title: Characterization of polyvalent and safe Bacillus thuringiensis strains with potential use for biocontrol.
abstract: Sixteen Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains were screened for their anti-insect, antibacterial and antifungal determinants by phenotypic tests and PCR targeting major insecticidal proteins and complements, chitinases, lactonases, beta-1,3-glucanases and zwittermicinA. Six strains had genes of at least two major insecticidal toxins and of insecticidal complements. With regard to fungal biocontrol, all the strains inhibited Fusarium oxysporum and Aspergillus flavus growth and four strains had all or most of the antifungal determinants examined, with strain Bt HD932 showing the widest antifungal activity spectrum. Autolysins, bacteriocin and AHL-lactonases were produced by all or most of the tested strains with different activity spectra including pathogens like Listeria monocytogenes. Safety evaluation was carried out via PCR by screening the B. cereus psychrotolerance-related genes, toxin genes and the virulence pleiotropic regulator plcR. Diarrheal enterotoxins and other toxin genes were widespread among the collection with strains Bt HD9 and H45 lacking psychrotolerance-related genes, while five strains were positive. Only three strains (BMG1.7, H172, H156) resulted positive with primer sets targeting partial or complete plcR gene. By Vero Cell Assays, Bt HD868 followed by Bt HD9 were shown to be the safest strains. These polyvalent and safe Bt strains could be very promising in field application.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze e Tecnologie Alimentari e Microbiologiche, Università degli Studi, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Noura
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Raddadi
authors.forename: Abir
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Belaouis
authors.forename: Isabella
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tamagnini
authors.forename: Bjarne Munk
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Hansen
authors.forename: Niels Bohse
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Hendriksen
authors.forename: Abdellatif
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boudabous
authors.forename: Ameur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cherif
authors.forename: Daniele
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Daffonchio
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000898:Antibiosis; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000472:pathogenicity; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D001430:Bacteriocins / Q000235:genetics; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases / Q000235:genetics; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004269:DNA, Bacterial / Q000235:genetics; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000235:genetics; D005798:Genes, Bacterial; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D009238:N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase / Q000235:genetics; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D014709:Vero Cells; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D001430:Bacteriocins; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis; D002265:Carboxylic Ester Hydrolases; C432003:N-acyl homoserine lactonase; D009238:N-Acetylmuramoyl-L-alanine Amidase