Bacillus thuringiensis produces insecticidal proteins (Cry protoxins) during the sporulation phase as parasporal crystals. During intoxication, the Cry protoxins must change from insoluble crystals into membrane-inserted toxins which form ionic pores. The structural changes of Cry toxins during oligomerization and insertion into the membrane are still unknown. The Cry1Ab toxin has nine tryptoph...

The cry gene family, produced during the late exponential phase of growth in Bacillus thuringiensis, is a large, still-growing family of homologous genes, in which each gene encodes a protein with strong specific activity against only one or a few insect species. Extensive studies are mostly focusing on the structural and functional relationships of Cry proteins, and have revealed several resid...

Cryptochromes (CRY) are blue light photoreceptors that mediate various light-induced responses in plants and animals. Arabidopsis CRY (CRY1 and CRY2) functions through negatively regulating constitutive photomorphogenic (COP) 1, a repressor of photomorphogenesis. Water evaporation and photosynthesis are regulated by the stomatal pores in plants, which are closed in darkness but open in response...

Several crystal (Cry) proteins are known to occur as DNA-protein complexes. However, the role of the DNA associated with the activated toxin in the mechanism of action of the Cry toxin has long been ignored. Here, we focused on the DNA-activated Cry toxin complex. Both forms of the Cry8Ca2 and Cry8Ea1 toxins, i.e., with or without bound DNA, were separately obtained. Size-exclusion chromatograp...

Twelve local B. thuringiensis strains are used in the study, which previously isolated from the soil of seven governorates and characterized by their high toxicity against 2 instars larvae of cotton nd leafworm (Spodoptera littoralis). The PCR amplification analysis of the 12 Bt isolates revealed the presence of amplified fragments characteristic of five different cry genes. Results showed the ...

In this study, we examined adults' cardiac reactivity to repeated infant cry sounds in a genetically informative design. Three episodes of cry stimuli were presented to a sample of 184 adult twin pairs. Cardiac reactivity increased with each cry episode, indicating that subjects were increasingly sensitized to repeated infant distress signals. Non-parents showed more cardiac reactivity than par...

The circadian rhythms of crayfish are entrained by blue light, through putative extra retinal photoreceptors. We investigated the presence and daily variation of CRY, a protein photosensitive to blue light spectra and ubiquitous in animals and plants, in the putative pacemakers of Procambarus clarkii, namely the eyestalk and brain, at different times of the 24 h light:dark cycles. Using differe...

Novel cry genes are potential candidates for resistance management strategies, due to their different structures and modes of action. Therefore, it is desirable to clone and express novel cry genes from several new isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). In the present study, 28 Bt strains were characterized at morphological and molecular level. All these strains are Gram positive, endospore f...

This study addresses a gap in the attachment literature by investigating maternal neural response to cry related to infant attachment classifications and behaviors. Twenty-two primiparous mothers and their 18-month old infants completed the Strange Situation (SS) procedure to elicit attachment behaviors. During a separate functional MRI session, mothers were exposed to their own infant's cry so...