The Cry proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) are the most widely used biopesticides effective against a range of crop pests and disease vectors. Like chemical pesticides, development of resistance is the primary threat to the long-term efficacy of Bt toxins. Recently discovered cadherin-based Bt Cry synergists showed the potential to augment resistance management by improving effica...

Bacillus thuringiensis produces crystal proteins (Cry) that account for up to 25% of the dry cell weight during the stationary phase. The high-level expression and stationary phase-specific autoinduction of the cry gene led to development of a cry promoter-based Bacillus expression system. Among the various cry promoters, cry3Aa promoter was selected by comparing the lacZ expression levels in B...

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), considered a safe insecticide, produces insecticidal proteins named Cry during sporulation, which possess exceptional immunological properties. In this work using an immunohistochemical test we demonstrated that Cry1Ac protoxin (pCry1Ac) binds to the mucosal surface of the mouse small intestine. Ligand blot assay allowed us to detect, under denaturing conditions, si...

Eukaryotic circadian clocks are built on transcriptional feedback loops. In mammals, the PERIOD (PER) and CRYPTOCHROME (CRY) proteins accumulate, form a large nuclear complex (PER complex), and repress their own transcription. We found that mouse PER complexes included RNA helicases DDX5 and DHX9, active RNA polymerase II large subunit, Per and Cry pre-mRNAs, and SETX, a helicase that promotes ...

The cry genes of Bacillus thuringiensis encode a diverse group of crystal-forming proteins that exhibit insecticidal activity, particularly against the larvae of lepidopteran, coleopteran, and dipteran insects. The efficacy of B. thuringiensis-based biopesticides may be improved through the genetic manipulation of these genes. A gene transfer system has been developed for the introduction and m...

The Cry family of Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal and nematicidal proteins constitutes a valuable source of environmentally benign compounds for the control of insect pests and disease agents. An understanding of Cry toxin resistance at a molecular level will be critical to the long-term utility of this technology; it may also shed light on basic mechanisms used by other bacterial toxins th...

BACKGROUND Genetically modified, (GM) crops with potential allergens must be evaluated for safety and endogenous IgE binding pattern compared to native variety, prior to market release. OBJECTIVE To compare endogenous IgE binding proteins of three GM maize seeds containing Cry 1Ab,1Ac,1C transgenic proteins with non GM maize. METHODS An integrated approach of in silico & in vitro methods wa...

BACKGROUND Genetically modified (GM) crops that express insecticidal protein toxins are an integral part of modern agriculture. Proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) during sporulation mediate the pathogenicity of Bt toward a spectrum of insect larvae whose breadth depends upon the Bt strain. These transmembrane channel-forming toxins are stored in Bt as crystalline inclusions called...

Resistance to Cry toxins can develop by alterations in any of the steps in the Cry toxin mode of action. Most characterized mechanisms of resistance to Cry toxins involve alterations in enzymatic toxin processing or toxin interaction with receptors in the insect midgut epithelium. Previous reports have suggested an alternative mechanism of resistance to Cry1Ac toxin in Heliothis virescens larva...

Future materials are envisioned to include bio-assembled, hybrid, three-dimensional nanosystems that incorporate functional proteins. Diatoms are amenable to genetic modification for localization of recombinant proteins in the biosilica cell wall. However, the full range of protein functionalities that can be accommodated by the modified porous biosilica has yet to be described. Our objective w...