title: Bacillus thuringiensis toxins: an overview of their biocidal activity.
abstract: Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a Gram positive, spore-forming bacterium that synthesizes parasporal crystalline inclusions containing Cry and Cyt proteins, some of which are toxic against a wide range of insect orders, nematodes and human-cancer cells. These toxins have been successfully used as bioinsecticides against caterpillars, beetles, and flies, including mosquitoes and blackflies. Bt also synthesizes insecticidal proteins during the vegetative growth phase, which are subsequently secreted into the growth medium. These proteins are commonly known as vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vips) and hold insecticidal activity against lepidopteran, coleopteran and some homopteran pests. A less well characterized secretory protein with no amino acid similarity to Vip proteins has shown insecticidal activity against coleopteran pests and is termed Sip (secreted insecticidal protein). Bin-like and ETX_MTX2-family proteins (Pfam PF03318), which share amino acid similarities with mosquitocidal binary (Bin) and Mtx2 toxins, respectively, from Lysinibacillus sphaericus, are also produced by some Bt strains. In addition, vast numbers of Bt isolates naturally present in the soil and the phylloplane also synthesize crystal proteins whose biological activity is still unknown. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the known active Bt toxins to date and discuss their activities.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología, CSIC-UPNA-Gobierno de Navarra, Campus Arrosadía, Mutilva Baja, 31192 Navarra, Spain. leopoldo.palma@unavarra.es.
authors.forename: Leopoldo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Protección Cultivos, Departamento de Producción Agraria, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona, 31006 Navarra, Spain. dmunoz@unavarra.es.
authors.forename: Delia
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Cardiff School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3AT, UK. Berry@cf.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Colin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Berry
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Protección Cultivos, Departamento de Producción Agraria, Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona, 31006 Navarra, Spain. jesus.murillo@unavarra.es.
authors.forename: Jesús
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Murillo
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Agrobiotecnología, CSIC-UPNA-Gobierno de Navarra, Campus Arrosadía, Mutilva Baja, 31192 Navarra, Spain. pcm92@unavarra.es.
authors.forename: Primitivo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Caballero
mesh_terms: D001413:Bacillus thuringiensis / Q000737:chemistry*; D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins / Q000145:classification / Q000633:toxicity*; D007306:Insecticides; D010572:Pest Control, Biological / Q000379:methods; D011487:Protein Conformation
chemical_list: D000083722:Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins; D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D004731:Endotoxins; D006460:Hemolysin Proteins; D007306:Insecticides; C030956:insecticidal crystal protein, Bacillus Thuringiensis