We succeeded in hyperproduction of Bacillus thuringiensis phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PIPLC), using a Bacillus brevis 47 expression system. The recombinant B. thuringiensis PIPLC was expressed under the control of the middle wall protein gene promoter in B. brevis expression vector pNU211. A large amount of recombinant PIPLC (0.4 g per liter culture) was secreted into the med...

Bacillus thuringiensis has been widely used as a biopesticide for a long time. Here we report the finished and annotated genome sequence of B. thuringiensis mutant strain BMB171, an acrystalliferous mutant strain with a high transformation frequency obtained and stocked in our laboratory.

Five original strains of entomopathogenic bacteria with insecticidal activity against mosquito larvae of the genera Aedes, Culex and Anopheles have been isolated from natural conditions in Armenia and characterized. According to morphological, physiological and biochemical parameters, all isolates were identified as Bacillus thuringiensis spp. israelensis (Bti). High larvicidal activity has bee...

Gram-negative bacteria can communicate with each other by N-acyl homoserine lactones (AHLs), which are quorum-sensing autoinducers. Recently, the aiiA gene (encoding an enzyme catalyzing the degradation of AHL) has been cloned from Bacillus sp. strain 240B1. During investigations in the course of the ongoing Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. morrisoni genome project, an aiiA homologue gene in the g...

The histochemical effects of the lethal concentration that kills 50% of larvae (LC50) of three biological agents, abamectin, Bacillus thuringiensis and spinosad on the carbohydrates (polysaccharides), proteins, nucleic acids and lipids content of the midgut and fat bodies of Culex pipiens 2nd instar larvae were studied. The results showed that the three tested compounds reduced the carbohydrate...

The nucleotide sequences of 3 homologous crystal protein genes (cry A1,A2,A3) from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and subsp. thuringiensis have been reported previously (1, 2, 3, respectively). We report the nucleotide sequence of an additional crystal protein gene {cry hi) from B. thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis strain HD2 that differs markedly in the aminoterminal region from the 3...

Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive, sporulating soil microbe with valuable pesticide-producing properties. The study of bacteriophages of B. thuringiensis could provide new biotechnological tools for the use of this bacterium. Here, we present the complete annotated genome of Spock, a myophage of B. thuringiensis, and describe its features.

A mosquitocidal toxin gene, cloned from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, was introduced into mutant crystal-negative B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis cells. Partial toxicity to mosquitos was restored. The 58-kilodalton cloned gene product is a minor protein component of B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis crystals and is structurally related to a major, 135-kilodalton crystal toxin.

Electron microscopy of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kyushuensis revealed that the parasporal inclusions are composed of a homogeneous center surrounded by a thick, electron-dense coating. Antibodies directed against the 135- and 65-kilodalton B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis peptides cross-reacted with the 70- and 26-kilodalton peptides, respectively, of B. thuringiensis subsp. kyushuensis.

Sixteen Bacillus thuringiensis, four Bacillus cereus and three Bacillus anthracis isolates were screened for a selection of known and putative B. thuringiensis virulence factors. PCR primers were designed to detect genes for phosphatidylcholine specific phospholipase C, phosphatidylinositol specific phospholipase C, immune inhibitor A, vegetative insecticidal protein 3A, a protein proposed to b...