title: Unusually high frequency of genes encoding vegetative insecticidal proteins in an Australian Bacillus thuringiensis collection.
abstract: Of 188 Australian Bacillus thuringiensis strains screened for genes encoding soluble insecticidal proteins by polymerase chain reaction/restriction-length fragment polymorphism (RFLP) analysis, 87% showed the presence of such genes. Although 135 isolates (72%) produced an RFLP pattern identical to that expected for vip3A genes, 29 isolates possessed a novel vip-like gene. The novel vip-like gene was cloned from B. thuringiensis isolate C81, and sequence analysis demonstrated that it was 94% identical to the vip3Ba1 gene. The new gene was designated vip3Bb2. Cell-free supernatants from both the B. thuringiensis strain C81 and from Escherichia coli expressing the Vip3Bb2 protein were toxic for the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Acton ACT, Australia.
authors.forename: Cheryl E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Beard
authors.forename: Leon
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Court
authors.forename: Annemie
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boets
authors.forename: Roslyn
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mourant
authors.forename: Jeroen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Van Rie
authors.forename: Raymond J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Akhurst
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001315:Australia; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000378:metabolism; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000378:metabolism; D005787:Gene Frequency; D007300:Insect Control; D009036:Moths / Q000254:growth & development / Q000382:microbiology
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins