Bacillus thuringiensis: a successful insecticide with new environmental features and tidings

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is known as the most successful microbial insecticide against different orders of insect pests in agriculture and medicine. Moreover, Bt toxin genes also have been efficiently used to enhance resistance to insect pests in genetically modified crops. In light of the scientific advantages of new molecular biology technologies, recently, some other new potentials of Bt have been explored. These new environmental features include the toxicity against nematodes, mites, and ticks, antagonistic effects against plant and animal pathogenic bacteria and fungi, plant growth-promoting activities (PGPR), bioremediation of different heavy metals and other pollutants, biosynthesis of metal nanoparticles, production of polyhydroxyalkanoate biopolymer, and anticancer activities (due to parasporins). This review comprehensively describes recent advances in the Bt whole-genome studies, the last updated known Bt toxins and their functions, and application of cry genes in plant genetic engineering. Moreover, the review thoroughly describes the new features of Bt which make it a suitable cell factory that might be used for production of different novel valuable bioproducts.

     

Effect of hexane and humidity on self-incompatibility in Brassica oleracea

Summary The effects of hexane, high humidity, flower age and temperature in overcoming the self-incompatibility of Brassica oleracea were studied using three plants, each of which was homozygous for a different dominant S-allele. Hexane had a significant effect in all cases, but the size of the effect varied considerably. In one plant there was a marked interaction between the effect of hexane, humidity and flower age, but temperature had relatively little effect. In another plant high humidity alone gave a very much greater response than hexane alone. This plant gave as many self-seeds from the high humidity treatment as from bud selfing, indicating that the incompatibility reaction was almost completely overcome by the high humidity. The results are discussed in the light of current views of the mechanism of incompatibility in Brassica.     

Effect of regeneration procedures on the genetic integrity of Brassica oleracea accessions

A Brassica oleracea collection of landraces collected in the northwest of Spain is kept at the Gene Bank placed at ‘Misión Biológica de Galicia’. Landraces of the collection are regenerated from time to time to restore the viability of the seed and to carry on field trials. The objective of this work is to study the effect of regeneration on the genetic integrity of three accessions of this collection, and to investigate the possible causes of the genetic changes observed. After characterizing the original populations and their following regenerated populations by 25 SSRs we concluded that there were significant changes in the population structure and the allelic frequency of individual loci due to the action of genetic drift, directional selection and probably assortative mating. Protocols to store and regenerate the accessions should be improved in order to avoid the effect of these forces in the genetic integrity of the collection. Research supported by the project PIE20064-01-089 and the Excma. Diputación Provincial de Pontevedra, Spain.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Brassica napus and Brassica oleracea

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation is widely used for gene delivery in plants. However, commercial cultivars of crop plants are often recalcitrant to transformation because the protocols established for model varieties are not directly applicable to them. The genus Brassica includes the oil seed crop, canola (B. napus), and vegetable crop varieties of Brassica oleracea, including cauliflower, broccoli and cabbage. Here, we describe an efficient protocol for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation using seedling explants that is applicable to various Brassica varieties; this protocol has been used to genetically engineer commercial cultivars of canola and cauliflower in our laboratory. Young seedling explants are inoculated with Agrobacterium on the day of explant preparation. Explants are grown for 1 week in the absence of a selective agent before being transferred to a selective medium to recover transgenic shoots. Transgenic shoots are subjected to an additional round of selection on medium containing higher levels of the selective agent and a low-carbohydrate source; this helps to eliminate false-positive plants. Use of seedling explants offers flexible experiment planning and a convenient explant source. Using this protocol, transgenic plants can be obtained in 2.5 to 3.5 months.     

