Midgut microbiota and host immunocompetence underlie Bacillus thuringiensis killing mechanism.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus thuringiensis is a widely used bacterial entomopathogen producing insecticidal toxins, some of which are expressed in insect-resistant transgenic crops. Surprisingly, the killing mechanism of B. thuringiensis remains controversial. In particular, the importance of the septicemia induced by the host midgut microbiota is still debated as a result of the lack of experimental evidence obtained without drastic manipulation of the midgut and its content. Here this key issue is addressed by RNAi-mediated silencing of an immune gene in a lepidopteran host Spodoptera littoralis, leaving the midgut microbiota unaltered. The resulting cellular immunosuppression was characterized by a reduced nodulation response, which was associated with a significant enhancement of host larvae mortality tri

SUBMITTER: Caccia S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5003288 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature