Conjugal transfer of a toxin-coding megaplasmid from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis to mosquitocidal strains of Bacillus sphaericus

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
Katherine GammonColin Berry

Abstract

Both Bacillus sphaericus and Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis produce mosquitocidal toxins during sporulation and are extensively used in the field for control of mosquito populations. All the known toxins of the latter organism are known to be encoded on a large plasmid, pBtoxis. In an attempt to combine the best properties of the two bacteria, an erythromycin resistance-marked pBtoxis plasmid was transferred to B. sphaericus by a mating technique. The resulting transconjugant bacteria were significantly more toxic to Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and were able to overcome resistance to B. sphaericus in a resistant colony of Culex quinquefasciatus, apparently due to the production of Cry11A but not Cry4A or Cry4B. The stability of the plasmid in the B. sphaericus host was moderate during vegetative growth, but segregational instability was observed, which led to substantial rates of plasmid loss during sporulation.

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Citations

Mar 7, 2006·Applied and Environmental Microbiology·Claudia SteinColin Berry
Dec 17, 2014·Toxins·Leopoldo PalmaPrimitivo Caballero
May 17, 2007·Environmental Microbiology·José J Rodríguez-HervaJuan L Ramos
Dec 6, 2011·Journal of Invertebrate Pathology·Colin Berry
Sep 15, 2007·Journal of the American Mosquito Control Association·Brian A FedericiMujin Tang
Jul 25, 2007·FASEB Journal : Official Publication of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology·Gareth W JonesColin Berry
Nov 4, 2017·Scientific Reports·Tania Domínguez-FloresSusana Vílchez
Jun 25, 2015·Microbiology Spectrum·Vicki AdamsJulian I Rood

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