Current Microbiology (2004) 48, 153-158

Pável Sierra-Martínez, Jorge E. Ibarra, Mayra de la Torre and Gabriela Olmedo (2004)
Endospore degradation in an oligosporogenic, crystalliferous mutant of Bacillus thuringiensis
Current Microbiology 48 (2), 153-158
Abstract: We isolated a new oligosporogenic mutant from Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki HD73 that retains the ability to produce insecticidal crystal inclusions. Sporulation in this mutant initiates in a manner similar to the wild-type strain, and under the electron microscope endospores are seen, but these do not reach maturity (except for 0.2% of them). At a late stage, the coat surrounding the forespore seems to lack shape and to be empty. Most mutant cells exhibit a well-formed bipyramidal crystal but are completely devoid of the forespore. The mutant has a functional SigK holoenzyme, which is required for the expression of genes involved in the formation of spore coat and cortex and for cry1A transcription from the BtII promoter. Defective maturation of spores could be due to an inadequate forespore coat or cortex structure resulting in the arrest of sporulation at late stage III or early stage IV.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Gabriela Olmedo, Jorge E. Ibarra

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
biocontrol - natural enemies
Research topic(s) for beneficials or antagonists:
general biology - morphology - evolution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Bacillus thuringiensis var. kurstaki (entomopathogen)