Environmental distribution and diversity of Bacillus thuringiensis in Spain

Development of a Safe and Effective Bacillus thuringiensis-Based Nanobiopesticide for Controlling Tea Pests

Mg(OH)2 was used as the nanocarrier of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1Ac protein, and the synthesized Cry1Ac-Mg(OH)2 composites were regular and uniform nanosheets. Nano-Mg(OH)2 could effectively improve the insecticidal effect of the Cry1Ac protein toward Ectropis obliqua. It could enhance the damage degree of the Cry1Ac protein to intestinal epithelial cells and microvilli, induce and enrich the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the midgut, and enhance the degradation of the Cry1Ac protein into active fragments. Furthermore, an anti-rinsing assay showed that the Cry1Ac-Mg(OH)2 composites were bound to the notch structure of the tea leaf surface. The retention of the Cry1Ac protein increased by 11.45%, and sprayed nano-Mg(OH)2 was rapidly absorbed by different tissues of tea plants. Moreover, nano-Mg(OH)2 and composites did not significantly affect non-target organisms. These results show that nano-Mg(OH)2 can serve as a safe and effective biopesticide carrier, which provides a new approach for stable and efficient Bt preparation.

Bacillus thuringiensis Bt_UNVM-84, a Novel Strain Showing Insecticidal Activity against Anthonomus grandis Boheman (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive bacterium known for its insecticidal proteins effective against various insect pests. However, limited strains and proteins target coleopteran pests like Anthonomous grandis Boheman, causing substantial economic losses in the cotton industry. This study focuses on characterizing a Bacillus sp. strain, isolated from Oncativo (Argentina), which exhibits ovoid to amorphous parasporal crystals and was designated Bt_UNVM-84. Its genome encodes genes for the production of two pairs of binary Vpb1/Vpa2 proteins and three Cry-like proteins showing similarity with different Cry8 proteins. Interestingly, this gene content was found to be conserved in a previously characterized Argentine isolate of B. thuringiensis designated INTA Fr7-4. SDS-PAGE analysis revealed a major band of 130 kDa that is proteolytically processed to an approximately 66-kDa protein fragment by trypsin. Bioassays performed with spore-crystal mixtures demonstrated an interesting insecticidal activity against the cotton boll weevil A. grandis neonate larvae, resulting in 91% mortality. Strain Bt_UNVM-84 is, therefore, an interesting candidate for the efficient biological control of this species, causing significant economic losses in the cotton industry in the Americas.

Abundance, distribution, and expression of nematicidal crystal protein genes in Bacillus thuringiensis strains from diverse habitats

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a Gram-positive bacterium that accumulates pesticidal proteins (Cry and Cyt) in parasporal crystals. Proteins from the Cry5, App6 (formerly Cry6), Cry12, Cry13, Cry14, Cry21, and Xpp55 (formerly Cry55) families have been identified as toxic to nematodes. In this study, a total of 846 Bt strains belonging to four collections were analyzed to determine the diversity and distribution of the Bt Cry nematicidal protein genes. We analyzed their presence by PCR, and positives were confirmed by sequencing. As a result, 164 Bt isolates (20%) contained at least one gene coding for nematicidal Cry proteins. The cry5 and cry21 genes were enriched in collection 1 and were often found together in the same strain. Differently, in collection 4, obtained from similar habitats but after 10 years, cry14 was the gene most frequently found. In collection 2, cry5 and app6 were the most abundant genes, and collection 3 had a low incidence of any of these genes. The results point to high variability in the frequencies of the studied genes depending on the timing, geographical origins, and sources. The occurrence of cry1A, cry2, and cry3 genes was also analyzed and showed that the nematicidal Cry protein genes were frequently accompanied by cry1A + cry2. The expression of the genes was assessed by mass spectrometry showing that only 14% of the positive strains produced nematicidal proteins. To our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive screening that examines the presence and expression of genes from the seven known Bt Cry nematicidal families.

Multifunctional Properties of a Bacillus thuringiensis Strain (BST-122): Beyond the Parasporal Crystal

Chemical products still represent the most common form of controlling crop pests and diseases. However, their extensive use has led to the selection of resistances. This makes the finding of new solutions paramount to countering the economic losses that pests and diseases represent in modern agriculture. Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is one of the most reliable alternatives to chemical-based solutions. In this study, we aimed to further expand the global applicability of Bt strains beyond their spores and crystals. To this end, we selected a new Bt strain (BST-122) with relevant toxicity factors and tested its activity against species belonging to different phyla. The spore and crystal mixture showed toxicity to coleopterans. Additionally, a novel Cry5-like protein proved active against the two-spotted spider mite. In vivo and plant assays revealed significant control of the parasitic nematode, Meloidogyne incognita. Surprisingly, our data indicated that the nematocidal determinants may be secreted. When evaluated against phytopathogenic fungi, the strain seemed to decelerate their growth. Overall, our research has highlighted the potential of Bt strains, expanding their use beyond the confinements of spores and crystals. However, further studies are required to pinpoint the factors responsible for the wide host range properties of the BST-122 strain.

