Diversity of locations for Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein genes.

The location of crystal protein genes in 22 crystalliferous Bacillus thuringiensis strains representing 14 subspecies was investigated by hybridization of an intragenic restriction fragment from a cloned crystal protein gene to whole plasmid preparations. Hybridization was found to a single plasmid in eight strains, to more than one plasmid in seven strains, and to one or both of two large, unresolved plasmids in two strains. The sizes of the hybridized plasmids ranged from 33 to over 150 megadaltons. In one additional subspecies, hybridization was only to linear DNA fragments, suggesting a chromosomal crystal protein gene, and for four other subspecies, not reported to be toxic to lepidopteran insects, no hybridization was found to either plasmids or to total cell DNA. Hybridization to restriction digests of plasmids and total cell DNA of several strains of subspecies thuringiensis and kurstaki revealed that all homology to the cloned crystal protein gene was plasmid associated and that several of these strains contained multiple regions of homology, implying the presence of multiple crystal protein genes.     

Efficient transformation of Bacillus thuringiensis requires nonmethylated plasmid DNA.

The transformation efficiency of Bacillus thuringiensis depends upon the source of plasmid DNA. DNA isolated from B. thuringiensis, Bacillus megaterium, or a Dam- Dcm- Escherichia coli strain efficiently transformed several B. thuringiensis strains, B. thuringiensis strains were grouped according to which B. thuringiensis backgrounds were suitable sources of DNA for transformation of other B. thuringiensis strains, suggesting that B. thuringiensis strains differ in DNA modification and restriction. Efficient transformation allowed the demonstration of developmental regulation of cloned crystal protein genes in B. thuringiensis.     

Molecular genetic studies of the DNA promotor regions in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. galleriae 69-6. I. Structural and functional analysis

Three recombinant plasmids pPBT9, pPBT10 and pPBT74 carrying promoter-containing regions of DNA of Bacillus thuringiensis which are responsible for the expression of the promoterless tet gene, were studied. In the in vitro experiments, it had been shown that these promoter-active HindIII fragments of bacillar DNA contained RNA polymerase binding sites. The AluI subfragments that specifically bind to Escherichia coli RNA polymerase promote the tet gene expression, similar to the whole HindIII fragments. Sequence analysis revealed that the approximately 220 base pair AluI subfragment of the bacillar insertion of the pPBT10 plasmid contained sites typical for "-10" and "-35" homology regions of promoters specific for sigma 55-RNA polymerase from Bac. subtilis. The 1.45 kb HindII bacillar fragment of the plasmid pPBT9 had three AluI subfragments that bind to E. coli RNA polymerase. Only approximately 400 base pair AluI subfragment among these restored the tet gene expression in vivo. Bireplicon pBP plasmids were constructed that promoted the expression of the enterobacterial antibiotic resistance gene under the control of Bac. thuringiensis promoters in Bac. subtilis cells.     

Unique regulation of crystal protein production in Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis is mediated by the cry protein-encoding 103-megadalton plasmid.

In sporulating cultures of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis HD977, two cell types are observed: cells forming only spores and cells forming only crystals. Curing analysis suggested that the crystal proteins are plasmid encoded. Through plasmid transfer experiments, it was established that a 103-MDa plasmid is involved in the crystal production. Conjugal transfer of this plasmid to Cry- recipient cells of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73-26 conferred the ability to produce crystals exclusively on asporogenous cells of the recipient, indicating that the 103-MDa plasmid mediates the unique regulation of Cry protein production. When the dipteran-specific cryIVB gene was introduced into wild-type (Cry+) and Cry- backgrounds of B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis by phage CP51ts45-mediated transduction, similar to all other B. thuringiensis strains, irregular crystals of CryIVB protein were produced by spore-forming cells in both backgrounds. However, the synthesis of the bipyramidal inclusions of B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis was still limited only to asporogenous cells of the transductant. Thus, it appears that the unique property of exclusive crystal formation in asporogenous cells of B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis is associated with the crystal protein gene(s) per se or its cis acting elements. As the crystals in B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis were formed only in asporogenous cells, attempts were made to find out whether crystal formation had any inhibitory effect on sporulation. It was observed that both Cry+ and Cry- strains of B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis (HD977 and HD977-1, respectively) exhibited comparable sporulation efficiencies. In addition, the Cry- B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki host (HD73-26) and its Cry+ transconjugant (HD73-26-16), expressing the B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis crystal protein, were also comparable in their sporulation efficiencies, indicating that production of the crystal proteins of B. thuringiensis subsp. yunnanensis does not affect the process of sporulation.     

Protein composition of crystals (delta-endotoxin) of different serotypes of Bac. thuringiensis]

The crystals of entomopathogenic protein from Bac. thuringiensis contain admixtures of proteinases adhering to their surfaces. A newly developed technique of protease inactivation allowed to estimate the true protein composition of the crystals of various strains of Bac. thuringiensis. It was shown that the crystals of all strains (with the exception of V and VIII) are composed of only one protein with molecular weights of 145,000, 135,000 and 130,000, depending on the strain. The crystals of serotype VIII and the majority of the V serotype strains have two proteins with molecular weights of 135,000 and 130,000. A method for estimation of the protein composition of crystal without their preliminary isolation from a crystal--spore mixture is proposed.     

Recent aspects of genetic manipulation in Bacillus thuringiensis

The conjugative plasmid pAM beta 1 was transferred from Streptococcus faecalis to several strains of Bacillus thuringiensis by a filter-mating process. From a transconjugant clone of B. thuringiensis a hybrid plasmid resulting from an in vivo insertion into pAM beta 1 of a 3 Md DNA sequence was isolated. This 3 Md DNA molecule (Th sequence) is related to several host plasmids found in different serotypes of B. thuringiensis. A reciprocal conjugation-like process involving the transfer of pAM beta 1 from B. thuringiensis to S. faecalis was also demonstrated. The comparison of the restriction maps of the crystal genes from plasmid and chromosomal origins of different serotypes, six of which having been cloned in E. coli, revealed the existence of two classes of genes which are very similar in the map corresponding to the N-terminal part of the protein, and which differ essentially in the 3' region. The presence of the transposon-like Th sequence was found in several cases associated with the crystal gene in the same host plasmid, and a model for their structural organization is proposed.     

Cloning and expression of the lepidopteran toxin produced by Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis in Escherichia coli

The Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis strain 3A produces a proteinaceous parasporal crystal toxic to larvae of a variety of lepidopteran pests including Spodoptera littoralis (Egyptian cotton leaf worm), Heliothis zeae, H. virescens and Boarmia selenaria. By cloning of individual plasmids of B. thuringiensis in Escherichia coli, we localized a gene coding for the delta-endotoxin on the B. thuringiensis plasmid of about 17 kb designated pTN4. Following partial digestion of the B. thuringiensis plasmid pTN4 and cloning into the E. coli pACYC184 plasmid three clones were isolated in which toxin production was detected. One of these hybrid plasmids pTNG43 carried a 1.7-kb insert that hybridized to the 14-kb BamHI DNA fragments of B. thuringiensis var. thuringiensis strains 3A and berliner 1715. This BamHI DNA fragment of strain berliner 1715 has been shown to contain the gene that codes for the toxic protein of the crystal (Klier et al., 1982). No homologous sequences have been found between pTNG33 and the DNA of B. thuringiensis var. entomocidus strain 24, which exhibited insecticidal activity against S. littoralis similar to that of strain 3A.     

A transposon-like structure related to the delta-endotoxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis.

A DNA segment (Th-sequence) has been found in several strains of Bacillus thuringiensis. This Th-sequence [3 megadaltons (Md)] induces adjacent deletions when it is located in the pAM beta 1 plasmid derived from Streptococcus faecalis. Electron microscopic examination of reannealed single strands of one plasmid (pMT9) carrying such a deletion revealed that the Th-sequence corresponds to a single-stranded loop (2.8 Md) bounded by a short double-stranded stem (less than 0.2 Md). Southern blotting experiments established that in B. thuringiensis the Th-sequence was generally located on the large plasmid which also harbours the gene coding for the delta-endotoxin (crystal protein). Hybridization and heteroduplex analysis of the extrachromosomal DNA from the berliner 1715 strain demonstrated that the crystal gene and the Th-sequence are located in close vicinity on a 42-Md plasmid and that they are separated by a 1.3-Md DNA segment. This DNA segment is repeated in inverted orientation, once immediately adjacent to the Th-sequence and once 1.8 Md beyond the crystal gene. A model for the organization of these DNA sequences inside a transposon-like structure is proposed.     

Cloning of an insecticidal toxin gene of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis and its expression in Escherichia coli cells

Abstract A structural gene of a crystal protein toxic for coleoptera larvae was cloned from plasmid DNA of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. tenebrionis (BTT). The DNA was partially digested with restriction enzyme Bam HI and fragments were inserted into cosmid pHC79. In Western blot analysis extracts from infected Escherichia coli cells revealed expression of the BTT crystal protein in antibiotic-resistant cells. Cell lysates from a selected E. coli clone were toxic for larvae of the Colorado potato beetle ( Leptinotarsa decemlineata ). The electrophoretic mobility in SDS gels of crystal protein from E. coli cells was 68 kDa and 74 kDa as observed for BTT-toxin in B. thuringiensis extracts. The cosmids obtained were unstable during cellular propagation. The deletion product still carried the δ-endotoxin gene.     

杀鞘翅目幼虫Bt菌株YM—03的δ—内毒素基因定位

苏云金芽孢杆菌（Bacillusthuringiensis）的morrisoni亚种YM－03（8a8b）是本实验室分离的对鞘翅目幼虫有高毒力的菌株。经PCR产物分析它含有cry3A基因,产生68ku的毒素蛋白。经质粒图谱分析,该菌株含有3个质粒,其大小分别为83,72,9Mu。以cry3A基因的PCR产物片段为模板标记探针,与YM－03总DNA杂交,结果显示该菌的δ－内毒素基因定位于染色体上,有望构建出稳定遗传的广谱工程菌。     

Cloning and comparative characteristics of genes coding two structurally distant delta-endotoxins of Bacillus thuringiensis var. galleriae and kurstaki

Representative total DNA libraries of Bac. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (strain Dipel) and galleriae (strain 11-67) have been constructed on the basis of phasmid vector lambda pSL5. Recombinant phasmid clones, carrying delta-endotoxin-coding genes of both subspecies have been isolated by means of immunoenzyme screening. Restriction mapping and partial nucleotide sequence determination have demonstrated that phasmid lambda pOC2, isolated from var. kurstaki DNA library, contains the complete delta-endotoxin-coding gene, identical to the one, described by Schnepf H.E. et al. J. Biol. Chem. 1985. V. 260. P. 6264. Recombinant phasmids lambda pOC10 and 11 have been shown to contain the full-sized gene, coding delta-endotoxin of Bac. thuringiensis var. galleriae. The protein products of the cloned genes have been characterized by Western-blot analysis and bioassays. The absence of substantial homology of two genes, evidenced by Southern-blot hybridisation, correlates with sufficiently big differences in biological specificity of the corresponding proteins. This is in accordance with our previous data on N-terminal amino acid sequence determination of delta-endotoxins of those subspecies of Bac. thuringiensis.     

Vegetative expression of the delta-endotoxin genes of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in Bacillus subtilis.

Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki total DNA was digested with BglII and cloned into the BamHI site of plasmid pUC9 in Escherichia coli. A recombinant plasmid, pHBHE, expressed a protein of 135,000 daltons that was toxic to caterpillars. A HincII-SmaI double digest of pHBHE was then ligated to BglII-cut plasmid pBD64 and introduced into Bacillus subtilis by transformation. The transformants were identified by colony hybridization and confirmed by Southern blot hybridization. A 135,000-dalton protein which bound to an antibody specific for the crystal protein of B. thuringiensis was detected from the B. subtilis clones containing the toxin gene insert in either orientation. A toxin gene insert cloned into a PvuII site distal from the two drug resistance genes of the pBD64 vector also expressed a 135,000-dalton protein. These results suggest that the toxin gene is transcribed from its own promoter. Western blotting of proteins expressed at various stages of growth revealed that the crystal protein expression in B. subtilis begins early in the vegetative phase, while in B. thuringiensis it is concomitant with the onset of sporulation. The cloned genes when transferred to a nonsporulating strain of B. subtilis also expressed a 135,000-dalton protein. These results suggest that toxin gene expression in B. subtilis is independent of sporulation. Another toxin gene encoding a 130,000- to 135,000-dalton protein was cloned in E. coli from a library of B. thuringiensis genes established in lambda 1059. This gene was then subcloned in B. subtilis. The cell extracts from both clones were toxic to caterpillars. Electron microscope studies revealed the presence of an irregular crystal inclusion in E. coli and a well-formed bipyramidal crystal in B. subtilis clones similar to the crystals found in B. thuringiensis.     

The role of plasmids in the regulation of delta-endotoxin synthesis in Bacillus thuringiensis H14

The role of plasmids in regulation of delta-endotoxin synthesis by Bacillus thuringiensis H14 was studied. The derivatives of strain Is-1 H14 containing a 4Md plasmid integrated into the chromosome synthesize small crystals and are not toxic for the gnat larvae. The transceptional transfer into this strain of a plasmid coding for crystal synthesis from the strain 69-6 serotype H5 results in restoration of insecticidal activity to the level of the parental strain Is-1. Transcipients activity is increased 10-15 fold in case of 4Md plasmid excision from the chromosome and autonomous functioning. Evidently, 4Md plasmid from the strain Is-1 as well as a plasmid coding for crystal synthesis from the strain 69-6 contains the regulatory elements participating in the expression of crystalline protein genes localized on other plasmids. The existence of two cellular regulatory groups is supposed to result in the significant increase in crystalline protein synthesis.     

