Pesticide Science (1999) 55, 666-668

David Bowen, Michael Blackburn, Thomas A. Rocheleau, Olga Andreev, Elena Golubeva and Richard H. ffrench-Constant (1999)
Insecticidal toxins from the bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens: gene cloning and toxin histopathology
Pesticide Science 55 (6), 666-668
Abstract: Four toxin complexes, Tca, Tcb, Tcc and Tcd from the culture broth of Photorhabdus luminescens have been purified and the four toxin complex encoding loci, tca, tcb, tcc and tcd, cloned. Genetic knockout of either tca or tcd reduced oral toxicity to Manduca sexta, and knockout of both loci eliminated activity. Purified Tca specifically affected the insect midgut, despite its putative normal delivery directly into the insect haemocel. These Photorhabdus toxins may form useful alternatives to other orally active bacterial protein toxins such as those from Bacillus thuringiensis.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Database assignments for author(s): Michael B. Blackburn

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

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
Heterorhabditis bacteriophora/Photorhabdus (entomopathogen)