Search results for "bacillus thuringiensis"
showing 10 items of 211 documents
Mannose phosphate isomerase isoenzymes in Plutella xylostella support common genetic bases of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in Llpidopt…
2001
ABSTRACT A strong correlation between two mannose phosphate isomerase (MPI) isoenzymes and resistance to Cry1A toxins from Bacillus thuringiensis has been found in a Plutella xylostella population. MPI linkage to Cry1A resistance had previously been reported for a Heliothis virescens population. The fact that the two populations share similar biochemical, genetic, and cross-resistance profiles of resistance suggests the occurrence of homologous resistance loci in both species.
Genetic and Biochemical Characterization of Field-Evolved Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac in the Diamondback Moth, Plutella xyloste…
2004
ABSTRACT The long-term usefulness of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins, either in sprays or in transgenic crops, may be compromised by the evolution of resistance in target insects. Managing the evolution of resistance to B. thuringiensis toxins requires extensive knowledge about the mechanisms, genetics, and ecology of resistance genes. To date, laboratory-selected populations have provided information on the diverse genetics and mechanisms of resistance to B. thuringiensis , highly resistant field populations being rare. However, the selection pressures on field and laboratory populations are very different and may produce resistance genes with distinct characteristics. In order to better…
The transcriptome of Spodoptera exigua larvae exposed to different types of microbes.
2012
We have obtained and characterized the transcriptome of Spodoptera exigua larvae with special emphasis on pathogen-induced genes. In order to obtain a highly representative transcriptome, we have pooled RNA from diverse insect colonies, conditions and tissues. Sequenced cDNA included samples from 3 geographically different colonies. Enrichment of RNA from pathogen-related genes was accomplished by exposing larvae to different pathogenic and non-pathogenic microbial agents such as the bacteria Bacillus thuringiensis, Micrococcus luteus, and Escherichia coli, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and the S. exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV). In addition, to avoid the loss of tissue-specific …
Role of toxin activation on binding and pore formation activity of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3 toxins in membranes of Leptinotarsa decemlineata (…
2004
AbstractBinding and pore formation constitute key steps in the mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis δ-endotoxins.In this work, we present a comparative analysis of toxin-binding capacities of proteolytically processed Cry3A, Cry3B and Cry3C toxins to brush border membranes (BBMV) of the Colorado potato beetle Leptinotarsa decemlineata (CPB), a major potato coleopteran-insect pest. Competition experiments showed that the three Cry3 proteolytically activated toxins share a common binding site. Also heterologous competition experiments showed that Cry3Aa and Cry3Ca toxins have an extra binding site that is not shared with Cry3Ba toxin. The pore formation activity of the three different Cry…
A membrane associated metalloprotease cleaves Cry3Aa Bacillus thuringiensis toxin reducing pore formation in Colorado potato beetle brush border memb…
2007
AbstractInsect proteases are implicated in Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins mode of action determining toxin specificity and sensitivity. Few data are available on the involvement of proteases in the later steps of toxicity such as protease interaction with toxin–receptor complexes and the pore formation process. In this study, a Colorado potato beetle (CPB) midgut membrane metalloprotease was found to be involved in the proteolytic processing of Cry3Aa. Interaction of Cry3Aa with BBMV membrane proteases resulted in a distinct pattern of proteolysis. Cleavage was demonstrated to occur in protease accessible regions of domain III and was specifically inhibited by the metalloprote…
Proteolytic Processing ofBacillus thuringiensisCryIIIA Toxin and Specific Binding to Brush-Border Membrane Vesicles ofLeptinotarsa decemlineata(Color…
1996
Abstract The mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal proteins in lepidopteran insects is known to involve five steps: ingestion, solubilization, protease activation, binding to midgut membrane receptors, and disruption of the intestinal membrane. Two of these steps, protease activation and binding to midgut membrane receptors, have been analyzed in the major potato pest, the coleoptera Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Colorado potato beetle). Unlike recently proposed, after treatment of the coleopteran-specific B. thuringiensis toxin CryIIIA with gut content from the Colorado potato beetle, a 42-kDa processing polypeptide has been identified. The study of binding to midgut membrane …
Functional significance of membrane associated proteolysis in the toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Aa toxin against Colorado potato beetle.
2012
Abstract Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins are widely used as biocontrol agents in bioinsecticides and transgenic plants. In the three domain-Cry toxins, domain II has been identified as an important determinant of their highly specific activity against insects. In this work, we assessed the role in membrane associated proteolysis and toxicity in Colorado potato beetle (CPB) of a previously reported ADAM recognition motif present in Cry3Aa toxin domain II. We used site-directed mutagenesis to modify the Bacillus thuringiensis cry3A gene in amino acid residues 344, 346, 347, 351 and 353 of the ADAM recognition motif in Cry3Aa toxin. Cry3Aa toxin mutants displayed decreased toxicity when comp…
Prohibitin, an essential protein for Colorado potato beetle larval viability, is relevant to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Aa toxicity
2013
Bacillus thuringienesis (Bt) Cry toxins constitute the most extensively used environmentally safe biopesticide and their mode of action relies on the interaction of the toxins with membrane proteins in the midgut of susceptible insects that mediate toxicity and insect specificity. Therefore, identification of Bt Cry toxin interacting proteins in the midgut of target insects and understanding their role in toxicity is of great interest to exploit their insecticidal action. Using ligand blot, we demonstrated that Bt Cry3Aa toxin bound to a 30kDa protein in Colorado potato beetle (CPB) larval midgut membrane, identified by sequence homology as prohibitin-1 protein. Prohibitins comprise a highl…
Investigation of the steps involved in the difference of susceptibility of Ephestia kuehniella and Spodoptera littoralis to the Bacillus thuringiensi…
2011
BUPM95 is a Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain producing the Vip3Aa16 toxin with an interesting insecticidal activity against the Lepidopteran larvae Ephestia kuehniella. Study of different steps in the mode of action of this Vegetative Insecticidal Protein on the Mediterranean flour moth (E. kuehniella) was carried out in the aim to investigate the origin of the higher susceptibility of this insect to Vip3Aa16 toxin compared to that of the Egyptian cotton leaf worm Spodoptera littoralis. Using E. kuehniella gut juice, protoxin proteolysis generated a major band corresponding to the active toxin and another band of about 22kDa, whereas the activation of Vip3Aa16 by S. littoralis …
Resistance toBacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac toxin in three strains ofHeliothis virescens: Proteolytic and SEM study of the larval midgut
1999
In a previous study, we demonstrated that resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins in Heliothis virescens might be related to differences in the composition of the proteolytic extracts from insect midgut. There, we found specific proteolytic bands present in the gut extracts of the resistant strain and absent from the susceptible one. Here we report related facts using a new resistant strain (KCB) and a cross between the two strains used in our previous study. As would be expected, no quantitative differences in total proteolytic activity were found between the strains, although qualitative differences related to the presence or absence of specific proteolytic activity bands using SDS-PA…