Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry2Ab in Trichoplusia ni Is Conferred by a Novel Genetic Mechanism

The resistance to the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin Cry2Ab in a greenhouse-originated Trichoplusia ni strain resistant to both Bt toxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab was characterized. Biological assays determined that the Cry2Ab resistance in the T. ni strain was a monogenic recessive trait independent of Cry1Ac resistance, and there existed no significant cross-resistance between Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in T. ni. From the dual-toxin-resistant T. ni strain, a strain resistant to Cry2Ab only was isolated, and the Cry2Ab resistance trait was introgressed into a susceptible laboratory strain to facilitate comparative analysis of the Cry2Ab resistance with the susceptible T. ni strain. Results from biochemical analysis showed no significant difference between the Cry2Ab-resistant and -susceptible T. ni larvae in midgut proteases, including caseinolytic proteolytic activity and zymogram profile and serine protease activities, in midgut aminopeptidase and alkaline phosphatase activity, and in midgut esterases and hemolymph plasma melanization activity. For analysis of genetic linkage of Cry2Ab resistance with potential Cry toxin receptor genes, molecular markers for the midgut cadherin, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and aminopeptidase N (APN) genes were identified between the original greenhouse-derived dual-toxin-resistant and the susceptible laboratory T. ni strains. Genetic linkage analysis showed that the Cry2Ab resistance in T. ni was not genetically associated with the midgut genes coding for the cadherin, ALP, and 6 APNs (APN1 to APN6) nor associated with the ABC transporter gene ABCC2. Therefore, the Cry2Ab resistance in T. ni is conferred by a novel but unknown genetic mechanism.     

抗苏云金杆菌毒素Cry1Ac粉纹夜蛾细胞系的特性研究

为了从离体细胞水平探讨昆虫对苏云金芽孢杆菌杀虫晶体蛋白的部分抗性机制,本文采用活化的Cry1AC毒素对粉纹夜蛾BTI-TN-581-4细胞连续筛选86代,获得了高水平抗性细胞,研究了其某些特性。它对Cry1C产生了低水平的交互抗性,对低渗溶液的耐受性显著增强,双向电泳图谱表明抗性细胞膜蛋白组分发生了明显的变化。膜蛋白组分的变化可能导致了筛选细胞的耐低渗透压和抗Cry1C。     

Common, but Complex, Mode of Resistance of Plutella xylostella to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac

A field collected population of Plutella xylostella (SERD4) was selected in the laboratory with Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxins Cry1Ac (Cry1Ac-SEL) and Cry1Ab (Cry1Ab-SEL). Both subpopulations showed similar phenotypes: high resistance to the Cry1A toxins and little cross-resistance to Cry1Ca or Cry1D. A previous analysis of the Cry1Ac-SEL showed incompletely dominant resistance to Cry1Ac with more than one factor, at least one of which was sex influenced. In the present study reciprocal mass crosses between Cry1Ab-SEL and a laboratory susceptible population (ROTH) provided evidence that Cry1Ab resistance was also inherited as incompletely dominant trait with more than one factor, and at least one of the factors was sex influenced. Analysis of single pair mating indicated that Cry1Ab-SEL was still heterogeneous for Cry1Ab resistance genes, showing genes with different degrees of dominance. Binding studies showed a large reduction of specific binding of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac to midgut membrane vesicles of the Cry1Ab-SEL subpopulation. Cry1Ab-SEL was found to be more susceptible to trypsin-activated Cry1Ab toxin than protoxin, although no defect in toxin activation was found. Present and previous results indicate a common basis of resistance to both Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac in selected subpopulations and suggest that a similar set of resistance genes are responsible for resistance to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac and are selected whichever toxin was used. The possibility of an incompletely dominant trait of resistant to these toxins should be taken into account when considering refuge resistance management strategies.     

Mechanism of Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Toxin Cry1Ac in a Greenhouse Population of the Cabbage Looper, Trichoplusia ni

The cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, is one of only two insect species that have evolved resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in agricultural situations. The trait of resistance to B. thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac from a greenhouse-evolved resistant population of T. ni was introgressed into a highly inbred susceptible laboratory strain. The resulting introgression strain, GLEN-Cry1Ac-BCS, and its nearly isogenic susceptible strain were subjected to comparative genetic and biochemical studies to determine the mechanism of resistance. Results showed that midgut proteases, hemolymph melanization activity, and midgut esterase were not altered in the GLEN-Cry1Ac-BCS strain. The pattern of cross-resistance of the GLEN-Cry1Ac-BCS strain to 11 B. thuringiensis Cry toxins showed a correlation of the resistance with the Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac binding site in T. ni. This cross-resistance pattern is different from that found in a previously reported laboratory-selected Cry1Ab-resistant T. ni strain, evidently indicating that the greenhouse-evolved resistance involves a mechanism different from the laboratory-selected resistance. Determination of specific binding of B. thuringiensis toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac to the midgut brush border membranes confirmed the loss of midgut binding to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac in the resistant larvae. The loss of midgut binding to Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac is inherited as a recessive trait, which is consistent with the recessive inheritance of Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac resistance in this greenhouse-derived T. ni population. Therefore, it is concluded that the mechanism for the greenhouse-evolved Cry1Ac resistance in T. ni is an alteration affecting the binding of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac to the Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac binding site in the midgut.     

Dual Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac and Cry2Aa Toxins in Heliothis virescens Suggests Multiple Mechanisms of Resistance

One strategy for delaying evolution of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis crystal (Cry) endotoxins is the production of multiple Cry toxins in each transgenic plant (gene stacking). This strategy relies upon the assumption that simultaneous evolution of resistance to toxins that have different modes of action will be difficult for insect pests. In B. thuringiensis-transgenic (Bt) cotton, production of both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab has been proposed to delay resistance of Heliothis virescens (tobacco budworm). After previous laboratory selection with Cry1Ac, H. virescens strains CXC and KCBhyb developed high levels of cross-resistance not only to toxins similar to Cry1Ac but also to Cry2Aa. We studied the role of toxin binding alteration in resistance and cross-resistance with the CXC and KCBhyb strains. In toxin binding experiments, Cry1A and Cry2Aa toxins bound to brush border membrane vesicles from CXC, but binding of Cry1Aa was reduced for the KCBhyb strain compared to susceptible insects. Since Cry1Aa and Cry2Aa do not share binding proteins in H. virescens, our results suggest occurrence of at least two mechanisms of resistance in KCBhyb insects, one of them related to reduction of Cry1Aa toxin binding. Cry1Ac bound irreversibly to brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from YDK, CXC, and KCBhyb larvae, suggesting that Cry1Ac insertion was unaffected. These results highlight the genetic potential of H. virescens to become resistant to distinct Cry toxins simultaneously and may question the effectiveness of gene stacking in delaying evolution of resistance.     

Modified Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins and a Hybrid B. thuringiensis Strain Counter Greenhouse-Selected Resistance in Trichoplusia ni

Resistance of greenhouse-selected strains of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki was countered by a hybrid strain of B. thuringiensis and genetically modified toxins Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod, which lack helix α-1. Resistance to Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod was >100-fold less than resistance to native toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac.Insecticidal proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis are used widely for pest control, but evolution of resistance by pests can reduce their efficacy (3, 4, 6, 14). Resistance to B. thuringiensis toxins has been reported in field populations of four species of Lepidoptera, one species in response to sprays (3, 14) and three species in response to transgenic crops (10, 15, 16). Here, we focus on understanding and countering resistance to sprays of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki that evolved in commercial greenhouse populations of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni (7, 17).We compared responses to single toxins and formulations of B. thuringiensis by two resistant strains (GipBtR and GlenBtR) and two related susceptible strains (GipS and GlenS) of T. ni. All four strains were started by the collection of larvae in 2001 from commercial greenhouses near Vancouver in British Columbia, Canada (7). Resistance evolved in the greenhouses in response to repeated sprays of DiPel (7), a formulation of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain HD1 containing Cry1Aa, Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, and Cry2Aa (9). Previously reported concentrations required to kill 50% of larvae (LC₅₀s) indicated that, relative to a susceptible laboratory strain, initial resistance to DiPel was 113-fold in the Gip population (labeled T2c in reference 7) and 24-fold in the Glen population (labeled P5 in reference 7).We reared larvae on a wheat germ diet (5) at 26°C on a light-to-dark schedule of 16 h:8 h. GipS and GlenS were reared on diet without B. thuringiensis toxins, which allowed resistance to decline (7). To maintain resistance, GipBtR and GlenBtR were reared each generation on a diet treated with 5 or 10 mg of DiPel WP (Abbott Laboratories, Ontario, Canada) per milliliter of diet (7). In bioassays, groups of five third-instar larvae were put in 60-ml plastic cups containing diet, and mortality was assessed after 3 days by gently probing larvae for movement.We used diet overlay bioassays to evaluate the toxicity to GipBtR and GipS of the protoxin forms of Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1AbMod, and Cry1AcMod produced in B. thuringiensis strains (12). Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod are genetically engineered variants of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac, respectively, each lacking 56 amino acids from the amino-terminal region, including helix α-1 (12). An 80-μl aliquot containing distilled water and toxin was dispensed evenly over the surfaces of 2 ml of diet (a mean surface area of 7.1 cm²) and allowed to dry. Fifty to 200 larvae from each strain were tested at five to eight concentrations of each toxin.We used diet incorporation bioassays (7) to evaluate the toxicities of DiPel and Agree WG (Certis, Columbia, MD) to GipS, GipBtR, GlenS, and GlenBtR. Agree is a formulation of hybrid strain GC91, which was created from the conjugation-like transfer of a plasmid from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki strain HD191 into B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai strain HD135, and it contains Cry1Ac, Cry1C, and Cry1D (1, 8). DiPel and Agree were diluted in distilled water and mixed into diet (7). Twenty-five to 50 larvae from each strain were tested at six to seven concentrations of DiPel and Agree.We used probit analysis (13) to estimate the LC₅₀s and their 95% fiducial limits (FL), as well as the slopes of concentration-mortality lines and their standard errors. The mortality of larvae fed treated diet was not adjusted for the mortality of control larvae on untreated diet, because the control mortality was low (mean, 3.6%; range, 0 to 16%). LC₅₀s with nonoverlapping 95% FL are significantly different. Resistance ratios were calculated as the LC₅₀ of a resistant strain (GipBtR or GlenBtR) divided by the LC₅₀ of its susceptible counterpart (GipS or GlenS).The genetically modified toxins Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod were much more effective than the native toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac against larvae of T. ni from the resistant GipBtR strain (Table ​(Table1).1). Resistance ratios of GipBtR were 580 for Cry1Ab and 1,400 for Cry1Ac but only 5.5 for Cry1AbMod and 9.3 for Cry1AcMod (Table ​(Table1).1). Against GipBtR, the LC₅₀ was 53-fold higher for Cry1Ab than for Cry1AbMod and 11-fold higher for Cry1Ac than for Cry1AcMod (Table ​(Table1).1). Against GipS, however, the LC₅₀ was 2-fold higher for Cry1AbMod than for Cry1Ab and 14-fold higher for Cry1AcMod than for Cry1Ac (Table ​(Table11).

TABLE 1.

Responses of resistant (GipBtR and GlenBtR) and susceptible (GipS and GlenS) strains of T. ni to native toxins (Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac), modified toxins (Cry1AbMod and Cry1AcMod), and formulations (DiPel and Agree)

Mechanism of resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac in a greenhouse population of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni

The cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, is one of only two insect species that have evolved resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis in agricultural situations. The trait of resistance to B. thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac from a greenhouse-evolved resistant population of T. ni was introgressed into a highly inbred susceptible laboratory strain. The resulting introgression strain, GLEN-Cry1Ac-BCS, and its nearly isogenic susceptible strain were subjected to comparative genetic and biochemical studies to determine the mechanism of resistance. Results showed that midgut proteases, hemolymph melanization activity, and midgut esterase were not altered in the GLEN-Cry1Ac-BCS strain. The pattern of cross-resistance of the GLEN-Cry1Ac-BCS strain to 11 B. thuringiensis Cry toxins showed a correlation of the resistance with the Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac binding site in T. ni. This cross-resistance pattern is different from that found in a previously reported laboratory-selected Cry1Ab-resistant T. ni strain, evidently indicating that the greenhouse-evolved resistance involves a mechanism different from the laboratory-selected resistance. Determination of specific binding of B. thuringiensis toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac to the midgut brush border membranes confirmed the loss of midgut binding to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac in the resistant larvae. The loss of midgut binding to Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac is inherited as a recessive trait, which is consistent with the recessive inheritance of Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac resistance in this greenhouse-derived T. ni population. Therefore, it is concluded that the mechanism for the greenhouse-evolved Cry1Ac resistance in T. ni is an alteration affecting the binding of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac to the Cry1Ab/Cry1Ac binding site in the midgut.     

Novel Isolate of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis That Produces a Quasicuboidal Crystal of Cry1Ab21 Toxic to Larvae of Trichoplusia ni

A new isolate (IS5056) of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. thuringiensis that produces a novel variant of Cry1Ab, Cry1Ab21, was isolated from soil collected in northeastern Poland. Cry1Ab21 was composed of 1,155 amino acids and had a molecular mass of 130.5 kDa, and a single copy of the gene coding for this endotoxin was located on a ~75-kbp plasmid. When synthesized by the wild-type strain, Cry1Ab21 produced a unique, irregular, bipyramidal crystal whose long and short axes were both approximately 1 μm long, which gave it a cuboidal appearance in wet mount preparations. In diet incorporation bioassays, the 50% lethal concentrations of the crystal-spore complex were 16.9 and 29.7 μg ml⁻¹ for second- and fourth-instar larvae of the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni, respectively, but the isolate was essentially nontoxic to larvae of the beet armyworm, Spodoptera exigua. A bioassay of autoclaved spore-crystal preparations showed no evidence of β-exotoxin activity, indicating that toxicity was due primarily to Cry1Ab21. Studies of the pathogenesis of isolate IS5056 in second-instar larvae of T. ni showed that after larval death the bacterium colonized and subsequently sporulated extensively throughout the cadaver, suggesting that other bacteria inhabiting the midgut lumen played little if any role in mortality. As T. ni is among the most destructive pests of vegetable crops in North America and has developed resistance to B. thuringiensis, this new isolate may have applied value.     

Resistance of sugarcane borer to Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin

The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), strain (F52‐3‐R) was developed from F₃ survivors of a single‐pair mating on commercial Cry1Ab Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) corn plants in the greenhouse. The susceptibility of a Bt‐susceptible and the F52‐3‐R strain of D. saccharalis to trypsin‐activated Cry1Ab toxin was determined in a laboratory bioassay. Neonate‐stage larvae were fed a meridic diet incorporating Cry1Ab toxin at a concentration range of 0.0625 to 32 µg g^?1. Larval mortality, larval weight, and number of surviving larvae that did not gain significant weight (<0.1 mg per larva) were recorded on the 7th day after inoculation. The F52‐3‐R strain demonstrated a significant level of resistance to the activated Cry1Ab toxin. Larval mortality of the Bt‐susceptible strain increased in response to higher concentrations of Cry1Ab toxin, exceeding 75% at 32 µg g^?1, whereas mortality of the F52‐3‐R strain was below 8% across all Cry1Ab concentrations. Using a measure of practical mortality (larvae either died or gained no weight), the median lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of the F52‐3‐R strain was 102‐fold greater than that of the Bt‐susceptible insects. Larval growth of both Bt‐susceptible and F52‐3‐R strains was inhibited on Cry1Ab‐treated diet, but the inhibition of the F52‐3‐R strain was significantly less than that of the Bt‐susceptible insects. These results confirm that the survival of the F52‐3‐R strain on commercial Bt corn plants was related to Cry1Ab protein resistance and suggest that this strain may have considerable value in studying resistance management strategies for Bt corn.     

Antagonism between Cry1Ac1 and Cyt1A1 Toxins of Bacillus thuringiensis

Most strains of the insecticidal bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis have a combination of different protoxins in their parasporal crystals. Some of the combinations clearly interact synergistically, like the toxins present in B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis. In this paper we describe a novel joint activity of toxins from different strains of B. thuringiensis. In vitro bioassays in which we used pure, trypsin-activated Cry1Ac1 proteins from B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki, Cyt1A1 from B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis, and Trichoplusia ni BTI-Tn5B1-4 cells revealed contrasting susceptibility characteristics. The 50% lethal concentrations (LC₅₀s) were estimated to be 4,967 of Cry1Ac1 per ml of medium and 11.69 ng of Cyt1A1 per ml of medium. When mixtures of these toxins in different proportions were assayed, eight different LC₅₀s were obtained. All of these LC₅₀s were significantly higher than the expected LC₅₀s of the mixtures. In addition, a series of bioassays were performed with late first-instar larvae of the cabbage looper and pure Cry1Ac1 and Cyt1A1 crystals, as well as two different combinations of the two toxins. The estimated mean LC₅₀ of Cry1Ac1 was 2.46 ng/cm² of diet, while Cyt1A1 crystals exhibited no toxicity, even at very high concentrations. The estimated mean LC₅₀s of Cry1Ac1 crystals were 15.69 and 19.05 ng per cm² of diet when these crystals were mixed with 100 and 1,000 ng of Cyt1A1 crystals per cm² of diet, respectively. These results indicate that there is clear antagonism between the two toxins both in vitro and in vivo. Other joint-action analyses corroborated these results. Although this is the second report of antagonism between B. thuringiensis toxins, our evidence is the first evidence of antagonism between toxins from different subspecies of B. thuringiensis (B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki and B. thuringiensis subsp. israelensis) detected both in vivo and in vitro. Some possible explanations for this relationship are discussed.     

New Resistance Mechanism in Helicoverpa armigera Threatens Transgenic Crops Expressing Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac Toxin

In Australia, the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, has a long history of resistance to conventional insecticides. Transgenic cotton (expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac) has been grown for H. armigera control since 1996. It is demonstrated here that a population of Australian H. armigera has developed resistance to Cry1Ac toxin (275-fold). Some 70% of resistant H. armigera larvae were able to survive on Cry1Ac transgenic cotton (Ingard) The resistance phenotype is inherited as an autosomal semidominant trait. Resistance was associated with elevated esterase levels, which cosegregated with resistance. In vitro studies employing surface plasmon resonance technology and other biochemical techniques demonstrated that resistant strain esterase could bind to Cry1Ac protoxin and activated toxin. In vivo studies showed that Cry1Ac-resistant larvae fed Cy1Ac transgenic cotton or Cry1Ac-treated artificial diet had lower esterase activity than non-Cry1Ac-fed larvae. A resistance mechanism in which esterase sequesters Cry1Ac is proposed.     

Inheritance of Resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in Trichoplusia ni

The genetic inheritance of resistance to a commercial formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki was examined in a Trichoplusia ni colony initiated from a resistant population present in a commercial vegetable greenhouse in British Columbia, Canada. Progeny of F₁ reciprocal crosses and backcrosses between F₁ larvae and resistant (P_R) and susceptible (P_S) populations were assayed at different B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki concentrations. The responses of progeny of reciprocal F₁ crosses were identical, indicating that the resistant trait was autosomal. The 50% lethal concentration for the F₁ larvae was slightly higher than that for P_S, suggesting that resistance is partially recessive. The responses of both backcross progeny (F₁ × P_R, F₁ × P_S) did not correspond to predictions from a single-locus model. The inclusion of a nonhomozygous resistant parental line in the monogenic model significantly increased the correspondence between the expected and observed results for the F₁ × P_R backcross but decreased the correspondence with the F₁ × P_S backcross results. This finding suggests that resistance to B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki in this T. ni population is due to more than one gene.     

Managing Insect Resistance to Plants Producing Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins

ABSTRACT:?

Insect-resistant transgenic plants have become an important tool for the protection of crops against insect pests. The acreage of insecticidal transgenic plants is expected to increase significantly in the near future. The bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is currently the source of insecticidal proteins in commercial insect-resistant transgenic plants and will remain the most important source during the next decade. Insect resistance to B. thuringiensis Cry toxins is the main problem. Only one species, the diamondback moth, has evolved a resistance to B. thuringiensis-based formulations under field conditions. However, many other insect species were selected for resistance under laboratory conditions, indicating that there is a potential for evolution of resistance in most major pests. Many studies were conducted to elucidate the mode of action of the Cry toxins, the mechanisms and genetics of resistance, and the various factors influencing its development. This article reviews insect resistance to B. thuringiensis insecticidal proteins and related aspects, including the development of insect-resistant transgenic plants, B. thuringiensis toxins, their mode of action, mechanisms, stability, and genetics of resistance and management strategies for delaying resistance.     

Bacillus thuringiensis plants expressing Cry1Ac,Cry2Ab and Cry1F are not toxic to the assassin bug,Zelus renardii

Cotton‐ and maize‐producing insecticidal crystal (Cry) proteins from the bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), have been commercialized since 1996. Bt plants are subjected to environmental risk assessments for non‐target organisms, including natural enemies that suppress pest populations. Here, we used Cry1F‐resistant Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) and Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab‐resistant Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) as prey for the assassin bug, Zelus renardii (Kolenati), a common predator in maize and cotton fields. In tritrophic studies, we assessed several fitness parameters of Z. renardii when it fed on resistant S. frugiperda that had fed on Bt maize expressing Cry1F or on resistant T. ni that had fed on Bt cotton expressing Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab. Survival, nymphal duration, adult weight, adult longevity and female fecundity of Z. renardii were not different when they were fed resistant‐prey larvae (S. frugiperda or T. ni) reared on either a Bt crop or respective non‐Bt crops. ELISA tests demonstrated that the Cry proteins were present in the plant at the highest levels, at lower levels in the prey and at the lowest levels in the predator. While Z. renardii was exposed to Cry1F and Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab when it fed on hosts that consumed Bt‐transgenic plants, the proteins did not affect important fitness parameters in this common and important predator.     

Toxicity and characterization of cotton expressing Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 proteins for control of lepidopteran pests

Cry1Ac protoxin (the active insecticidal toxin in both Bollgard and Bollgard II cotton [Gossypium hirsutum L.]), and Cry2Ab2 toxin (the second insecticidal toxin in Bollgard II cotton) were bioassayed against five of the primary lepidopteran pests of cotton by using diet incorporation. Cry1Ac was the most toxic to Heliothis virescens (F.) and Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders), demonstrated good activity against Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and had negligible toxicity against Spodoptera exigua (Hübner) and Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith). Cry2Ab2 was the most toxic to P. gossypiella and least toxic to S. frugiperda. Cry2Ab2 was more toxic to S. exigua and S. frugiperda than Cry1Ac. Of the three insect species most sensitive to both Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) proteins (including H. zea), P. gossypiella was only three-fold less sensitive to Cry2Ab2 than Cry1Ac, whereas H. virescens was 40-fold less sensitive to Cry2Ab2 compared with CrylAc. Cotton plants expressing Cry1Ac only and both Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 proteins were characterized for toxicity against H. zea and S.frugiperda larvae in the laboratory and H. zea larvae in an environmental chamber. In no-choice assays on excised squares from plants of different ages, second instar H. zea larvae were controlled by Cry1Ac/Cry2Ab2 cotton with mortality levels of 90% and greater at 5 d compared with 30-80% mortality for Cry1Ac-only cotton, depending on plant age. Similarly, feeding on leaf discs from Cry1Ac/Cry2Ab2 cotton resulted in mortality of second instars of S.frugiperda ranging from 69 to 93%, whereas exposure to Cry1Ac-only cotton yielded 20-69% mortality, depending on plant age. When cotton blooms were infested in situ in an environmental chamber with neonate H. zea larvae previously fed on synthetic diet for 0, 24, or 48 h, 7-d flower abortion levels for Cry1Ac-only cotton were 15, 41, and 63%, respectively, whereas for Cry1Ac/Cry2Ab2 cotton, flower abortion levels were 0, 0, and 5%, respectively. Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab2 concentrations were measured within various cotton tissues of Cry1Ac-only and Cry1Ac/Cry2Ab2 plants, respectively, by using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Terminal leaves significantly expressed the highest, and large leaves, calyx, and bracts expressed significantly the lowest concentrations of Cry1Ac, respectively. Ovules expressed significantly the highest, and terminal leaves, large leaves, bracts, and calyx expressed significantly (P < 0.05) the lowest concentrations of Cry2Ab2. These results help explain the observed differences between Bollgard and Bollgard II mortality against the primary lepidopteran cotton pests, and they may lead to improved scouting and resistance management practices, and to more effective control of these pests with Bt transgenic crops in the future.     

Common, but complex, mode of resistance of Plutella xylostella to Bacillus thuringiensis toxins Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac

A field collected population of Plutella xylostella (SERD4) was selected in the laboratory with Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxins Cry1Ac (Cry1Ac-SEL) and Cry1Ab (Cry1Ab-SEL). Both subpopulations showed similar phenotypes: high resistance to the Cry1A toxins and little cross-resistance to Cry1Ca or Cry1D. A previous analysis of the Cry1Ac-SEL showed incompletely dominant resistance to Cry1Ac with more than one factor, at least one of which was sex influenced. In the present study reciprocal mass crosses between Cry1Ab-SEL and a laboratory susceptible population (ROTH) provided evidence that Cry1Ab resistance was also inherited as incompletely dominant trait with more than one factor, and at least one of the factors was sex influenced. Analysis of single pair mating indicated that Cry1Ab-SEL was still heterogeneous for Cry1Ab resistance genes, showing genes with different degrees of dominance. Binding studies showed a large reduction of specific binding of Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac to midgut membrane vesicles of the Cry1Ab-SEL subpopulation. Cry1Ab-SEL was found to be more susceptible to trypsin-activated Cry1Ab toxin than protoxin, although no defect in toxin activation was found. Present and previous results indicate a common basis of resistance to both Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac in selected subpopulations and suggest that a similar set of resistance genes are responsible for resistance to Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac and are selected whichever toxin was used. The possibility of an incompletely dominant trait of resistant to these toxins should be taken into account when considering refuge resistance management strategies.     

Kinetics of pore formation by the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac

After binding to specific receptors, Cry toxins form pores in the midgut apical membrane of susceptible insects. The receptors could form part of the pore structure or simply catalyze pore formation and consequently be recycled. To discriminate between these possibilities, the kinetics of pore formation in brush border membrane vesicles isolated from Manduca sexta was studied with an osmotic swelling assay. Pore formation, as deduced from changes in membrane permeability induced by Cry1Ac during a 60-min incubation period, was strongly dose-dependent, but rapidly reached a maximum as toxin concentration was increased. Following exposure of the vesicles to the toxin, the osmotic swelling rate reached a maximum shortly after a delay period. Under these conditions, at relatively high toxin concentrations, the maximal osmotic swelling rate increased linearly with toxin concentration. When vesicles were incubated for a short time with the toxin and then rapidly cooled to prevent the formation of new pores before and during the osmotic swelling experiment, a plateau in the rate of pore formation was observed as toxin concentration was increased. Taken together, these results suggest that the receptors do not act as simple catalysts of pore formation, but remain associated with the pores once they are formed.     

Genetics of pink bollworm resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac

Laboratory selection increased resistance of pink bollworm (Pectinophora gossypiella) to the Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac. Three selections with Cry1Ac in artificial diet increased resistance from a low level to >100-fold relative to a susceptible strain. We used artificial diet bioassays to test F1 hybrid progeny from reciprocal crosses between resistant and susceptible strains. The similarity between F1 progeny from the two reciprocal crosses indicates autosomal inheritance of resistance. The dominance of resistance to Cry1Ac depended on the concentration. Resistance was codominant at a low concentration of Cry1Ac, partially recessive at an intermediate concentration, and completely recessive at a high concentration. Comparison of the artificial diet results with previously reported results from greenhouse bioassays shows that the high concentration of Cry1Ac in bolls of transgenic cotton is essential for achieving functionally recessive inheritance of resistance.