• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제26권10호
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• pp.1774-1780
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• 2016

Vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vips) are insecticidal proteins synthesized by Bacillus thuringiensis during the vegetative stage of growth. In this study, Vip3Aa protein, obtained by in vitro expression of the vip3Aa gene from B. thuringiensis WB5, displayed high insecticidal activity against Spodoptera litura aside from Spodoptera exigua and Helicoverpa armigera. Bioassay results showed that the toxicity of Vip3Aa protein against S. litura larvae statistically decreased along with the increase of the age of the larvae, with LC₅₀ = 2.609 ng/cm² for neonatal larvae, LC₅₀ = 28.778 ng/cm² for first instar larvae, LC₅₀ = 70.460 ng/cm² for second instar larvae, and LC₅₀ = 200.627 ng/cm² for third instar larvae. The accumulative mortality of 100% larvae appeared at 72 h for all instars of S. litura larvae, when feeding respectively with 83.22, 213.04, 341.40, and 613.20 ng/cm² of Vip3Aa toxin to the neonatal and first to third instar larvae. The histopathological effects of Vip3Aa toxin on the midgut epithelial cells of S. litura larvae was also investigated. The TEM observations showed wide damage of the epithelial cell in the midgut of S. litura larvae fed with Vip3Aa toxin.

• 한국식품영양학회지
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• 제9권4호
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• pp.459-465
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• 1996

지금까지 많은 연구가 되어 있지 않던 Bacillus thuringiensis serovar. darmstadiensis의 내독소를 Renografin-76 단계적 기울기 원심분리로 분리하여 전자 현미경으로 관찰하여 이중피라미드 구조를 가진 독소 단백질을 확인하였으며 B. thuringiensis serovar. kurstaki HD1의 독소 생성유전자와 B. thuringiensis serovar. darmstadiensis의 유전자가 유사성이 있다는 보고를 근거로 하여 B. thuringiensis serovar. HD1의 독소 생성유전자를 가진 프로브(pUYBT 9044)로 이용하여 colony hybridization 및 Southern hybridization 한 결과 2.6Kb EcoRI 단편 및 3.6Kb Hind III 단편을 선발할 수 있었다. 이들 단편들은 B. thuringiensis serovar. kurstaki HD1 독소 유전자와 hybridization시 유사성이 있었다. 특히 3.5Kb HindIII 단편은 2.6Kb EcoR I 단편에 클로닝되어 있는 1.8Kb의 HD1 독소 유전자와 유사성이 있는 부분을 공유하고 있었으며 1.0Kb 정도의 EcoR I-HindIII 부분이 더 삽입한 것을 알 수 있었다.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제21권9호
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• pp.937-946
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• 2011

Several isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) were screened for the vegetative insecticidal protein (Vip) effective against sap-sucking insect pests. Screening results were based on $LC_{50}$ values against cotton aphid (Aphis gossypii), one of the dangerous pests of various crop plants including cotton. Among the isolates, the Bt#BREF24 showed promising results, and upon purification the aphidicidal protein was recognized as a binary toxin. One of the components of this binary toxin was identified by peptide sequencing to be a homolog of Vip2A that has been reported previously in other Bacillus spp. Vip2 belongs to the binary toxin group Vip1-Vip2, and is responsible for the enzymatic activity; and Vip1 is the translocation and receptor binding protein. The two genes encoding the corresponding proteins of the binary toxin, designated as vip2Ae and vip1Ae, were cloned from the Bt#BREF24, sequenced, and heterologously expressed in Escherichia coli. Aphid feeding assay with the recombinant proteins confirmed that these proteins are indeed the two components of the binary toxins, and the presence of both partners is essential for the activity. Aphid specificity of the binary toxin was further verified by ligand blotting experiment, which identified an ~50 kDa receptor in the brush border membrane vesicles of the cotton aphids only, but not in the lepidopteran insects. Our finding holds a promise of its use in future as a candidate gene for developing transgenic crop plants tolerant against sap-sucking insect pests.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• 제42권4호
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• pp.340-345
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• 2004

To investigate the co-expression and crystallization of a fusion gene between the Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein and a foreign protein in B. thuringiensis, the expression of the Cry1Ac fused with green fluorescent protein (GFP) genes in a B. thuringiensis $Cry^-B$ strain was examined. The cry1Ac gene was cloned in the B. thuringiensis-E. coli shuttle vector, pHT3101, under the control of the native cry1Ac gene promoter, while the GFP gene was inserted into the XhoI site upstream of the proteolytic cleavage site, in the middle region of the crylAc gene (pProAc-GFP). The B. thuringiensis $Cry^-B$ strain carrying pProAc-GFP (ProAc-GFP/CB) did not produce any inclusion bodies. However, the transformed strain expressed fusion protein forms although the expression level was relatively low. Furthermore, an immu­noblot analysis using GFP and Cry1Ac antibodies showed that the fusion protein was not a single spe­cies, but rather multiple forms. In addition, the N-terminal fragment of Cry1Ac and a non-fused GFP were also found in the B. thuringiensis $Cry^-B$ strain after autolysis. The sporulated cells before autolysis and the spore-crystal mixture after autolysis of ProAc-GFP/CB exhibited insecticidal activities against Plutella xylostella larvae. Accordingly, the current results suggest that a fusion crystal protein produced by the transfomant, ProAc-GFP/CB, can be functionally expressed but easily degraded in B. thuring­iensis.

• 한국응용곤충학회지
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• 제32권3호
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• pp.300-306
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• 1993

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1으로부터 생산된 살충성 내독소 단백질을 coding하는 CryIIA 유전자를 클로닝하고 염기서열을 조사하였다. HD-1 균주의 12개 plasmid 중 225kb plasmid를 분리하여 CryIIA 유전자를 포함하는 5kb HindIII 절편을 hybridization하여 찾아냈다. 이 절편을 plasmid pUC19에 ligation하여 E. coli에 형질 전환하였다. 이 독소 유전자를 포함하는 4kb BamHI-HindIII 절편은 vector pT7-5에 ligation하여 pSKIIA라하였다. pSKIIA는 3개의 open reading frames(orf1, orf2, orf3)로 구성되어 있으며 염기서열은 3,952base로 되어 있었다. 이러한 3개의 orf 각각의 발현 여부를 확인하기 위하여 생물검정을 하였다. 그러나 orf1 또는 orf2에 의한 형질 전환체는 독성이 없는 것으로 나타났다. orf3를 포함하는 형질 전환체는 3종의 나비목 곤충(배추점나방, 담배거세미나방, 담배나방) 및 1종의 파리목 곤충(집모기) 유충에 대하여 독성을 나타내었다.

• 한국잠사곤충학회지
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• 제35권1호
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• pp.36-42
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• 1993

Bacillus thruingiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1의 내독소단백질 유전자인 CryIA(a)의 N-말단 부분과 B.tk HD-73의 내독소단백질 유전자인 CryIA(c)의 C-말단 부분의 융합에 따른 독성발현 여부에 관하여 조사하였다. 융합생산물인 pSK3, pSK4 및 pSK5의 플라스미드는 각각 4.5kb, 4.8kb 그리고 5.5kb로 구성되어 있다. 형질전환체의 내독소단백질에 대한 Western blotting은 SK4 및 SK5가 77-kDa 그리고 105-kDa에서 B.t k HD-1 항체에 대하여 반응을 나타내었다. 독성검정의 공시충인 배추좀나방 및 담배나방을 사용한 결과 pSK5를 포함하는 형질전환체만이 각각 96% 및 97%의 높은 치사율을 나타냈다.

