Characterization of cry1, cry2, and cry9 genes in Bacillus thuringiensis isolates from China

Bacillus thuringiensis isolates from different ecological regions and sources of China were analyzed to study the distribution and diversity of cry genes and to detect the presence of novel cry genes. Strains containing cry1-type genes were the most abundant and represent 237 of the 310 B. thuringiensis isolates (76.5%). About 70 and 15.5% of the isolates contained a cry2 gene or cry9 gene, respectively, while 10.0% of the strains did not contain a cry1, cry2, or cry9 gene. Among the cry1 containing isolates, cry1A (67.7%), cry1I (60.6%), cry1C (43.9%), and cry1D (39.4%) genes were the most abundant. Forty-three different cry1 gene profiles were detected in this collection. Several cry1 genes were associated at a high frequency, such as the cry1C-cry1D and cry1A-cry1I gene combination. The cry1A and cry2 amplicons were digested with selected restriction enzymes to examine sequence diversity. Based on this RFLP analysis, one novel cry1A-type gene was observed.     

cry4Aa、cry4Ba和cryllAa基因在苏云金杆菌无晶体型菌株中的表达

利用穿梭载体pBU4,将苏云金杆菌以色列亚种(Bti)的cry4Aa、cry4Ba和cry11Aa基因分别转入Bti无晶体突变株4Q7中,获得了转化菌株Bt-B601、Bt-B611和Bt-B640.SDS-PAGE结果显示Cry4Aa、Cry4Ba和Cry11Aa蛋白均分别获得了表达.透射电镜下观察,转化菌株能产生球形或菱形伴胞晶体.转化菌株对敏感和抗性致倦库蚊及白纹伊蚊幼虫的生物测定结果显示Cry4Aa、Cry4Ba和Cry11Aa蛋白对库蚊和伊蚊的毒力较低,二元毒素抗性库蚊幼虫对Bti杀蚊毒素蛋白无明显的交叉抗性.     

Development of a baby's cry

The work is dedicated to studying of development of babies cries forms (systems of acoustic characteristics) during first half-year of life. The main cry functions in the system of baby's interaction with mother is being considered and the acoustic parameters to which mother reacts determining the cause of cry are being revealed.     

Ploidy in cyanobacteria

A recently developed real-time PCR method for the determination of genome copy numbers was optimized for the application to cyanobacteria. Three species were chosen to represent a fresh water species, a salt water species, and two strains of a widely used laboratory species. Synechococcus PCC 7942 and Synechococcus WH7803 were found to contain 3-4 genome copies per cell and are thus oligoploid, confirming earlier publications. In contrast, Synechocystis PCC 6803 is highly polyploid. The motile wild-type strain contains 218 genome copies in exponential phase and 58 genome copies in linear and in stationary growth phase. The GT wild-type strain contains 142 genome copies in exponential phase and 42 genome copies in linear and stationary growth phase. These are the highest numbers found for any cyanobacterial species. Notably these values are much higher than the value of 12 genome copies published for the 'Kazusa' strain more than 20 years ago. The results reveal that for Synechocystis PCC 6803 strain differences exist and that the ploidy level is highly growth phase-regulated. A compilation of the ploidy levels of all investigated cyanobacterial species gives an overview of the genome copy number distribution and shows that monoploid, oligoploid, and polyploid cyanobacteria exist.     

Cryptochrome photoreceptors cry1 and cry2 antagonistically regulate primary root elongation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cryptochromes are blue-light receptors controlling multiple aspects of plant growth and development. They are flavoproteins with significant homology to photolyases, but instead of repairing DNA they function by transducing blue light energy into a signal that can be recognized by the cellular signaling machinery. Here we report the effect of cry1 and cry2 blue light receptors on primary root growth in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings, through analysis of both cryptochrome-mutant and cryptochrome-overexpressing lines. Cry1 mutant seedlings show reduced root elongation in blue light while overexpressing seedlings show significantly increased elongation as compared to wild type controls. By contrast, the cry2 mutation has the opposite effect on root elongation growth as does cry1, demonstrating that cry1 and cry2 act antagonistically in this response pathway. The site of cryptochrome signal perception is within the shoot, and the inhibitor of auxin transport, 1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid, abolishes the differential effect of cryptochromes on root growth, suggesting the blue-light signal is transmitted from the shoot to the root by a mechanism that involves auxin. Primary root elongation in blue light may thereby involve interaction between cryptochrome and auxin signaling pathways.     

Characterization of cry9Da4, cry9Eb2, and cry9Ee1 genes from Bacillus thuringiensis strain T03B001

Three cry9 genes, cry9Da4, cry9Eb2, and cry9Ee1, were cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis strain T03B001 using a high-resolution melting analysis method. All three cry9 genes were overexpressed in Escherichia coli Rosetta (DE3), and the expressed products Cry9Eb2 and Cry9Ee1 were shown to be toxic to Plutella xylostella and Ostrinia furnacalis, but not to Helicoverpa armigera or Colaphellus bowringi. The bioassay of Cry9Eb2 and Cry9Ee1 against Cry1Ac-resistant P. xylostella strains indicated that both novel Cry9 toxins exhibited no cross-resistance with Cry1Ac. Cry9Eb2 and Cry9Ee1 can be applied not only for P. xylostella and O. furnacalis control, but also for the Cry1Ac-resistance management of pests.     

Dialysis cultivation of cyanobacteria

Various aspects and the significance of the dialysis cultivation method for physiology, ecology, and biotechnology are considered. In this method, the cell culture is separated by a semipermeable membrane with a medium volume that is greater by a factor of 5–10. Dialysis cultivation is a promising method for isolating symbiotic components, selecting bionts for mixed cultures, for exometabolite production, environmental monitoring, etc. Dialysis cultures are characterized by high rates of photosynthesis and growth and by a considerable increase in the duration of the stationary stage. The small volume of the dialysis bag contains high concentrations of physiologically active cells that can be used for the production of biomass and organic substances.     

Iron deprivation in cyanobacteria

Iron is an essential component of electron transport in almost all living organisms. It is particularly important to phototrophs like cyanobacteria because 22–23 irons are required for a complete functional photosynthetic apparatus. Since the low solubility of Fe⁺⁺⁺ above neutral pH in oxic ecosystems severely limits the biological availability of iron to aquatic microorganisms, cyanobacteria and other microbes have developed a number of responses to cope with iron deficiency. Cyanobacterial responses to iron stress include the synthesis of an efficient, siderophore-based system to scavenge iron and the substitution of ferredoxin with flavodoxin. An additional response in cyanobacteria involves the alteration of the light-harvesting apparatus that includes the appearance of a new, iron-stress-induced, photosystem II, chlorophyll-binding protein. Although cytochromec-553 has a potential non-iron-containing replacement in plastocyanin, a copper-containing protein, iron stress appears to favor the utilization of cytochromec-553 because siderophores also bind copper and form a complex that is excluded from the cell.This paper is intended primarily as a review of molecular and physiological responses of actively growing cyanobacterial cultures to conditions of iron stress, where iron is present but essentially insoluble, and to differentiate these responses from iron starvation, where the amount of iron in the system is not sufficient for cell growth.     

Heterospecific transformation among cyanobacteria

Heterospecific transformation occurred between cyanobacteria currently classified in either the genus Synechococcus or Synechocystis. Cyanobacterial strains 73109 and 6906 were capable of physiological transformation.     

Lactate dehydrogenases in cyanobacteria

NAD-linked lactate dehydrogenases specific for the D- and L-lactate have been demonstrated in a number of strains of unicellular cyanobacteria. The D-lactate dehydrogenase of one strain (Synechococcus 6716) was partially purified and its properties were studied. The enzyme has a molecular weight of ca. 115000-120000, is highly specific, autooxidizable, and susceptible to inhibition by iodoacetamide, oxamate and ATP. The possible physiological functions of the enzyme in the metabolism of the organism were investigated. D-lactate carbon was incorporated in cell material during photosynthetic growth with CO2, but lactate was not used as sole source for carbon for photosynthetic or chemosynthetic development. D-lactate and pyruvate were oxidized aerobically in the dark by resting cell suspensions with the assimilation mainly of the C2 and the C3 carbon atoms. In the oxidation of lactate, acetate was excreted into the medium. No fermentation of glucose was found, but a small amount of D-lactate was detected as a product of endogenous dark metabolism of the cell. All enzymes required for the production of lactate from glucose and from glycogen were found in exponentially growing cells, but the activity of some key enzymes was low or undetectable in old cultures.