Potential for Bacillus thuringiensis and Other Bacterial Toxins as Biological Control Agents to Combat Dipteran Pests of Medical and Agronomic Importance

The control of dipteran pests is highly relevant to humans due to their involvement in the transmission of serious diseases including malaria, dengue fever, Chikungunya, yellow fever, zika, and filariasis; as well as their agronomic impact on numerous crops. Many bacteria are able to produce proteins that are active against insect species. These bacteria include Bacillus thuringiensis, the most widely-studied pesticidal bacterium, which synthesizes proteins that accumulate in crystals with insecticidal properties and which has been widely used in the biological control of insects from different orders, including Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. In this review, we summarize all the bacterial proteins, from B. thuringiensis and other entomopathogenic bacteria, which have described insecticidal activity against dipteran pests, including species of medical and agronomic importance.

Baculovirus Expression and Functional Analysis of Vpa2 Proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis

The mode of action underlying the insecticidal activity of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) binary pesticidal protein Vpa1/Vpa2 is uncertain. In this study, three recombinant baculoviruses were constructed using Bac-to-Bac technology to express Vpa2Ac1 and two novel Vpa2-like genes, Vpa2-like1 and Vpa2-like2, under the baculovirus p10 promoter in transfected Sf9 cells. Pairwise amino acid analyses revealed a higher percentage of identity and a lower number of gaps between Vpa2Ac1 and Vpa2-like2 than to Vpa2-like1. Moreover, Vpa2-like1 lacked the conserved Ser-Thr-Ser motif, involved in NAD binding, and the (F/Y)xx(Q/E)xE consensus sequence, characteristic of the ARTT toxin family involved in actin polymerization. Vpa2Ac1, Vpa2-like1 and Vpa2-like2 transcripts and proteins were detected in Sf9 culture cells, but the signals of Vpa2Ac1 and Vpa2-like2 were weak and decreased over time. Sf9 cells infected by a recombinant bacmid expressing Vpa2-like1 showed typical circular morphology and produced viral occlusion bodies (OBs) at the same level as the control virus. However, expression of Vpa2Ac1 and Vpa2-like2 induced cell polarization, similar to that produced by the microfilament-destabilizing agent cytochalasin D and OBs were not produced. The presence of filament disrupting agents, such as nicotinamide and nocodazole, during transfection prevented cell polarization and OB production was observed. We conclude that Vpa2Ac1 and Vpa2-like2 proteins likely possess ADP-ribosyltransferase activity that modulated actin polarization, whereas Vpa2-like1 is not a typical Vpa2 protein. Vpa2-like2 has now been designated Vpa2Ca1 (accession number AAO86513) by the Bacillus thuringiensis delta-endotoxin nomenclature committee.

Study of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ia Protein Oligomerization Promoted by Midgut Brush Border Membrane Vesicles of Lepidopteran and Coleopteran Insects, or Cultured Insect Cells

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) produces insecticidal proteins that are either secreted during the vegetative growth phase or accumulated in the crystal inclusions (Cry proteins) in the stationary phase. Cry1I proteins share the three domain (3D) structure typical of crystal proteins but are secreted to the media early in the stationary growth phase. In the generally accepted mode of action of 3D Cry proteins (sequential binding model), the formation of an oligomer (tetramer) has been described as a major step, necessary for pore formation and subsequent toxicity. To know if this could be extended to Cry1I proteins, the formation of Cry1Ia oligomers was studied by Western blot, after the incubation of trypsin activated Cry1Ia with insect brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) or insect cultured cells, using Cry1Ab as control. Our results showed that Cry1Ia oligomers were observed only after incubation with susceptible coleopteran BBMV, but not following incubation with susceptible lepidopteran BBMV or non-susceptible Sf21 insect cells, while Cry1Ab oligomers were persistently detected after incubation with all insect tissues tested, regardless of its host susceptibility. The data suggested oligomerization may not necessarily be a requirement for the toxicity of Cry1I proteins.

