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Synergism of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1, Cry2, and Vip3 Proteins in Spodoptera frugiperda Control

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Abstract

The polyphagous caterpillar, Spodoptera frugiperda, has been controlled with either chemical insecticides or transgenic plants such as Bt maize that expresses the cry and/or vip genes of the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) bacterium. Despite the efficiency of Bt toxins in lepidopteran control, populations resistant to Bt plants have emerged in different locations around the world. Thus, understanding how combined proteins interact against pests can assist resistance control and management. This work demonstrated the toxicity of Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry1Ca, Cry1Ea, Cry2Aa, Cry2Ab, Vip3Aa, and Vip3Ca in single and combined assays against S. frugiperda neonatal larvae. All protein mixtures had synergistic action in the control of the larvae. The Vip3Aa + Cry1Ab mixture had the highest toxicity, sequentially followed by Vip3Aa + Cry2Ab, Cry1Ab + Cry2Ab + Vip3Aa, Cry1Ea + Cry1Ca, Cry1Ab + Cry2Ab, Vip3Ca + Cry1Ea, and Vip3Ca + Cry1Ca. Cry1Ab, Cry1Ac, Cry2Ab, and Vip3Aa bound to more than one site on the brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) of S. frugiperda. The Cry1Ab and Cry1Ac proteins share binding site, while Cry1Ab does not share binding site with the Cry2Aa and Cry2Ab proteins. The Vip3Aa protein does not share receptors with the tested Cry1 and Cry2. The results suggest that combination these tested proteins may increase toxicity against S. frugiperda neonates.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to Dr. Ruud A. de Maagd (Plant Research International—Wageningen, Netherlands) for providing the clones carrying the cry1 genes and to Dr. Juan Ferré, University of Valencia, Campus de Burjassot, Spain, for providing the clone carrying the vip3Ca gene.

Funding

This work was financially supported by the São Paulo State Foundation for the Research Support (FAPESP) (grant support process no. 2013/15128-2) and the CAPES–Brazilian Federal Agency for Support and Evaluation of Graduate Education.

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  1. Departamento de Biologia Aplicada à Agropecuária, Faculdade de Ciências Agrárias e Veterinárias, UNESP Univ Estadual Paulista, Rod. Prof. Paulo Donato Castellane km 5, Jaboticabal, São Paulo, 14884-900, Brazil

    Camila Soares Figueiredo, Ana Rita Nunes Lemes, Isis Sebastião & Janete Apparecida Desidério

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  1. Camila Soares Figueiredo
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Soares Figueiredo, C., Nunes Lemes, A.R., Sebastião, I. et al. Synergism of the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1, Cry2, and Vip3 Proteins in Spodoptera frugiperda Control. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 188, 798–809 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-019-02952-z

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