title: The basis for rootstock resilient to Capnodis species: screening for genes encoding δ-endotoxins from Bacillus thuringiensis.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Conventional methods often fail to control the flatheaded borers Capnodis spp., major pests of stone fruit trees; the larvae are protected from insecticides and predation because they feed deep in the roots. A potential solution is transgenic trees producing in their roots toxic compounds such as Cry proteins of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Toxicities against Capnodis larvae were demonstrated by exploiting a recently designed artificial larval diet and an available collection of field isolated Bt. An isolate of Bt tenebrionis (Btt) from commercial bioinsecticide (Novodor) displayed LC50 and LC95 values of 3.2 and 164 mg g(-1) , respectively, against neonates of Capnodis tenebrionis, whereas values of the most toxic field isolate K-7 were 1.9 and 25.6 mg g(-1) respectively. Weights of surviving larvae after 1 month on diets containing low concentrations of K-7 (0.1-1.0 mg g(-1) ) were lower than on Btt or untreated larvae. K-7 was also toxic against larvae of C. cariosa and C. miliaris and found to harbour genes encoding Cry9Ea-like and Cry23Aa/Cry37Aa binary toxins.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Larvae of Capnodis spp. are susceptible to Bt Cry toxins. Expressing cry genes active against these pests thus seems a feasible solution towards production of transgenic rootstock trees resilient to the pest.
authors.affiliation: Department of Entomology, Agricultural Research Organisation, The Volcani Centre, Bet Dagan, Israel.
authors.forename: Galina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gindin
authors.forename: Zvi
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Mendel
authors.forename: Bella
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Levitin
authors.forename: Pradeep
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Tal
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.forename: Preeti
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Shahi
authors.forename: Vadim
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Khasdan
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Weinthal
authors.forename: Tatiana
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuznetsova
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Einav
authors.forename: Ariel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kushmaro
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Protasov
authors.forename: Arieh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zaritsky
authors.forename: Eitan
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ben-Dov
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000235:genetics*; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D001681:Biological Assay; D001517:Coleoptera / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D015870:Gene Expression; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000633:toxicity; D007306:Insecticides / Q000633:toxicity*; D007814:Larva / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development*; D010572:Pest Control, Biological; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007306:Insecticides; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis
keywords: Bacillus thuringiensis toxins; Capnodis spp; biological control; cry genes; integrated pest management; rootstock