A Strain of Bacillus thuringiensis Containing a Novel cry7Aa2 Gene that Is Toxic to Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The genome of the Bacillus thuringiensis BM311.1 strain was sequenced and assembled in 359 contigs containing a total of 6,390,221 bp. The plasmidic ORF of a putative cry gene from this strain was identified as a potential novel Cry protein of 1138 amino acid residues with a 98% identity compared to Cry7Aa1 and a predicted molecular mass of 129.4 kDa. The primary structure of Cry7Aa2, which had eight conserved blocks and the classical structure of three domains, differed in 28 amino acid residues from that of Cry7Aa1. The cry7Aa2 gene was amplified by PCR and then expressed in the acrystalliferous strain BMB171. SDS-PAGE analysis confirmed the predicted molecular mass for the Cry7Aa2 protein and revealed that after in vitro trypsin incubation, the protein was degraded to a toxin of 62 kDa. However, when treated with digestive fluids from Leptinotarsa decemlineata larvae, one major proteinase-resistant fragment of slightly smaller size was produced. The spore and crystal mixture produced by the wild-type BM311.1 strain against L. decemlineata neonate larvae resulted in a LC50 value of 18.8 μg/mL, which was statistically similar to the estimated LC50 of 20.8 μg/mL for the recombinant BMB17-Cry7Aa2 strain. In addition, when this novel toxin was activated in vitro with commercial trypsin, the LC50 value was reduced 3.8-fold to LC50 = 4.9 μg/mL. The potential advantages of Cry7Aa2 protoxin compared to Cry7Aa1 protoxin when used in the control of insect pests are discussed.

Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis isolates by their insecticidal activity and their production of Cry and Vip3 proteins

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) constitutes the active ingredient of many successful bioinsecticides used in agriculture. In the present study, the genetic diversity and toxicity of Bt isolates was investigated by characterization of native isolates originating from soil, fig leaves and fruits from a Turkish collection. Among a total of 80 Bt isolates, 18 of them were found carrying a vip3 gene (in 23% of total), which were further selected. Insecticidal activity of spore/crystal mixtures and their supernatants showed that some of the Bt isolates had significantly more toxicity against some lepidopteran species than the HD1 reference strain. Five isolates were analyzed by LC-MS/MS to determine the Cry protein composition of their crystals. The results identified the Cry1Ac protein and a Cry2A-type protein in all isolates, Cry1Ea in 3 of them and Cry1Aa in one. The sequence analysis of the new vip3 genes showed that they had a high similarity to either vip3Aa, vip3Af or vip3Ag (94-100%). The vip3Aa gene of the 6A Bt isolate was cloned and sequenced. The protein was named Vip3Aa65 by the Bacillus thuringiensis Nomenclature Committee. The expressed and purified Vip3Aa65 protein was tested against five lepidopteran species and its toxicity compared to that of a reference protein (Vip3Aa16). Both proteins had similar toxicity against Grapholita molesta and Helicoverpa armigera, whereas Vip3Aa65 was less active than Vip3Aa16 against three species from the Spodoptera genus. A tetrameric structure of the Vip3Aa65 protein was detected by gel filtration chromatography. The study revealed some isolates with high insecticidal activity which can be considered promising candidates to be used in pest control.

Molecular and insecticidal characterization of a novel Cry-related protein from Bacillus thuringiensis toxic against Myzus persicae

This study describes the insecticidal activity of a novel Bacillus thuringiensis Cry-related protein with a deduced 799 amino acid sequence (~89 kDa) and ~19% pairwise identity to the 95-kDa-aphidicidal protein (sequence number 204) from patent US 8318900 and ~40% pairwise identity to the cancer cell killing Cry proteins (parasporins Cry41Ab1 and Cry41Aa1), respectively. This novel Cry-related protein contained the five conserved amino acid blocks and the three conserved domains commonly found in 3-domain Cry proteins. The protein exhibited toxic activity against the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Homoptera: Aphididae) with the lowest mean lethal concentration (LC₅₀ = 32.7 μg/mL) reported to date for a given Cry protein and this insect species, whereas it had no lethal toxicity against the Lepidoptera of the family Noctuidae Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), Mamestra brassicae (L.), Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), S. frugiperda (J.E. Smith) and S. littoralis (Boisduval), at concentrations as high as ~3.5 μg/cm². This novel Cry-related protein may become a promising environmentally friendly tool for the biological control of M. persicae and possibly also for other sap sucking insect pests.