The Effect of Brassica oleracea Stigma Extracts on the Germination of B. oleracea Pollen in a Thin Layer Chromatographic Bioassay

Hodgkin, T. and Lyon, G. D 1986. The effect of Brassica oleraceastigma extracts on the germination of B. oleracea pollen ina thin layer chromatographic bioassay.—J. exp. Bot. 37:406–411. A procedure for germinating Brassica oleracea pollen on thinlayer chromatography plates pretreated with 20 mol m^–3tris(hydroxymethyl) methyl-aminopropanesulphonic acid (TAPS)buffer, pH 8·0 has been devised and used to detect pollengermination inhibitors in B. oleracea stigma extracts. Inhibitory zones in extracts of stigmas, unpollinated, or collected0·5, 4, 8 and 24 h after self- or cross-pollination,differed little in R_F values and sizes. Extracts of stigmascollected 1 h and 2 h after self-pollination gave a small additionalinhibitory zone which was not detected in 1 h and 2 h cross-pollinatedstigma extracts. The results showed some differences from thoseobtained using Petunia hybrida pollen germinated on T.L.C. platesthat were not pretreated with buffer. The nature of the differencesbetween the two bioassays is discussed and some possible reasonsfor them indicated. Key words: Pollen, germination inhibitors, self-incompatibility, Brassica oleracea     

Field evaluation of the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis serotype H-14 against floodwater mosquitoes.

Four experimental formulations of the microbial insecticide Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (serotype H-14) were evaluated in the field against larvae of the floodwater mosquitoes Aedes nigromaculis and Psorophora columbiae with ground and aerial application methods. The formulations included ABG-6108D (Abbott Laboratories, North Chicago, Ill.), a wettable powder containing about 400 IU/mg, Sandoz 402-WDC (Sadoz, Inc., Homestead, Fla.), a flowable concentrate containing 600 IU/mg, and two wettable powder formulations of Bactimos (Biochem Products, Montchanin, Del.), one with 3,000 IU/mg and the other with 6,000 IU/mg. Trials against both species indicated they were similar in susceptibility to B. thuringiensis var. israelensis (serotype H-14), and that by using ground application methods, populations of second and third instars could be reduced by 83 to 100% with ABG-6108 and Sandoz 402-WDC at 0.56 to 1.12 kg/ha and with Bactimos (6,000 IU/mg) at 0.44 kg/ha. When applied aerially, approximately two to three times the ground rates had to be used to obtain similar population reductions. Fourth instars were difficult to control, requiring approximately 1.5 to 2 times the rates required for the earlier instars to obtain 80 to 100% reductions. However, these rates were not sufficient to obtain adequate control if larvae were late fourth instars.     

叶面分离苏云金芽孢杆菌的研究进展

苏云金芽孢杆菌是一种在芽孢形成的同时能形成杀虫晶体蛋白的细菌,广泛存在于土壤、昆虫、贮藏物、仓库尘埃、植被等昆虫接触物上.植物叶片作为Bt分离的重要来源,目前对这方面的研究相对较少,国内刚刚起步.本文就叶面分离Bt的研究成果、叶片采样及分离方法进行阐述.     

Comparison of the genetic maps of Brassica napus and Brassica oleracea

 The genus Brassica consists of several hundreds of diploid and amphidiploid species. Most of the diploid species have eight, nine or ten pairs of chromosomes, known respectively as the B, C, and A genomes. Genetic maps were constructed for both B. napus and B. oleracea using mostly RFLP and RAPD markers. For the B. napus linkage map, 274 RFLPs, 66 RAPDs, and two STS loci were arranged in 19 major linkage groups and ten smaller unassigned segments, covering a genetic distance of 2125 cM. A genetic map of B. oleracea was constructed using the same set of RFLP probes and RAPD primers. The B. oleracea map consisted of 270 RFLPs, 31 RAPDs, one STS, three SCARs, one phenotypic and four isozyme marker loci, arranged into nine major linkage groups and four smaller unassigned segments, covering a genetic distance of 1606 cM. Comparison of the B. napus and B. oleracea linkage maps showed that eight out of nine B. oleracea linkage groups were conserved in the B. napus map. There were also regions in the B. oleracea map showing homoeologies with more than one linkage group in the B. napus map. These results provided molecular evidence for B. oleracea, or a closely related 2n=18 Brassica species, as the C-genome progenitor, and also reflected on the homoeology between the A and C genomes in B. napus. Received: 14 June 1996 / Accepted: 11 October 1996     

Effect of gramicidin D on the exoprotease activity of Bacillus thuringiensis

A treatment of Bacillus thuringiensis cells with gramicidine D in the medium containing the yeast and polysaccharides increases the lag-phase up to 12 h without a change of the rate during the logarithmic phase of the culture growth. The exoprotease activity of cells treated with gramicidine reaches a maximum value 4 h earlier in comparison with the control culture, and the activity level is increased 2-fold. At a concentration increasing the exoprotease activity, gramicidine was found to induce the permeability of Bac. thuringiensis membranes for potassium ions. An additional introduction of 250 mM KCl or NaCl into the medium inhibits only the exoprotease activity of cells treated with gramicidine. It is assumed that the ability of gramicidine to increase the exoprotease activity of Bac. thuringiensis may be due to a change in the intrabacterial ionic composition.     

Effect of temperature and aeration on Bacillus thuringiensis growth and sporulation

The growth of Bacillus thuringiensis was studied as a function of temperature and aeration. The vegetative growth, the yield of viable spores and their thermoresistance did not depend, for all practical purposes, on the rate of aeration within the range of 25 to 60 mg O2 per litre per minute. A rise of temperature from 20 to 35 degrees C doubled the titre of spores and increased their thermoresistance. When the temperature of cultivation was increased to 40 degrees C, the process of spore formation was inhibited.     

Effect of mineral salts on exotoxin formation and productivity of a Bacillus thuringiensis culture

The effect of ten mineral salts on the productivity and toxin synthesis was studied in Bacillus thuringiensis IPM-1140. Exotoxin synthesis was stimulated by Zn2+, Mn2+ and NH4+ ions as well as by potassium phosphates. The direct correlation between the number of viable spores and the exotoxin accumulation was disordered at extreme salt concentrations. Optimal salt concentrations in the yeast-polysaccharide medium were found using the method of a fractional factor experiment, which made it possible to increase the productivity of the culture to 5 X 10(9) spores/ml and the yield of the exotoxin to 730 micrograms/ml. The thermoresistance and the entomopathogenic activity of crystals increased when B. thuringiensis IPM-1140 was grown in this medium.     

苏云金芽胞杆菌clpP基因缺失对碱刺激敏感性的影响

[目的]比较苏云金芽胞杆菌与枯草芽胞杆菌在碱性培养条件下生长情况,明确clpp基因在碱刺激条件下的作用.[方法]采用同源重组技术敲除苏云金芽胞杆菌HD73菌株clpP基因,通过在不同pH下生长曲线的测定明确了clpP基因缺失突变体对碱性环境的敏感性,测定clpp基因的缺失对芽胞形成率、芽胞萌发效率和盐胁迫的影响.[结果]苏云金芽胞杆菌在碱刺激后,当培养基pH值为8.9-9.1时可以恢复生长,而枯草芽胞杆菌在pH值为8.2-8.4时可以恢复生长,说明苏云金芽胞杆菌对碱性环境适应能力更强,这有助于作为病原菌的Bt适应昆虫中肠的碱性环境.clpp基因缺失对芽胞形成率和萌发效率没有明显的影响.在将培养基中NaOH终浓度调节至30 mmol/L NaOH时,clpp基因缺失突变体的生长较出发菌株慢.说明ClpP在苏云金芽胞杆菌对碱性环境的适应过程中具有重要作用.     

恒定磁场对苏云金芽孢杆菌的生长及毒力的影响

目的:研究恒定磁场对苏云金芽孢杆菌的生长和毒力的影响.方法:通过0-100 Gs的恒定磁场下对苏云金芽孢杆菌G-02、HD-1菌株的发酵,测定其生长和毒力的变化.结果:G-02、HD-1菌株分别在磁场强度43Gs和14Gs条件下发酵48h后的芽孢量和毒力达到最高,芽孢增长比分别为1.26和2.0,毒力增效比分别为1.27和1.25,苏云金芽孢杆菌G-02适宜的磁场强度为43-50Gs,HD-1菌株为7-29Gs.结论:低磁场强度对两种菌株的生长有一定的促进作用,而高强度磁场会对其生长产生抑制作用.     

Effect of amino acids on exoprotease synthesis by Bacillus thuringiensis

The influence of certain L-amino acids and their mixtures on the synthesis of exoprotease from Bacillus thuringiensis was studied. Physiological experiments showed that the mixture of 20 amino acids added to the artificial medium repressed the synthesis of exoprotease. Among the compounds studied there are both the compounds which stimulate the synthesis of exoprotease (glutamic and aspartic acids, glycine), and the compounds which repress the synthesis of the enzyme (proline, tryptophane, tyrosine, asparagine, serine, cystein). None of the amino acids caused a change in the exoprotease activity. It has been assumed that the repression of the protease synthesis in the presence of the amino acids is accomplished by ammonium ions, which are formed when using the amino acids of Bac. thuringiensis. The glutamine synthetase activity of cells was determined during the growth of Bac. thuringiensis both on a medium containing triptone and after the addition of certain amino acids to the cell suspension. The correlation between the influence of different amino acids on the synthesis of exoprotease and the glutamine synthetase activity was demonstrated.     

Fractionation by centrifugation of leaf proteins from Brassica napus, Brassica oleracea, Helianthus annuus and Atriplex hortensis as a function of pH and temperature

Chlorophyll-free leaf protein concentrates for human consumption can be produced after separation of the chlorophyll-associated protein from the rest of the leaf protein. This protein separation was studied in four plant species using heat fractiona-tion. Press juice was prepared on a laboratory scale from field grown Atriplex hortensis, Brassica napus. Brassica oleracea and Helianthus annuus. Some further experiments were made with greenhouse grown plant material. After adjustment of pH to values between 4.0 and 8.0 the press juice was heated in water baths at 20, 35, 40, 45, 50, 55 and 60°C with or without 20 min holding time at appropriate temperature. Thereafter the juices were briefly centrifuged at 2500g. The protein content of the sediment was determined and the colour of the supernatant was observed. The species showed different protein sedimentation patterns, especially at neutral and weakly alkaline pH. Brassica napus had rapidly sedimenting proteins, low temperature was sufficient for complete sedimentation of chlorophyll-associated proteins and gave a high percentage of the total press juice protein as chlorophyll-free protein. Atriplex hortensis had slowly sedimenting proteins irrespective of temperature, required high temperature for complete sedimentation of chlorophyll-associated proteins and gave a low percentage chlorophyll-free proteins. Brassica oleracea and Helianthus annuus showed intermediated properties. Reasons for these differences among the species are discussed.     

Alignment of the conserved C genomes of Brassica oleracea and Brassica napus

A population of 169 microspore-derived doubled-haploid lines was produced from a highly polymorphic Brassica oleracea cross. A dense genetic linkage map of B. oleracea was then developed based on the segregation of 303 RFLP-defined loci. It is hoped that these lines will be used by other geneticists to facilitate the construction of a unified genetic map of B. oleracea. When the B. oleracea map was compared to one ofB. napus (Parkin et al. 1995), based on the same RFLP probes (Sharpe et al. 1995), good collinearity between the C-genome linkage groups of the two species was observed.     

添加剂对苏云金杆菌制剂杀虫效果的影响

供试13种化学物质中,12种物质对Bt制剂的杀虫效果有增效作用,各物质的不同质量浓度对杀虫效果影响差异显,在1g/L的剂量以下,多数添加剂的增效作用,随剂量的增加而增强,添加0．5g/L巯基乙醇增效作用最佳,增效倍数达3．61倍,0．5g/L的甲酸和尿素,及0．1g/L碳酸钾具有较好的增效作用,增效倍数分别为2．52,2．32和2．56和2．56倍,0．5g/L的马来酸,氯化钙,乙二胺四乙酸,氯化镁,硼酸,碳酸钠和1g/L的柠檬酸,磷酸氢二钾8种添加剂的增效倍数为0．53－1．88倍。