Molecular cloning of a new crystal protein gene cry1Af1 of Bacillus thuringiensis NT0423 from Korean sericultural farms

A new cry1Ab-type gene encoding the 130 kDa protein of Bacillus thuringiens is NT0423 bipyramidal crystals was cloned, sequenced, and expressed in a cr ystal-negative B. thuringiensis host. Hybridization experiments revealed th at the crystal protein gene is located on a 44 MDa plasmid of B. thuringien sis NT0423. A strong positive signal detected on the 6.6 kb HindIII fragmen t from B. thuringiensis NT0423 plasmid DNA was cloned and sequenced. The cr y1Ab-type gene, designated cry1Af1, consisted of open reading frame of 3453 bp, encoding a protein of 1151 amino acid residues. The polypeptide has th e deduced amino acid sequences predicting molecular masses of 130,215 Da. W ith both Bt I and Br II promoter sequences were found, the B. thuringiensis NT0423 crystal protein gene promoter closely aligned with those of cry1A-t ype crystal protein gene. When compared with known sequences of other Cry a nd Cyt proteins, the Cry1Af1 protein showed maximum 93% sequence identity t o Cry1Ab protein of B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki. The expressed Cry1Af1 protein in a crystal-negative B. thuringiensis host appears to have strong insecticidal activity against lepidopteran larvae (Plutella xylostella). C rystals containing Cry1Af1 were about six times more toxic than the wild-ty pe crystals of B. thuringiensis NT0423.