Related Experiment Videos
A UV tolerant mutant of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki producing melanin
Deepak Saxena1, Eitan Ben-Dov, Robert Manasherob
1Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, P.O. Box 653, Be'er-Sheva 84105, Israel. ds100@nyu.edu
Current Microbiology
|December 1, 2001
Abstract:
A UV-resistant mutant (Bt-m) of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, producing a dark brown pigment, identified as melanin, was studied. Bt-m had higher larvicidity against Heliothis armigera than its parent. Survival of Bt-m spores and their insecticidal activity to irradiation at 254 nm and 366 nm were higher than those of the parent. The only toxic polypeptide produced by Bt-m was Cry1Ac (130 kDa); it lost cry1Aa, cry2Aa, and cry2Ab.