Translocation and insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis living inside of plants.
The major biological pesticide for the control of insect infestations of crops, Bacillus thuringiensis was found to be present naturally within cotton plants from fields that had never been treated with commercial formulations of this bacterium. The ability of B. thuringiensis to colonize plants as an endophyte was further established by the introduction of a strain marked by production of green fluorescent protein (GFP). After inoculation of this preparation close to the roots of cotton and cabbage seedlings, GFP-marked bacteria could be re-isolated from all parts of the plant, having entered the roots and migrated through the xylem. Leaves taken from the treated plants were able to cause toxicity when fed to the Lepidoptera Spodoptera frugiperda (cotton) and Plutella xylostella (cabbage). These results open up new horizons for understanding the natural ecology and evolution of B. thuringiensis and use of B. thuringiensis in insect control.
Embrapa Recursos Geneticos e Biotecnologia, Parque Estação Biológica, Av W/5 Norte (final), CEP 70 770-900, Caixa Postal 02372, Brasília DF, Brazil. rose@cenargen.embrapa.br
Rose Gomes
RG
Monnerat
Carlos Marcelo
CM
Soares
Guy
G
Capdeville
Gareth
G
Jones
Erica Soares
ES
Martins
Lilian
L
Praça
Bruno Arrivabene
BA
Cordeiro
Shélida Vasconcelos
SV
Braz
Roseane Cavalcante
RC
dos Santos
Colin
C
Berry
D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D001937:Brassica / Q000382:microbiology; D003368:Gossypium / Q000382:microbiology; D007306:Insecticides / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000633:toxicity; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000187:drug effects; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology*; D016019:Survival Analysis; D052584:Xylem / Q000382:microbiology
D007306:Insecticides
Infect Immun. 1978 Mar;19(3):1047-53
640722
J Appl Microbiol. 2007 Dec;103(6):2593-600
18045443
FEMS Microbiol Lett. 1989 Apr;49(2-3):171-7
2545517
J Invertebr Pathol. 2007 Jan;94(1):38-47
17005192
Nature. 1967 Oct 14;216(5111):173-4
4862079
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1998 Dec;64(12):4965-72
9835590
J Invertebr Pathol. 1998 May;71(3):263-7
9538032
Curr Microbiol. 1999 Sep;39(3):159-62
10441730
Microbiol Mol Biol Rev. 1998 Sep;62(3):775-806
9729609
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1995 Nov;61(11):3826-31
8526493
Appl Environ Microbiol. 1992 Mar;58(3):840-9
16348674
Appl Environ Microbiol. 2003 Sep;69(9):5269-74
12957913