How does bacillus thuringiensis kill insects?
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Some strains of Bacillus thuringiensis produce a toxic insecticidal protein. The Bt toxin protein exist as inactive protoxins but once an insect ingest the inactive toxin, it is converted into an active form of toxin due to the alkaline pH of the gut which solubilise the crystals. The activated toxin binds to the surface of midgut epithelial cells and creates pores that cause cell swelling and lysis and eventually cause death of the insect.
Bt toxin genes were isolated from B. thuringiensis and incorporated into the several crop plants such as cotton. The toxin is coded by a gene named ‘cry’. There are a number of them, for example, the proteins encoded by the genes cryIAc and cryIIAb control bollworms and cryIAb controls corn borer.
Bt toxin genes were isolated from B. thuringiensis and incorporated into the several crop plants such as cotton. The toxin is coded by a gene named ‘cry’. There are a number of them, for example, the proteins encoded by the genes cryIAc and cryIIAb control bollworms and cryIAb controls corn borer.
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