title: Engineering Bacillus thuringiensis bioinsecticides with an indigenous site-specific recombination system.
abstract: 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 maintenance of cloned insecticidal cry genes on small plasmids in B. thuringiensis. This vector system combines a B. thuringiensis plasmid replicon and an indigenous site-specific recombination system that allows for the selective removal of ancillary or foreign DNA from the recombinant bacterium after introduction of the Cry-encoding plasmid. The site-specific recombination system is useful for engineering strains with unique combinations of cry genes, resulting in new active ingredients with improved insecticidal properties.
authors.affiliation: Ecogen, Inc., Langhorne, Pennsylvania 19047-3023, USA. jimbaum@voicenet.com
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Baum
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kakefuda
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gawron-Burke
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics*; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000494:pharmacology; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007313:Insecta; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D010957:Plasmids; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis