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Regulation of insecticidal crystal protein production in Bacillus thuringiensis
Author(s) -
Baum James A.,
Malvar Thomas
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
molecular microbiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.857
H-Index - 247
eISSN - 1365-2958
pISSN - 0950-382X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2958.1995.mmi_18010001.x
Subject(s) - bacillus thuringiensis , biology , bacillus subtilis , sigma factor , mutant , gene , promoter , bacillaceae , transcription (linguistics) , homology (biology) , regulator , transcriptional regulation , bacteria , bacillales , genetics , regulation of gene expression , microbiology and biotechnology , gene expression , linguistics , philosophy
The production of insecticidal crystal proteins (ICPs) in Bacillus thuringiensis normally coincides with sporulation, resulting in the appearance of parasporal crystalline inclusions within the mother cell. In most instances, the temporal and spatial regulation of ICP gene expression is determined at the transcriptional level by mother‐cell‐specific sigma factors that share homology with σ E and σ K from Bacillus subtilis . The crylll ICP genes are a notable exception; these genes are transcribed from σ A ‐like promoters during vegetative growth, are induced or derepressed at the onset of stationary phase, and are overexpressed in sporulation mutants of B. thuringiensis blocked in the phosphorylation of Spo0A, a key regulator of sporulation initiation. Transcription alone, however, cannot account for the impressive ability of this bacterium to accumulate insecticidal proteins. A variety of post‐transcriptional and post‐translational mechanisms also contribute to the efficient production of ICPs in B. thuringiensis , thus making this bacterium a cost‐effective biological control agent.