Transfer of Bacillus thuringiensis plasmids coding for delta-endotoxin among strains of B. thuringiensis and B. cereus.

Interspecies transduction of plasmids among Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis.

Bacteriophage CP-51, a generalized transducing phage for Bacillus anthracis, B. cereus, and B. thuringiensis, mediates transduction of plasmid DNA. B. cereus GP7 harbors the 2.8-megadalton multicopy tetracycline resistance plasmid, pBC16. B. thuringiensis 4D11A carries pC194, the 1.8-megadalton multicopy chloramphenicol resistance plasmid. When phage CP-51 was propagated on these strains, it tr...

Specificity of Bacillus thuringiensis Delta-Endotoxin.

The insecticidal activity of the delta-endotoxins of 14 Bacillus thuringiensis strains belonging to 12 subspecies was determined against Pieris brassicae, Heliothis virescens, and Spodoptera littoralis. Larvae of P. brassicae were highly susceptible to purified crystals of strains of B. thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis and B. thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni, whereas H. virescens responded best...

pxo۱-and pxo۲-like plasmids in bacillus cereus and b. thuringiensis

Genetic diversity among Bacillus anthracis, Bacillus cereus and Bacillus thuringiensis strains using repetitive element polymorphism-PCR.

Repetitive element polymorphism-PCR (REP-PCR) is one of the tools that has been used to elucidate genetic diversity of related microorganisms. Using the MB1 primer, REP-PCR fingerprints from 110 Bacillus strains within the "B. cereus group" have identified eighteen distinct categories, while other more distantly related bacterial species fell within six additional categories. All Bacillus anthr...

Specificities of monoclonal antibodies against the activated delta-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis.

Eight hybrid cell lines secreting monoclonal antibodies directed against the activated delta-endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis were grown in BALB/c mice. Ascites fluids were collected, and the antibodies were purified by antigen-affinity chromatography. The specificity of each monoclonal antibody for the toxin and protoxin was established by the indirect enzyme-linked immun...