• 한국잠사곤충학회지
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• 제40권2호
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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.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제8권1호
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• pp.89-93
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• 2004

Expression of a fusion protein between B. thuringiensis crystal protein, Cry1Ac1 and a scorpion insect toxin (AaIT, Androctonus australis Hector insect toxin) in acrystalliferous B. thuringiensis strain (Cry-B strain) was examined. The cry 1Ac1 gene was cloned in B. thuringiensis-E coli shuttle vector, pHT3101, under the control of the native cry 1Ac1 gene promoter (pProAc) and a gene encoding AaIT was inserted in XhoI site in the middle of the cry 1Ac1 gene (pProAc-ScoR). B. thuringiensis Cry-B strain carrying pProAc-ScoR (PyoAc-ScoR/CB) produced an inclusion body of irregular shape and the expressed fusion protein is approximately 65 kDa in size. Sporulated cells and spore-crystal mixtures of ProAc-ScoR/CB had insecticidal activity against Plutella xylostella larvae, showing $LT_50$ of ProAc-ScoR/CB (22.59 hrs) lower than that of ProAc/CB (30.06 hrs) at $1{\times}{10^7} {CEU/cm^2}$. These results suggest that the fusion protein including a B. thuringiensis crystal protein and an AaIT may be functionally expressed in B. thupingiensis. Moreover, we verified the additive toxicity of AaIT, which is a new feasible candidate for insect control.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.1057-1062
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• 2004

The entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is the most widely used biopesticide. Insecticidal proteins, coded by genes located in plasmids, form typical parasporal, crystalline inclusions during sporulation. We isolated a Bacillus thuringiensis strain having insecticidal activity against larvae of the house fly (M. domestica) from the soils at a pig farm in Korea, and named it Bacillus thuringiensis SM. The culture filtrate from Bacillus thuringiensis SM showed strong lethality (83.3%) against M. domestica larvae. The parasporal crystal is enclosed within the spores' outermost envelope, as determined by transmission electron microscopy, and exhibited a bipyramidal form. The crystal proteins of strain SM consisted of five proteins with molecular weights of approximately ~130, ~80, ~68, ~42, and ~27 kDa on a 10% SDS-PAGE (major band, a size characteristic of Cry protein). Examination of antibiotic resistance revealed that the strain SM showed multiple resistant. The strain SM had at least three different plasmids with sizes of 6.6, 9.3, and 54 kb. Polymerase chain reactions (PCRs) revealed the presence of cry1, cry4A2, and cry11A1 genes in the strain SM. The cry1 gene profile of the strain SM appeared in the three respective products of 487 bp [cry1A(c)], 414 bp [cry1D], and 238 bp [cry1A(b)]. However, the strain SM has not shown the cry4A2 md cry11A1 genes. In in vivo toxicity assays, the strain SM showed high toxicity on fly larvae (M. domestic) [with $LC_{50}$ of 4.2 mg/ml, $LC_{90}$ of 8.2 mg/ml].

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• 제4권1호
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• pp.43-49
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• 2002

We have cloned cDNAs encoding toxin from the spider, Araneus ventricosus, and constructed a recombinant baculovirus expressing the insecticidal toxin. The cDNAs encoding toxin were cloned from the cDNA library of A. ventricosus. Sequence analysis of the cDNAs encoding the toxin of A. ventricosus revealed that the 240 bp cDNA for AvTox-1 and 192 bp cDNA for AvTox-2 have an open reading frame of 80 and 64 amino acid residues, respectively. The deduced protein sequence of the toxin genes of AvTox-1 and AvTox-2 was aligned to that of the snack Anemonia sulcata and scorpion Centruroides limpidus limpidus, respectively. Northern blot analysis indicated that AvTox-2 toxin gene showed a fat body-spe-cific expression pattern at the transcriptional level. Furthermore, we have explored the possibility of improving baculovirus by incorporating the A. vontricosus toxin gene into Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus genome under the control of polyhedrin promoter, The AvTox-2 toxin gene was expressed as approximately 5.8 kDa band in the recombinant baculovirus-injected silkworm larvae. Bioassays with the recombinant virus expressing AvTox-2 on 5th instar silkworm larvae demonstrated a decrease in the time to kill $(LT_{50} days)$ compared to wild-type BmNPV-Kl $(LT_{50} 6.72 days)$ in the injection of 10 viruses. These results indicate that A. ventricosus toxin is a novel member of the spider toxin family, suggesting that the toxin gene can be used in recombinant baculoviruses to reduce insect feeding damage and increase the speed of insect kill.