Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology
  • Year: 1994
  • Volume: 3
  • Issue: 1

Host Range of an Insecticidal Crystal Protein of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki Produced in Escherichia coli

  • Author:
  • P V A L Ratnakar1, N Vljayalakshml2, Jyoti Kapila1, H D Rananavare2, Manjula Mathur1, Rakesh Tull1
  • Total Page Count: 4
  • Page Number: 15 to 18

1Molecular Biology and Agriculture Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Bombay 400 085, India

2Nuclear Agriculture Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Bombay 400 085, India

* Corresponding author's present address: National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow 226 001, India

Abstract

A crylA(c)-like gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain HD1 was over-expressed in Escherichia coli from a multicopy plasmid. Biological toxicity tests conducted on the larvae of three lepidopteran insects showed that the host range of transgenic E. coli HB 101 (pRT 200) was a subset of the host range of B. thuringiensis kurstaki HD1. Both were toxic to the larvae of Helicoverpa armigera (Gram pod borer) and Bombyx mori (Silkworm). However, though the spore-crystal formulation of HD1 was toxic to the larvae of Phthorimaea operculella (Potato tuber moth), the transgenic E. coli was not. Product of a toxin gene other than crylA(c) present in HD1 may be responsible for its toxicity to the larvae of P. operculella.

Keywords

crystal proteins, Bacillus thuringiensis, host specificity of δ-endotoxin, biopesticides