The multiple effect of plasmid RP4::Mu cts 62 in transcipient bacilli

Transfer of conjugative hybrid plasmid RP4::Mu cts 62 from Escherichia coli into Bac. cereus, Bac. thuringiensis, Bac. mesentericus and Bac. polymyxa cells led to the multiple effects on the structure and physiology of bacillus cells. It has resulted in a decrease of the bacillus vitality, in the accelerated autolytic decay of cells, in the delay of cell growth and reproduction rate in liquid and solid media, in the disruption of ultrastructure of the cell membrane and its surface layer.     

苏云金芽胞杆菌的遗传多样性II. 杀虫晶体蛋白及其基因型

苏云金芽胞杆菌因为产生伴胞晶体而在表型上区别于其他近缘种,而伴胞晶体具有杀虫活性而受到人们的普遍关注和重视。本文通过杀虫晶体蛋白及其基因型,以及携带杀虫晶体蛋白基因的质粒类型在苏云金芽胞杆菌中的不同分布阐述了杀虫晶体蛋白及其基因的多态性。 Abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis is phenotypically different from other Bacillus species,which are very closely related to B. thuringiensis.only by the presence of crystal protein,and is studied systematically because of insecticidal activity of crystal protein.In the aper,we reviewed genetic diversity of insecticidal crystal protein and its genotype by analysing the type of crystal protein,cry gene and plasmid bome cry gene and their distribution inB. thuringiensis.     

Modulation of DNA synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae nuclear extract by DNA polymerases and the origin recognition complex

We have analyzed the modulation of DNA synthesis on a supercoiled plasmid DNA template by DNA polymerases (pol), minichromosome maintenance protein complex (Mcm), topoisomerases, and the origin recognition complex (ORC) using an in vitro assay system. Antisera specific against the four-subunit pol alpha, the catalytic subunit of pol delta, and the Mcm467 complex each inhibited DNA synthesis. However, DNA synthesis in this system appeared to be independent of polepsilon. Consequently, DNA synthesis in the in vitro system appeared to depend only on two polymerases, alpha and delta, as well as the Mcm467 DNA helicase. This system requires supercoiled plasmid DNA template and DNA synthesis absolutely required DNA topoisomerase I. In addition, we also report here a novel finding that purified recombinant six subunit ORC significantly stimulated the DNA synthesis on a supercoiled plasmid DNA template containing an autonomously replicating sequence, ARS1.     

Specific phages used for differentiation of the entomopathogenic bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis]

The sensitivity to specific phages and morphological, physiological, and antigenic properties were compared among several strains of Bacillus thuringiensis isolated from insects inhabiting various geographical zones. All 43 cultures assigned to Bac. thuringiensis var. sotto and 198 among 170 cultures classed as Bac. thuringiensis var. dendrolimus were found to belong to Bac. thuringiensis var. dendrolimus. None of these cultures was resistant to its specific phage. The same was true of 22 studied cultures of Bac. thuringiensis var. galleriae. Only two among studied 45 cultures of Bac. thuringiensis var. thuringiensis were resistant to phages specific for this variety. Therefore, the abundance of variants resistant to specific phages in natural conditions differs among the varieties of Bac. thuringiensis. In most cases, cultures of the same variety of Bac. thuringiensis isolated from various insects inhabiting different geographical zones are identical by their sensitivity to specific phages and by other important characteristics.     

Inverted repeat sequences flank a Bacillus thuringiensis crystal protein gene.

Two sets of inverted repeat DNA sequences, IR2150 and IR1750, were discovered flanking the crystal protein gene on the 75-kilobase plasmid of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73. A restriction map of ca. 40 kilobases around the crystal protein gene was constructed, and the positions of the copies of IR2150 and IR1750 were determined. Three copies of IR2150 were found flanking the crystal protein gene in an inverted orientation, and one partial and three intact copies of IR1750 were found in both inverted and direct orientations around the gene. Hybridization experiments with fragments from within IR2150 and IR1750 demonstrated the presence of multiple copies of these sequences on the chromosome of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD73 and also revealed a strong correlation between the presence of these sequences and the presence of the crystal protein gene on plasmids from 14 strains of B. thuringiensis.