Selection and characterisation of an HD1-like Bacillus thuringiensis isolate with a high insecticidal activity against Spodoptera littoralis (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

BACKGROUND

Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) larvae are known by their susceptibility to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. aizawai strains. In order to prevent the appearance of B. thuringiensis (Bt) resistance and to develop economical Bt-based biopesticides, the selection and the characterisation of a B. thuringiensis isolate toxic against S. littoralis larvae and overproducing δ-endotoxins were investigated.

RESULTS

Among 124 Tunisian B. thuringiensis isolates assessed against S. littoralis larvae, four isolates showed toxicity similar to and higher than the toxicity of the aizawai strain HD133 and the kurstaki strain HD1 respectively. The plasmid pattern of the selected isolates was similar to that of HD1. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis using specific primers revealed that these isolates present different gene contents. The only detected gene encoding Spodoptera-specific toxin was cry9. The selected isolates were found to produce bipyramidal and cubic crystals. The assessment of δ-endotoxin production by these isolates showed that BUPM28 produced 43.71 and 80.81% more δ-endotoxin than HD1 and HD133 respectively. The application of osmotic or heat shock stress on the BUPM28 isolate made it possible to enhance δ-endotoxin production by 22 and 23% respectively.

CONCLUSION

On the basis of its potent insecticidal activity and its high level of δ-endotoxin production, the BUPM28 isolate can be considered to be an effective alternative for the control of S. littoralis.

Draft genome sequences of two Bacillus thuringiensis strains and characterization of a putative 41.9-kDa insecticidal toxin

In this work, we report the genome sequencing of two Bacillus thuringiensis strains using Illumina next-generation sequencing technology (NGS). Strain Hu4-2, toxic to many lepidopteran pest species and to some mosquitoes, encoded genes for two insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins, cry1Ia and cry9Ea, and a vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip) gene, vip3Ca2. Strain Leapi01 contained genes coding for seven Cry proteins (cry1Aa, cry1Ca, cry1Da, cry2Ab, cry9Ea and two cry1Ia gene variants) and a vip3 gene (vip3Aa10). A putative novel insecticidal protein gene 1143 bp long was found in both strains, whose sequences exhibited 100% nucleotide identity. The predicted protein showed 57 and 100% pairwise identity to protein sequence 72 from a patented Bt strain (US8318900) and to a putative 41.9-kDa insecticidal toxin from Bacillus cereus, respectively. The 41.9-kDa protein, containing a C-terminal 6× HisTag fusion, was expressed in Escherichia coli and tested for the first time against four lepidopteran species (Mamestra brassicae, Ostrinia nubilalis, Spodoptera frugiperda and S. littoralis) and the green-peach aphid Myzus persicae at doses as high as 4.8 µg/cm² and 1.5 mg/mL, respectively. At these protein concentrations, the recombinant 41.9-kDa protein caused no mortality or symptoms of impaired growth against any of the insects tested, suggesting that these species are outside the protein’s target range or that the protein may not, in fact, be toxic. While the use of the polymerase chain reaction has allowed a significant increase in the number of Bt insecticidal genes characterized to date, novel NGS technologies promise a much faster, cheaper and efficient screening of Bt pesticidal proteins.

Multilocus sequence analysis of Bacillus thuringiensis serovars navarrensis, bolivia and vazensis and Bacillus weihenstephanensis reveals a common phylogeny

The Bacillus cereus group sensu lato includes six closely-related bacterial species: Bacillus cereus, Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus mycoides, Bacillus pseudomycoides and Bacillus weihenstephanensis. B. thuringiensis is distinguished from the other species mainly by the appearance of an inclusion body upon sporulation. B. weihenstephanensis is distinguished based on its psychrotolerance and the presence of specific signature sequences in the 16S rRNA gene and cspA genes. A total of seven housekeeping genes (glpF, gmK, ilvD, pta, purH, pycA and tpi) from different B. thuringiensis serovars and B. weihenstephanensis strains were amplified and their nucleotide sequences determined. A maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree was inferred from comparisons of the concatenated sequences. B. thuringiensis serovars navarrensis, bolivia and vazensis clustered not with the other B. thuringiensis serovars but rather with the B. weihenstephanensis strains, indicative of a common phylogeny. In addition, specific signature sequences and single nucleotide polymorphisms common to B. thuringiensis serovars navarrensis, bolivia and vazensis and the B. weihenstephanensis strains, and absent in the other B. thuringiensis serovars, were identified.

Vip3C, a novel class of vegetative insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis

Three vip3 genes were identified in two Bacillus thuringiensis Spanish collections. Sequence analysis revealed a novel Vip3 protein class (Vip3C). Preliminary bioassays of larvae from 10 different lepidopteran species indicated that Vip3Ca3 caused more than 70% mortality in four species after 10 days at 4 μg/cm(2).

