Transgenic plants: an emerging approach to pest control.

Insect pests are a major cause of damage to the world's commercially important agricultural crops. Current strategies aimed at reducing crop losses rely primarily on chemical pesticides. Alternatively transgenic crops with intrinsic pest resistance offer a promising alternative and continue to be developed. The first generation of insect-resistant transgenic plants are based on insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). A second generation of insect-resistant plants under development include both Bt and non-Bt proteins with novel modes of action and different spectra of activity against insect pests.

The Bacillus thuringiensis vegetative insecticidal protein Vip3A lyses midgut epithelium cells of susceptible insects.

The Vip3A protein is a member of a newly discovered class of vegetative insecticidal proteins with activity against a broad spectrum of lepidopteran insects. Histopathological observations indicate that Vip3A ingestion by susceptible insects such as the black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon) and fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) causes gut paralysis at concentrations as low as 4 ng/cm2 of diet and complete lysis of gut epithelium cells resulting in larval death at concentrations above 40 ng/cm2. The European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), a nonsusceptible insect, does not develop any pathology upon ingesting Vip3A. While proteolytic processing of the Vip3A protein by midgut fluids obtained from susceptible and nonsusceptible insects is comparable, in vivo immunolocalization studies show that Vip3a binding is restricted to gut cells of susceptible insects. Therefore, the insect host range for Vip3A seems to be determined by its ability to bind gut cells. These results indicate that midgut epithelium cells of susceptible insects are the primary target for the Vip3A insecticidal protein and that their subsequent lysis is the primary mechanism of lethality. Disruption of gut cells appears to be the strategy adopted by the most effective insecticidal proteins.

Optimizing expression of transgenes with an emphasis on post-transcriptional events.

Introducing a foreign gene into a new plant host does not always result in a high level of expression of the incoming gene. Numerous promoters have been used to express foreign genes in different plant tissues, but there are sometime various features of the new gene which are deleterious to expression in the new host. There are a number of post-transcriptional steps in the expression of a gene and sometimes sequences present in a particular coding region can resemble the signals which initiate these processing steps. When aberrantly carried out, these steps diminish the level of expression. By removing such fortuitous signals, one can dramatically increase expression of a transgene in plants. Ensuring proper protein folding and/or targeting the protein product to a particular cellular compartment can also be used to increase the level of protein obtained. The various methods used to optimize expression of a foreign gene in plants by concentrating on post-transcriptional events are discussed.

Vip3A, a novel Bacillus thuringiensis vegetative insecticidal protein with a wide spectrum of activities against lepidopteran insects.

A novel vegetative insecticidal gene, vip3A(a), whose gene product shows activity against lepidopteran insect larvae including black cutworm (Agrotis ipsilon), fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda), beet armyworm (Spodoptera exigua), tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens), and corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea) has been isolated from Bacillus thuringiensis strain AB88. VIP3-insecticidal gene homologues have been detected in approximately 15% of Bacillus strains analyzed. The sequence of the vip3A(b) gene, a homologue of vip3A(a) isolated from B. thuringiensis strain AB424 is also reported. Vip3A(a) and (b) proteins confer upon Escherichia coli insecticidal activity against the lepidopteran insect larvae mentioned above. The sequence of the gene predicts a 791-amino acid (88.5 kDa) protein that contains no homology with known proteins. Vip3A insecticidal proteins are secreted without N-terminal processing. Unlike the B. thuringiensis 5-endotoxins, whose expression is restricted to sporulation, Vip3A insecticidal proteins are expressed in the vegetative stage of growth starting at mid-log phase as well as during sporulation. Vip3A represents a novel class of proteins insecticidal to lepidopteran insect larvae.

Cloning of a cryV-type insecticidal protein gene from Bacillus thuringiensis: the cryV-encoded protein is expressed early in stationary phase.

A CryV-type protein (CGCryV) has been isolated from supernatant fluids of Bacillus thuringiensis AB88 cultures. Previous reports have suggested the cryptic nature of the cryV-type genes on the basis of the absence of CryV-type proteins in parasporal crystals. The CryV-type protein reported here is expressed early in stationary phase, and evidence indicates that it is an exported protein. Analysis of the deduced protein sequence from this gene reveals the presence of an N-terminal domain that likely acts as a signal peptide. The CGCryV protein is the first reported case of a delta-endotoxin being a secreted protein, which may influence the biological relevance of these proteins.

Structure of a maize tryptophan synthase alpha subunit gene with pith enhanced expression.

A cDNA derived from an abundant maize pith mRNA transcript and its corresponding genomic equivalent have been isolated and characterized. High transcript levels are seen in the pith and young leaves of maize plants, while no transcript is detected in seed tissue of any age. The protein encoded by the isolated gene has considerable homology with tryptophan synthase alpha subunit (trpA) from other organisms and the cDNA clone can complement an E. coli trpA mutant. These data support the conclusion that this cDNA and the corresponding genomic clone encode a maize trpA protein.

Expression of a chimeric CaMV 35S Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal protein gene in transgenic tobacco.

Insecticidal transgenic tobacco plants containing a truncated Bacillus thuringiensis cryIA(b) crystal protein (ICP) gene expressed from the CaMV 35S promoter were analyzed for ICP gene expression under field and greenhouse conditions over the course of a growing season. We present new information on temporal and tissue-specific expression of a CaMV 35S/cryIA(b) gene. Levels of cryIA(b) protein and mRNA were compared in both homozygous and hemizygous lines throughout plant development. Levels of ICP mRNA and protein increased during plant development with a pronounced rise in expression at the time of flowering. Homozygous ICP lines produced higher levels of ICP than the corresponding hemizygous lines. ELISA analysis of different tissues in the tobacco plant showed ICP gene expression in most tissues with a predominance of ICP in older tissue. All transgenic ICP tobacco lines which were studied in the field and greenhouse contained 400 ng to 1 microgram ICP per gram fresh weight in leaves from the mid-section of the plant at flowering. The amounts of ICP produced by field lines were directly comparable to levels observed in greenhouse-grown plants.

Prediction of insecticidal activity of Bacillus thuringiensis strains by polymerase chain reaction product profiles.

A rapid analysis of Bacillus thuringiensis strains predictive of insecticidal activity was established by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology. Primers specific to regions of high homology within genes encoding three major classes of B. thuringiensis crystal proteins were used to generate a PCR product profile characteristic of each insecticidal class. Predictions of insecticidal activity were made on the basis of the electrophoretic patterns of the PCR products. Included in the screen were PCR primers specific for cryI, cryIII, and cryIV genes, which are insecticidal for lepidopterans, coleopterans, and dipterans, respectively. Known B. thuringiensis strains as well as unidentified strains isolated from soil and insect cadavers were analyzed by PCR. Small amounts of crude sample lysates were assayed in a single PCR reaction containing 12 to 20 primers capable of distinguishing between the different insecticidal genes. Insecticidal activity predicted by the PCR screen was found to correspond with the insecticidal activity of insect bioassays. In addition to identifying strains with known insecticidal genes, the PCR screen can identify strains with altered electrophoretic patterns containing potentially novel genes.

The nucleotide sequence of tobacco rattle virus RNA-2 (CAM strain).

The nucleotide sequence of the smaller genomic strand (RNA-2) of the bipartite tobacco rattle virus (CAM strain) has been determined. RNA-2 is capped at the 5' terminus and contains 1799 nucleotide residues. There is a single 223 codon long open reading frame extending from nucleotide 574 to 1242 which designates a protein of Mr 23,654. The derived amino acid composition, in percent, matches that previously determined for the virus capsid protein. The long open reading frame is flanked by 5' and 3' untranslated regions of 573 and 554 nucleotides, respectively. The 5' leader sequence contains two different sets of direct repeats, one of 119 nucleotides and the other of 76. It also contains 13 apparently unused AUG codons, four of which lie in the same frame as the capsid protein cistron. The 3' terminal sequence of RNA-2 is identical to that of the larger genomic strand (RNA-1) for 459 nucleotides.

A cauliflower mosaic virus promoter directs expression of kanamycin resistance in morphogenic transformed plant cells.

The promoter region of the CaMV inclusion body protein gene was modified for use in chimeric gene fusions. The modified promoter was used to construct a selectable marker for plant transformation based on the Tn 5 kanamycin resistance gene. This chimeric selectable marker was introduced into plant cells using oncogenic and deoncogenized strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Both types of transformation produced kanamycin-resistant cell lines. The resistant cell lines derived from the deoncogenized strains were used to regenerate shoots. A second type of selection based on the ability of octopine synthase to detoxify aminoethyl cysteine was also used to select transformants in both oncogenic and nononcogenic transformation.

In vitro translation of tobacco etch virus RNA.

The wheat-embryo-derived cell-free system was optimized for translation of tobacco etch virus (TEV) RNA. When examined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the product of the TEV RNA stimulated system proved to be a single protein with a molecular weight of 40,000. This finding is different from results obtained when TEV RNA is used as a template in the rabbit reticulocyte lysate in vitro protein-synthesizing system.