Bacillus thuringiensis: mechanism of action, resistance, and new applications: a review
- 29 September 2014
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Taylor & Francis Ltd in Critical Reviews in Biotechnology
- Vol. 36 (2), 317-326
- https://doi.org/10.3109/07388551.2014.960793
Abstract
Since the first report by Ishiwata in 1902 of a Bombyx mori infection, followed by the description by Berliner, Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) has become the main microorganism used in biological control. The application of Bt to combat invertebrates of human interest gained momentum with the growing demand for food free of chemical pesticides and with the implementation of agriculture methods that were less damaging to the environment. However, the mechanisms of action of these products have not been fully elucidated. There are two proposed models: the first is that Bt causes an osmotic imbalance in response to the formation of pores in a cell membrane, and the second is that it causes an opening of ion channels that activate the process of cell death. There are various ways in which Bt resistance can develop: changes in the receptors that do not recognize the Cry toxin, the synthesis of membrane transporters that eliminate the peptides from the cytosol and the development of regulatory mechanisms that disrupt the production of toxin receptors. Besides the potential for formulation of biopesticides and the use in developing genetically modified cultivars, recent studies with Bt have discussed promising applications in other branches of science. Chitinase, an enzyme that degrades chitin, increases the efficiency of Bt insecticides, and there has been of increasing interest in the industry, given that its substrate is extremely abundant in nature. Another promising field is the potential for Bt proteins to act against cancer cells. Parasporins, toxins of Bt that do not have an entomopathogenic effect, have a cytotoxic effect on the cells changed by some cancers. This demonstrates the potential of the microorganism and new opportunities opening for future applications.Keywords
This publication has 74 references indexed in Scilit:
- Specific Binding of Radiolabeled Cry1Fa Insecticidal Protein from Bacillus thuringiensis to Midgut Sites in Lepidopteran SpeciesApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2012
- Large-scale, spatially-explicit test of the refuge strategy for delaying insecticide resistanceProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2012
- Differential alteration of two aminopeptidases N associated with resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis toxin Cry1Ac in cabbage looperProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2011
- Bacillus thuringiensis: A story of a successful bioinsecticideInsect Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2011
- Asymmetrical cross-resistance betweenBacillus thuringiensistoxins Cry1Ac and Cry2Ab in pink bollwormProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2009
- A Novel Tenebrio molitor Cadherin Is a Functional Receptor for Bacillus thuringiensis Cry3Aa ToxinJournal of Biological Chemistry, 2009
- Mutations in Domain I Interhelical Loops Affect the Rate of Pore Formation by the Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Aa Toxin in Insect Midgut Brush Border Membrane VesiclesApplied and Environmental Microbiology, 2009
- Strategies to improve the insecticidal activity of Cry toxins from Bacillus thuringiensisPeptides, 2009
- The pre-pore from Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1Ab toxin is necessary to induce insect death in Manduca sextaPeptides, 2008
- Mode of action of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry and Cyt toxins and their potential for insect controlToxicon, 2007