Characterization of Tunisian Bacillus thuringiensis strains with abundance of kurstaki subspecies harbouring insecticidal activities against the lepidopteran insect Ephestia kuehniella

The study of 257 crystal-producing Bacillus thuringiensis isolates from bioinsecticide free soil samples collected from different sites in Tunisia, was performed by PCR amplification, using six primer pairs specific for cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4, and vip3A genes, by the investigation of strain plasmid pattern, crystal morphology and delta-endotoxin content and by the assessment of insecticidal activities against the lepidopteran insect Ephestia kuehniella. Based on plasmid pattern study, 11 representative strains of the different classes were subjected to morphological and molecular analyses. The comparison of the PFGE fingerprints confirmed the heterogeneity of these strains. B. thuringiensis kurstaki strains, harbouring at the same time the genes cry1A, cry2, cry1Ia, and vip3A, were the most abundant (65.4%). 33.34% of the new isolates showed particular delta-endotoxin profiles but no PCR products with the used primer sets. B. thuringiensis israelensis was shown to be also very rare among the Tunisian B. thuringiensis isolates diversity. These findings could have considerable impacts for the set up of new pest control biological agents.

Determination and distribution of cry-type genes in halophilc Bacillus thuringiensis isolates of Arabian Sea sedimentary rocks

Bacillus thuringiensis produces insecticidal crystal during its sporulation phase. In this study, marine sediments from Arabian Sea along coastal area of Pakistan were examined for the occurrence of B. thuringiensis. On the basis of morphological and biochemical properties, 31 out of 200 colonies were assigned to B. thuringiensis. Isolated strains were characterized on the basis of cry genes profile. PCR approach was used to analyze the presence of different crystal toxin encoding genes with six pairs of universal primers that could detect the cry1, cry4, cry7, cry8, cry9, and cry10 genes. Strains containing cry1 genes were the most abundant in our collection (49.5%). Seventeen different profiles of cry genes were identified, i.e., twelve harboring two cry genes while five profiles of more than two cry genes. The characterization of these strains provided useful information on the ecological patterns of distribution of B. thuringiensis and opportunities for the selection of new strains to develop novel bio-insecticidal products.

Characterization of native Bacillus thuringiensis strains by PCR-RAPD based fingerprinting

Seventy isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis were isolated from soil samples collected from cotton fields. These isolates were characterized by randomly amplified poylmorphic DNA (RAPD) markers to determine their genetic diversity pattern based on their source of origin. Different random decamer primers were used for RAPD amplification, which generated a total of 1935 fragments; of these 1865 were polymorphic and 68 monomorphic. The primers OPA03, OPA08, OPD14, OPD19, OPD20, OPE17 and OPD19 produced 100% polymorphic fragments, whereas primers OPC06, OPC20 and OPD17 produced 20, 31 and 17 monomorphic fragments, respectively. When the RAPD banding pattern data was subjected to dendrogram construction, the 70 isolates fell into two separate clusters, cluster I and cluster II, which includes 26 and 44 B. thuringiensis isolates, respectively. These two main clusters were further divided into four subclusters at Eucledian distance of 150 and 80% similarity index. All primers showed amplification and indicated the good diversity of B. thuringiensis isolates. The RAPD pattern showed 4-10 bands per isolate, with MWt in the range of 0.4-3.5 Kb and an average of 193.5 fragments were produced per primer. The primer OPE17 was found to be the most discriminatory as it produced 286 polymorphic bands.

Molecular and insecticidal characterization of a Cry1I protein toxic to insects of the families Noctuidae, Tortricidae, Plutellidae, and Chrysomelidae

The most notable characteristic of Bacillus thuringiensis is its ability to produce insecticidal proteins. More than 300 different proteins have been described with specific activity against insect species. We report the molecular and insecticidal characterization of a novel cry gene encoding a protein of the Cry1I group with toxic activity towards insects of the families Noctuidae, Tortricidae, Plutellidae, and Chrysomelidae. PCR analysis detected a DNA sequence with an open reading frame of 2.2 kb which encodes a protein with a molecular mass of 80.9 kDa. Trypsin digestion of this protein resulted in a fragment of ca. 60 kDa, typical of activated Cry1 proteins. The deduced sequence of the protein has homologies of 96.1% with Cry1Ia1, 92.8% with Cry1Ib1, and 89.6% with Cry1Ic1. According to the Cry protein classification criteria, this protein was named Cry1Ia7. The expression of the gene in Escherichia coli resulted in a protein that was water soluble and toxic to several insect species. The 50% lethal concentrations for larvae of Earias insulana, Lobesia botrana, Plutella xylostella, and Leptinotarsa decemlineata were 21.1, 8.6, 12.3, and 10.0 microg/ml, respectively. Binding assays with biotinylated toxins to E. insulana and L. botrana midgut membrane vesicles revealed that Cry1Ia7 does not share binding sites with Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac proteins, which are commonly present in B. thuringiensis-treated crops and commercial B. thuringiensis-based bioinsecticides. We discuss the potential of Cry1Ia7 as an active ingredient which can be used in combination with Cry1Ab or Cry1Ac in pest control and the management of resistance to B. thuringiensis toxins.

