Post by Admin on Apr 7, 2012 18:25:00 GMT -5
This sure looks like some of what I've dealt with; how about you?
CR
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mmbr.asm.org/content/62/3/775.full
Bacillus thuringiensis and Its Pesticidal Crystal Proteins
E. Schnepf1,
N. Crickmore2,
J. Van Rie3,
D. Lereclus4,
J. Baum5,
J. Feitelson1,
D. R. Zeigler6, and
D. H. Dean6,*
+ Author Affiliations
Mycogen Corp., San Diego, California 921211;
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom2;
Plant Genetic Systems, n.v., Ghent, Belgium3;
Unité de Biochimie Microbienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France4;
Ecogen, Inc., Langhorne, Pennsylvania 190475; and
Department of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 432106
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SUMMARY
During the past decade the pesticidal bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been the subject of intensive research. These efforts have yielded considerable data about the complex relationships between the structure, mechanism of action, and genetics of the organism’s pesticidal crystal proteins, and a coherent picture of these relationships is beginning to emerge. Other studies have focused on the ecological role of the B. thuringiensis crystal proteins, their performance in agricultural and other natural settings, and the evolution of resistance mechanisms in target pests. Armed with this knowledge base and with the tools of modern biotechnology, researchers are now reporting promising results in engineering more-useful toxins and formulations, in creating transgenic plants that express pesticidal activity, and in constructing integrated management strategies to insure that these products are utilized with maximum efficiency and benefit.
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GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
The leading biorational pesticide,Bacillus thuringiensis, is a ubiquitous gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that forms a parasporal crystal during the stationary phase of its growth cycle. B. thuringiensis was initially characterized as an insect pathogen, and its insecticidal activity was attributed largely or completely (depending on the insect) to the parasporal crystals. This observation led to the development of bioinsecticides based on B. thuringiensis for the control of certain insect species among the orders Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera (for a review, see reference 33). There are more recent reports of B. thuringiensis isolates active against other insect orders (Hymenoptera, Homoptera, Orthoptera, and Mallophaga) and against nematodes, mites, and protozoa (109,110). B. thuringiensis is already a useful alternative or supplement to synthetic chemical pesticide application in commercial agriculture, forest management, and mosquito control. It is also a key source of genes for transgenic expression to provide pest resistance in plants.
CR
------------------------------------------------
mmbr.asm.org/content/62/3/775.full
Bacillus thuringiensis and Its Pesticidal Crystal Proteins
E. Schnepf1,
N. Crickmore2,
J. Van Rie3,
D. Lereclus4,
J. Baum5,
J. Feitelson1,
D. R. Zeigler6, and
D. H. Dean6,*
+ Author Affiliations
Mycogen Corp., San Diego, California 921211;
School of Biological Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom2;
Plant Genetic Systems, n.v., Ghent, Belgium3;
Unité de Biochimie Microbienne, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France4;
Ecogen, Inc., Langhorne, Pennsylvania 190475; and
Department of Biochemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 432106
+ Navigate This Article
Next Section
SUMMARY
During the past decade the pesticidal bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis has been the subject of intensive research. These efforts have yielded considerable data about the complex relationships between the structure, mechanism of action, and genetics of the organism’s pesticidal crystal proteins, and a coherent picture of these relationships is beginning to emerge. Other studies have focused on the ecological role of the B. thuringiensis crystal proteins, their performance in agricultural and other natural settings, and the evolution of resistance mechanisms in target pests. Armed with this knowledge base and with the tools of modern biotechnology, researchers are now reporting promising results in engineering more-useful toxins and formulations, in creating transgenic plants that express pesticidal activity, and in constructing integrated management strategies to insure that these products are utilized with maximum efficiency and benefit.
Previous SectionNext Section
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
The leading biorational pesticide,Bacillus thuringiensis, is a ubiquitous gram-positive, spore-forming bacterium that forms a parasporal crystal during the stationary phase of its growth cycle. B. thuringiensis was initially characterized as an insect pathogen, and its insecticidal activity was attributed largely or completely (depending on the insect) to the parasporal crystals. This observation led to the development of bioinsecticides based on B. thuringiensis for the control of certain insect species among the orders Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Coleoptera (for a review, see reference 33). There are more recent reports of B. thuringiensis isolates active against other insect orders (Hymenoptera, Homoptera, Orthoptera, and Mallophaga) and against nematodes, mites, and protozoa (109,110). B. thuringiensis is already a useful alternative or supplement to synthetic chemical pesticide application in commercial agriculture, forest management, and mosquito control. It is also a key source of genes for transgenic expression to provide pest resistance in plants.