Subspecies-dependent regulation of Bacillus thuringiensis protoxin genes.

ABSTRACT: Bacillus thuringiensis accumulates, primarily during sporulation, large quantities of insecticidal protoxins which are deposited as crystalline, intracellular inclusions. Most subspecies contain several plasmid-encoded cry genes, each of which has a unique specificity. The overall toxicity profile of a subspecies depends not only on the array of cry genes present but also on the relative expression of the genes. In general, transcription depends on sporulation-specific sigma factors, but little is known about regulation of expression of the individual genes. In order to determine whether expression of a particular cry gene varies in different subspecies, lacZ fusions to the cry promoters of two protoxin genes (cry1 class) were constructed. Protoxin accumulation and mRNA contents were also

SUBMITTER: Cheng P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC91265 | biostudies-literature | 1999 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature