Cry75Aa (Mpp75Aa) Insecticidal Proteins for Controlling the Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Isolated from the Insect Pathogenic Bacteria Brevibacillus laterosporus.

This study describes three closely related proteins, cloned from Brevibacillus laterosporus strains, that are lethal upon feeding to Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, the western corn rootworm (WCR). Mpp75Aa1, Mpp75Aa2 and Mpp75Aa3 were toxic to WCR larvae when fed purified protein. Transgenic plants expressing each mMpp75Aa protein were protected from feeding damage and showed significant reduction in adult emergence from infested plants by both susceptible and Cry3Bb1 and Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1-resistant WCR. These results demonstrate that proteins from B. laterosporus are as efficacious as the well-known Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insecticidal proteins in controlling major insect pests such as WCR. The deployment of transgenic maize expressing mMpp75Aa along with other active molecules lacking cross-resistance have the potential to be a useful tool for control of WCR populations resistant to current Bt traits.IMPORTANCE Insects feeding on roots of crops can damage the plant roots resulting in yield loss due to poor water and nutrient uptake and plant lodging. In maize the western corn rootworm (WCR) can cause severe damage to the roots resulting in significant economic loss for farmers. Genetically modified (GM) expressing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) insect control proteins, has provided a solution for control of these pests. In recent years populations of WCR resistant to the Bt proteins in commercial GM maize have emerged. There is a need to develop new insecticidal traits for the control of WCR populations resistant to current commercial traits. New proteins with commercial level efficacy on WCR from sources other than Bt are becoming more critical. The Mpp75Aa proteins, from B. laterosporus, when expressed in maize, are efficacious against the resistant populations of WCR and have the potential to provide solutions for control of resistant WCR.

A new Bacillus thuringiensis protein for Western corn rootworm control.

The Western corn rootworm (WCR) Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte is one of the most economically important insect pests in North America. Since 2003, transgenic maize expressing WCR-active proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) have been widely adopted as the main approach to controlling WCR in the U.S. However, the emergence of field resistance to the Bt proteins in current commercial products has been documented in recent years, highlighting the need to develop additional tools for controlling this devasting pest. Here we report the discovery of Vpb4Da2 (initially assigned as Vip4Da2), a new insecticidal protein highly selective against WCR, through high-throughput genome sequencing of a Bt strain sourced from grain dust samples collected in the eastern and central regions of the US. Vpb4Da2 contains a sequence and domain signature distinct from families of other WCR-active proteins. Under field conditions, transgenic maize expressing Vpb4Da2 demonstrates commercial-level (at or below NIS 0.25) root protection against WCR, and reduces WCR beetle emergence by ≥ 97%. Our studies also conclude that Vpb4Da2 controls WCR populations that are resistant to WCR-active transgenic maize expressing Cry3Bb1, Cry34Ab1/Cry35Ab1 (reassigned as Gpp34Ab1/Tpp35Ab1), or DvSnf7 RNA. Based on these findings, Vpb4Da2 represents a valuable new tool for protecting maize against WCR.

Author Correction: A transgenic approach for controlling Lygus in cotton.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

A transgenic approach for controlling Lygus in cotton.

Lygus species of plant-feeding insects have emerged as economically important pests of cotton in the United States. These species are not controlled by commercial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton varieties resulting in economic losses and increased application of insecticide. Previously, a Bt crystal protein (Cry51Aa2) was reported with insecticidal activity against Lygus spp. However, transgenic cotton plants expressing this protein did not exhibit effective protection from Lygus feeding damage. Here we employ various optimization strategies, informed in part by protein crystallography and modelling, to identify limited amino-acid substitutions in Cry51Aa2 that increase insecticidal activity towards Lygus spp. by >200-fold. Transgenic cotton expressing the variant protein, Cry51Aa2.834_16, reduce populations of Lygus spp. up to 30-fold in whole-plant caged field trials. One transgenic event, designated MON88702, has been selected for further development of cotton varieties that could potentially reduce or eliminate insecticide application for control of Lygus and the associated environmental impacts.

Changes in green peach aphid responses to potato leafroll virus-induced volatiles emitted during disease progression.

Previous research has shown that green peach aphids, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), preferentially settle on leaflets of potato plants (Solanum tuberosum L.) infected with potato leafroll virus (PLRV) compared with sham-inoculated controls, at least in part because of aphid responses to volatile cues from the plants. The prior work used plants 4 wk after inoculation. In this study, aphid emigration from the vicinity of leaflets of PLRV-infected plants at 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 wk after inoculation was compared with emigration from leaflets of sham-inoculated control plants. For the bioassay, 30 aphids were placed directly above a test leaflet on screening to exclude gustatory and tactile cues and in darkness to exclude visual cues. The numbers emigrating were recorded every 10 min for 1 h. Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were collected from the headspace of the test plants, quantified, and compared among treatments. In bioassays with leaflets of upper nodes of the plants, aphid immigration rates were significantly lower from leaflets of PLRV-infected plants than from sham-inoculated plants at 4 and 6 wk after inoculation, but not at 2, 8, and 10 wk after inoculation. In bioassays with leaflets from lower nodes, emigration did not differ between PLRV-infected plants and sham-inoculated plants at any stage in the infection. Volatile compounds detectable in the headspace of intact plants at 2, 4, and 8 wk after inoculation (or sham inoculation) changed with plant age and with disease progression, potentially explaining behavioral responses of the aphids.