Diversity of Bacillus thuringiensis strains in the maize and bean phylloplane and their respective soils in Colombia

AIMS

To evaluate the distribution of Bacillus thuringiensis strains from maize and bean phylloplane and their respective soils.

METHODS AND RESULTS

B. thuringiensis was isolated from the phylloplane and soil of maize and bean from three municipalities in Antioquia, Colombia. Ninety six samples of phylloplane and 24 of soil were analyzed. A total of 214 isolates were obtained from 96 phylloplane samples while 59 isolates were recovered from 24 soil samples. Sixty five per cent and 12% of the phylloplane and soil isolates, respectively, showed activity against Spodoptera frugiperda. These isolates contained delta-endotoxin proteins of 57 and 130 kDa. The most toxic isolates against S. frugiperda had the genotype cry1Aa, cry1Ac, cry1B, and cry1D. In contrast, 27% of the phylloplane isolates and 88% of the soil isolates were active against Culex quinquefasciatus and had protein profiles similar to B. thuringiensis serovar. medellin and B. thuringiensis serovar. israelensis. The most active isolates contain cry4 and cry11 genes.

CONCLUSIONS

The predominant population of B. thuringiensis on the phylloplane harbored the cry1 gene and was active against S. frugiperda, whereas in soil, isolates harboring cry11 gene and active against C. quinquefasciatus were the majority.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The predominance of specific B. thuringiensis populations, both on the leaves and in the soil, suggests the presence of selection in B. thuringiensis populations on the studied environment.

Unusual envelopes associated with parasporal inclusions of a mosquitocidal Bacillus thuringiensis serovar fukuokaensis isolate

A mosquitocidal soil isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar fukuokaensis (H3ade) produced spherical parasporal inclusions measuring 0.6-0.7 microm in diameter. Inclusion matrix was homogeneous substance surrounded by a thick, highly electron-dense envelope 30-50 nm in thickness. The envelopes were associated with both intracellular and extracellular inclusions. Densely woven network was the inner structure of the envelope. Often, inclusions had round-shaped, enveloped small protrusions on the surface.

Association analysis between serotype, cry gene content, and toxicity to Helicoverpa armigera larvae among Bacillus thuringiensis isolates native to Spain

Serotyping, cry gene content, and toxicity to Helicoverpa armigera were determined for 178 isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis native to Spain. A total of 13 different cry1 and cry2 genes were detected when isolates were screened by PCR analysis. Results showed that cry2 and cry1Ia were the most frequent cry genes in the collection (74 and 57%, respectively); whereas cry1D, cry1Aa, cry1Ab, and cry1C were only moderately abundant (49, 48, 47, and 36%, respectively). The most uncommon cry genes were cry1Ac, cry1E, cry1B, cry1Ib, cry1Ad, cry1F, and cry1G, with frequencies of 24, 14, 13, 8, 5, 5, and 1%, respectively. The distribution of some cry genes was somewhat associated with particular serovars. For example, genes cry1C and cry1D were especially frequent in the serovar aizawai, while cry1B was very frequent in the serovar thuringiensis. Bioassays against H. armigera larvae showed a wide variation in the insecticidal potency, even among strains sharing the same set of cry genes and within the same serotype.

