Abstract
Bacillus thuringiensis is a Gram-positive bacterium, widely used in agriculture as a biological pesticide. The biocidal activity mainly resides in a parasporal protein inclusion body, or crystal. The inclusion is composed of one or more types of δ-endotoxins (Cry and Cyt proteins). Cry proteins are selectively toxic to different species from several invertebrate phyla: arthropods (mainly insects), nematodes, flatworms and protozoa. The mode of action of the insecticidal proteins is still a matter of investigation; generally, the active toxin is supposed to bind specific membrane receptors on the insect midgut brush-border epithelium, leading to intestinal cell lysis and subsequent insect death by starvation or septicemia. The toxin-encoding cry genes have been extensively studied and expressed in a large number of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. The expression of such genes in transgenic plants has provided a powerful alternative for crop protection.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 202-219 |
| Number of pages | 18 |
| Journal | Journal of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1997 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Delta-endotoxin
- Heterologous expression
- Insecticidal crystal protein
- Ion-channel
- Pesticide
- Transgenic plants
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biotechnology
- Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology
- Microbiology
- Bioengineering