title: Isolation of Bacillus megaterium mutants that produce high levels of heterologous protein, and their use to construct a highly mosquitocidal strain.
abstract: A xylose-regulated plasmid expression system for producing high levels of recombinant proteins in Bacillus megaterium has recently been described [Appl Microbiol Biotechnol 35:594, 1991]. Using an antibiotic resistance protein as the expressed protein, we have been able to select mutant plasmids that produce increased levels of heterologous protein. The mutant plasmids show increased segregational stability and have lost the ability to be transformed into Escherichia coli. The same selection protocol has been used to isolate a mutant strain producing high levels of the Bacillus sphaericus mosquitocidal binary toxin. This strain shows toxicity to Culex quinquefasciatus larvae that is comparable toB. sphaericus 2362 and higher than a B. megaterium strain with the original expression plasmid. This approach may be generally useful for high-level regulated protein expression in B. megaterium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, University of New South Wales, Sydney 2052, Australia.
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: England
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Penfold
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Delaney
authors.forename: P L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001410:Bacillus megaterium / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D001427:Bacterial Toxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D001681:Biological Assay; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D003465:Culex / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007814:Larva / Q000382:microbiology; D016296:Mutagenesis; D010957:Plasmids; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D001427:Bacterial Toxins; D011994:Recombinant Proteins