Isolation and toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis from potato-growing areas in Bolivia

Bacillus thuringiensis was isolated from 116 samples collected in high altitude potato-growing areas in Bolivia. In these regions, main potato pests are the potato tuberworm Phthorimaea operculella, and the Andean weevils Premnotrypes latithorax and Rhigopsidius tucumanus. B. thuringiensis was found in 60% of the samples. The main percentage of samples with B. thuringiensis was found in larvae of R. tucumanus (78%). Bioassays were performed with 112 isolates. None resulted toxic to either larvae or adults of the two Andean weevils. However, 18 isolates from this study showed more toxicity against the beet armyworm Spodoptera exigua than the standard strain var. kurstaki isolated from DELFIN. Among these isolates, three were also effective against P. operculella, conferring better or equal protection to the tubers than the reference strain HD-1 isolated from DIPEL. The most toxic strains against S. exigua and P. operculella were characterized in terms of serotyping, crystal morphology, protein profile, and cry gene content. PCR was performed with primers amplifying genes from the cry1, cry2, cry3, cry4, cry7, 8, and cry9Aa families. The toxic strains presented bipyramidal crystals, at least a band of 130kDa in SDS-PAGE, and showed an amplification product with cry1 family primers. One of the isolates did not amplify with any specific primer belonging to known cry1 genes. Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) confirmed the presence of a novel gene and sequence comparison showed that this gene had homology to cry1G.

Isolation, geographical diversity and insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis from soils in Spain

Bacillus thuringiensis is a spore-forming bacterium showing the unusual ability to produce endogenous crystals during sporulation that are toxic for some pest insects. This work was performed to study the composition, ecological distribution and insecticidal activity of isolates of this entomopathogenic bacterium from the Spanish territory. Using a standard isolation method, B. thuringiensis was isolated from 115 out of 493 soil samples collected in the Iberian Peninsula and the Canary and Balearic Archipelagos. The percentages of samples with B. thuringiensis were 31.7, 27.6 and 18.5 and the B. thuringiensis index 0.065, 0.067 and 0.11 for the Iberian Peninsula, Canary and Balearic Archipelagos, respectively. The prairies were shown to be the worst source of B. thuringiensis while forests, urban and agricultural habitats showed similar percentages. Strain classification based on H-antigen agglutination showed a great diversity among the Spanish isolates, which were distributed among 24 subspecies, including three new ones andaluciensis, asturiensis and palmanyolensis. We differentiated 65 different protein profiles of spore-crystal mixtures by sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and we selected 109 isolates representative of these profiles to evaluate their insecticidal activity against insects from the Orders Orthoptera, Dictyoptera, Coleoptera, Lepidoptera and Diptera. We found variable percentages of isolates active against Coleoptera and Lepidoptera, one isolate highly active against mosquito larvae and for the first time, three isolates active against cockroaches and locusts.

Properties of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from bank voles

AIMS

To assess the properties of B. thuringiensis naturally occurring in the intestines of bank voles.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Seventeen Bacillus thuringiensis strains, exhibiting typical growth on selective medium for the B. cereus group and characterized by the ability to produce parasporal crystals, were isolated from bank voles trapped in the Łomza Landscape Park of the Narew River Valley (north-east Poland). All isolates were characterized by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of chromosomal DNA and SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) of whole-cell proteins. Six pulsotypes were found with PFGE typing, using SmaI or NotI as restriction enzymes. Significant differences in chromosome size, ranging from 2.4 to 4.2 Mb for the B. thuringiensis strains studied, were noted. Strain heterogeneity in pulsotypes was also reflected by the similarity of whole-cell protein profiles of the strains. Environmental isolates and reference strains grouped at 71% similarity according to SDS-PAGE data and at 84% on the basis of biochemical tests.

CONCLUSIONS

B. thuringiensis from intestines of bank voles demonstrated an important level of heterogeneity. The comparison of PFGE profiles and SDS-PAGE of whole-cell protein patterns may be useful to evaluate the relationship between B. thuringiensis isolates.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The results presented in this paper may help to explain the diversity of B. thuringiensis.

The occurrence and properties of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from free-living animals

AIMS

To assess the prevalence and properties of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from the intestines of small mammals.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Bacillus thuringiensis was found in 11% of rodents and 17% of insectivores. Using PFGE of chromosomal DNA, SDS-PAGE of whole-cell proteins and biochemical tests (API system), 12 isolates and three reference strains were classified. Numerical analysis revealed 61% and 89% similarity of protein profiles and biochemical properties of the bacilli, respectively. The results of PFGE were consistent with the outcomes of the analysis of protein profiles.

CONCLUSIONS

Although B. thuringiensis is not common in the intestines of small mammals, it is heterogeneous at the genotypic and phenotypic level.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The results presented here help to explain the diversity and the ecological significance of B. thuringiensis. Future study should focus on the toxic activity of the isolated strains.

Contents of cry genes and insecticidal toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis strains from terrestrial and aquatic habitats

AIMS

Two Bacillus thuringiensis collections from terrestrial and aquatic habitats were compared in order to study the possible interrelationships between habitat and biological characteristics (serovar, cry genes content and toxicity).

