ratios of >95, 10, 7, and 3, respectively, compared with UNSEL-MEL (>10,500, 500, >100, and 26, respectively, compared with a susceptible population, ROTH). Resistance to Cry1Ac, Cry1Ab, B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki , and B. thuringiensis subsp…

Microbial Diversity in the Midguts of Field and Lab-Reared Populations of the European Corn Borer Ostrinia nubilalis

2011

Background: Insects are associated with microorganisms that contribute to the digestion and processing of nutrients. The European Corn Borer (ECB) is a moth present world-wide, causing severe economical damage as a pest on corn and other crops. In the present work, we give a detailed view of the complexity of the microorganisms forming the ECB midgut microbiota with the objective of comparing the biodiversity of the midgut-associated microbiota and explore their potential as a source of genes and enzymes with biotechnological applications. Methodological/Principal Findings: A high-throughput sequencing approach has been used to identify bacterial species, genes and metabolic pathways, parti…

Downregulation of a Chitin Deacetylase-Like Protein in Response to Baculovirus Infection and Its Application for Improving Baculovirus Infectivity

2009

ABSTRACT Several expressed sequence tags (ESTs) with homology to chitin deacetylase-like protein (CDA) were selected from a group of Helicoverpa armigera genes whose expression changed after infection with H. armigera single nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV). Some of these ESTs coded for a midgut protein containing a chitin deacetylase domain (CDAD). The expressed protein, HaCDA5a, did not show chitin deacetylase activity, but it showed a strong affinity for binding to chitin. Sequence analysis showed the lack of any chitin binding domain, described for all currently known peritrophic membrane (PM) proteins. HaCDA5a has previously been detected in the H. armigera PM. Such localization, togethe…

Host-range expansion of Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus to Agrotis segetum larvae when the midgut is bypassed.

2010

Given the high similarity in genome content and organization between Spodoptera exigua multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) and Agrotis segetum nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgseNPV), as well as the high percentages of similarity found between their 30 core genes, the specificity of these NPVs was analysed for the respective insect hosts, S. exigua and A. segetum. The LD(50) for AgseNPV in second-instar A. segetum larvae was 83 occlusion bodies per larva and the LT(50) was 8.1 days. AgseNPV was orally infectious for S. exigua, but the LD(50) was 10 000-fold higher than for SeMNPV. SeMNPV was not infectious for A. segetum larvae when administered orally, but an infection was established by injecti…