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Toxicity of a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis-like strain against Spodoptera frugiperda

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Abstract

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Berliner is a promising agent for microbial control of agriculturally and medically important insects. This study aimed at searching for Bt strains encoding Cry proteins that act more efficiently against fall armyworm. Thirty Bt strains were isolated from soil samples in Pernambuco State and evaluated through bioassays. Among these, strain I4A7 was the most efficient against the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith, 1797) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), and thus it was characterized by biochemical sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS–PAGE) and molecular (polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing reaction) methods. The protein pattern of this strain on a SDS–PAGE was similar to that of B. thuringiensis israelensis (Bti). Moreover, I4A7 cry DNA sequence showed high identity (99–100%) to genes cry4Aa, 4Ba, 10Aa, 11Aa, cyt1Aa and cyt2B from Bti. The toxicity of the newly isolated Bti-like strain upon S. frugiperda should be considered as this strain might be used in combination with other Bt strains, such as B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Btk).

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Acknowledgments

We are grateful to Dr Eugênia Rios (Bioticom) for sending us part of the Bt strains and to Dr. Olivia Arantes for providing us with part of standard strains. We also thank to Airton Belo and Gilvanda Silva for their technical assistance and Dr Thales Rocha (Embrapa-Cenargen) for comments in the English review of this manuscript. Thanks go to CNPq (Proc. 474070/2003), Centro de Pesquisas Aggeu Magalhães/FIOCRUZ, Embrapa Algodão, Banco do Nordeste and Departamento de Zoologia (CCB/UFPE) for grants, scholarships and financial support in regard to this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Zoologia, CCB, UFPE. Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, Cidade Universitária, Recife, 50670-420 PE, Brazil

    José D. Antonino de Souza Jr.

  2. Embrapa Algodão, Rua Oswaldo Cruz, 1143, Campina Grande, 58107 720 PB, Brazil

    Sona Jain & Wagner Alexandre Lucena

  3. Departamento de Entomologia, CPqAM, Fiocruz Av. Prof. Moraes Rego, Cidade Universitária, Recife, 50670-420 PE, Brazil

    Claudia Maria Fontes de Oliveira & Constância F. Ayres

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  1. José D. Antonino de Souza Jr.
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  2. Sona Jain
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  3. Claudia Maria Fontes de Oliveira
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  4. Constância F. Ayres
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  5. Wagner Alexandre Lucena
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Correspondence to Wagner Alexandre Lucena.

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Handling Editor: Helen Roy.

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de Souza, J.D.A., Jain, S., de Oliveira, C.M.F. et al. Toxicity of a Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis-like strain against Spodoptera frugiperda . BioControl 54, 467–473 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9191-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-008-9191-8

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