METHODS AND RESULTS

Bacillus thuringiensis strains were characterized by serology, PCR, and one-dose treatment against the noctuids Helicoverpa armigera and Spodoptera exigua, and the dipteran Tipula oleracea. A total of 12 and 10 different serovars were identified within terrestrial and aquatic strains, respectively. The number of non-toxic strains was greater in aquatic (41.6%) than in terrestrial habitats (5.3%). The genes cry1C, cry1D and cry1E were significantly more frequent in the terrestrial habitat. The cry1B gene was very frequent within thuringiensis strains.

CONCLUSIONS

A high diversity was found in terms of serovars present and cry genes content in both collections. The relative frequency of individual cry genes was different in both collections, and a serovar-dependent distribution of the cry1B gene was found. Some strains sharing the same set of cry genes differed in their toxicity, suggesting important differences in gene expression.

SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY

The inter-relationships between serology, cry gene content and toxicity may allow a better understanding of B. thuringiensis ecology.

Larval susceptibility of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae), to Bacillus thuringiensis H serovars isolated in Japan

A total of 1700 Japanese strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, belonging to at least 47 H serogroups, were examined for insecticidal activity against larvae of the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella. The high-level toxicity was associated with 612 isolates (36.0%). Of these, 608 isolates (99.3%) fell into 13 H serogroups belonging to the low-numbered H serotypes, H1-H10. Conversely, most isolates belonging to the high-numbered serotypes (>H10) had little or no larvicidal activity; only one isolate of the serovar japonensis H23 was active. P xylostella larvae were susceptible to 89.8% of the serovar morrisoni H8a:8b strains and 85.7% of galleriae H5a:5b strains. High values of 60-80% were also obtained in six serovars (thuringiensis H1, alesti H3a:3c, kurstaki H3a:3b:3c, kenyae H4a:4c, aizawai H7, and tolworhi H9), while relatively low values of <60% in two other common serovars, sotto H4a:4b and darmstadiensis H10a:10b. Five selected isolates, belonging to H serovars other than kurstaki and aizawai, were 10-60 times less toxic than the reference strain HD-1 (serovar kurstaki). Parasporal inclusion proteins of these strains were immunologically unrelated to those of the strain HD-1 and the aizawai type strain.

Identification and characterization of the new bacillus thuringiensis serovars pirenaica (serotype H57) and iberica (serotype H59)

Two new Bacillus thuringiensis strains have been classified by the H antigen of the cells and differentiated by their morphological, biochemical and molecular characteristics. The flagellar agglutination showed that both strains bore specific H antigens which allowed their classification as the new serotypes H57 and H59. The serovar names proposed for the type strains characterized in this work are B. thuringiensis ser. pirenaica, for the H serotype 57, and B. thuringiensis ser. iberica, for the H serotype 59. Further characterization of these strains, by means of SDS-PAGE, Western inmunodetection, plasmid profile and cry-gene identification by polymerase chain reaction, confirmed the originality of the two novel serotypes. Toxicity tests carried out against several insect species, belonging to the orders Lepidoptera, Diptera and Coleoptera, showed no detectable insecticidal activity for either of the B. thuringiensis strains.

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 of Greece, Sardinia (Italy), and Spain and from cooperating scientists throughout the world. Some isolates were found toxic only to adults or larvae and some to both stages of the olive fly. In addition, the most toxic isolates were assayed on Opius concolor Szepl. (Hym. Braconidae), the most important parasitoid of the olive fruit fly. Only 3 isolates out of 14 gave significant mortality against this parasitoid. Several of the most toxic crystalliferous isolates may contain novel toxins since they gave no PCR products when probed with primers specified for 39 known toxin genes.

Characterization of Bacillus thuringiensis serovar bolivia (serotype H63), a novel serovar isolated from the Bolivian high valleys

The type strain Bacillus thuringiensis var. bolivia (serotype H63), isolated from the Bolivian high valleys, has been characterized at different levels. Its parasporal crystal has an unusual shape and it is composed of a protein of 155 kDa which shows two bands of 75 and 80 kDa after activation. Analysis by PCR shows the presence of cry1 genes, and amplification with specific primers gave products for cry1 E, cry1 D, cry4 A and cry4 B with sizes different to those expected. Immunoblotting tests showed positive reaction for Cry1 E, Cry3 A, Cry4 A and Cry11 A crystal proteins. The plasmid pattern revealed two large and two small plasmids. Toxicity tests were performed against 14 insects and a slight toxicity was found against Plutella xylotella and Trichoplusia ni.