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Pervaiz R, Khan MA, Raza FA, Ahmad S, Zafar AU, Ahmed N, Akram M. Expression of a mosquito larvicidal gene in chloroplast and nuclear compartments of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. J Biotechnol 2022; 360:182-191. [PMID: 36368638 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbiotec.2022.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
As a part of the search for environment-friendly biocontrol of mosquito-borne diseases, mosquito larvicidal potential of Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan (Btj) Cry toxins is explored for toxins with increased toxicity. Safe delivery of the Cry toxins to mosquito larvae in aquatic habitats is a major concern. This is because in water bodies Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) protein formulations degrade by sunlight, can sink down and get adsorbed by the silt. So, because of its short persistence the toxin requires repeated applications at the given site. Therefore, an upcoming approach is incorporating the Bt toxins in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (C. reinhardtii) because it is a food of mosquito larvae in water and its molecular toolkit is well investigated for foreign gene expression. The present work aimed to compare the feasibility of C. reinhardtii chloroplast and nuclear compartments for stable expression of Cry11Ba toxin as this is the most toxic Btj protein to date, lethal to different mosquito species. With chloroplast expression of cry11Ba gene we were able to generate marker-free C. reinhardtii strain stably expressing Cry11Ba protein and demonstrating mortality against Aedes aegypti larvae. Moreover, for nuclear expression linking the cry11Ba gene to zeocin via foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) 2A peptide resulted in the selection of transformants with increased cry11Ba mRNA expression levels by semi-quantitative reverse transcriptase PCR. Obtained results lay a foundation for the C. reinhardtii chloroplast expression system to be used for genetic engineering with Bt toxins which possess enhanced toxicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rabbia Pervaiz
- Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87-West Canal Road, Thokar Niaz Baig Sector-1, Lahore 53700, Pakistan.
| | - Mohsin Ahmad Khan
- Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87-West Canal Road, Thokar Niaz Baig Sector-1, Lahore 53700, Pakistan
| | - Faiz Ahmed Raza
- Health Research Institute, National Institute of Health (HRI-NIH), Research Centre, King Edward Medical University, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Sohail Ahmad
- Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87-West Canal Road, Thokar Niaz Baig Sector-1, Lahore 53700, Pakistan
| | - Ahmad Usman Zafar
- Qarshi University, 8-Km Thokar Niaz Baig, Canal Bank Road, Opposite Izmir Town, Lahore 54000, Pakistan
| | - Nadeem Ahmed
- Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87-West Canal Road, Thokar Niaz Baig Sector-1, Lahore 53700, Pakistan
| | - Maham Akram
- Centre of Excellence in Molecular Biology, University of the Punjab, 87-West Canal Road, Thokar Niaz Baig Sector-1, Lahore 53700, Pakistan
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Barbieri G, Ferrari C, Mamberti S, Gabrieli P, Castelli M, Sassera D, Ursino E, Scoffone VC, Radaelli G, Clementi E, Sacchi L, Ferrari E, Gasperi G, Albertini AM. Identification of a Novel Brevibacillus laterosporus Strain With Insecticidal Activity Against Aedes albopictus Larvae. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:624014. [PMID: 33679643 PMCID: PMC7925996 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.624014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Bacterial species able to produce proteins that are toxic against insects have been discovered at the beginning of the last century. However, up to date only two of them have been used as pesticides in mosquito control strategies targeting larval breeding sites: Bacillus thuringensis var. israelensis and Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Aiming to expand the arsenal of biopesticides, bacterial cultures from 44 soil samples were assayed for their ability to kill larvae of Aedes albopictus. A method to select, grow and test the larvicidal capability of spore-forming bacteria from each soil sample was developed. This allowed identifying 13 soil samples containing strains capable of killing Ae. albopictus larvae. Among the active isolates, one strain with high toxicity was identified as Brevibacillus laterosporus by 16S rRNA gene sequencing and by morphological characterization using transmission electron microscopy. The new isolate showed a larvicidal activity significantly higher than the B. laterosporus LMG 15441 reference strain. Its genome was phylogenomically characterized and compared to the available Brevibacillus genomes. Thus, the new isolate can be considered as a candidate adjuvant to biopesticides formulations that would help preventing the insurgence of resistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Barbieri
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Carolina Ferrari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefania Mamberti
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Paolo Gabrieli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy.,Department of Biosciences, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Michele Castelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Davide Sassera
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Emanuela Ursino
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Viola Camilla Scoffone
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giacomo Radaelli
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Emanuela Clementi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Luciano Sacchi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Eugenio Ferrari
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giuliano Gasperi
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Alessandra M Albertini
- Department of Biology and Biotechnology "Lazzaro Spallanzani", University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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