title: Suitability of Anabaena PCC7120 expressing mosquitocidal toxin genes from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis for biotechnological application.
abstract: We present evidence that Anabaena PCC7120 (A.7120) strains expressing mosquitocidal toxin genes from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis (Bti) have a strong potential for biotechnological application. Characterization of two 4-year-old recombinant A.7120 clones constructed previously in our laboratory [clone 7 and clone 11, each carrying three Bti genes (cry4Aa, cry11Aa, and p20)] revealed three facts. First, the Bti genes were stable in A.7120 even in the absence of antibiotic selection when the genes were integrated in the chromosome (in clone 11); and the genes were also stable as plasmid-borne constructs (in clone 7), provided the cultures were maintained under continued selection. Second, clone 7 (kept under selection) and clone 11 (either kept or not kept under selection) continued to be mosquitocidal through 4 years of culture. Third, growth of the recombinant clones was comparable to the wild type under optimal growth conditions, indicating that growth was not compromised by the expression of toxin genes. These results clear the way for the development of mass production techniques for A.7120 strains expressing Bti toxin genes.
authors.affiliation: Microalgal Biotechnology Laboratory, Blaustein Institute for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel.
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Lluisma
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Karmacharya
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarka
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Dov
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaritsky
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boussiba
mesh_terms: D000330:Aedes / Q000254:growth & development; D017033:Anabaena / Q000235:genetics*; D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics*; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D001483:Base Sequence; D001709:Biotechnology; D017931:DNA Primers; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects; D009032:Mosquito Control; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011995:Recombination, Genetic
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D017931:DNA Primers