Kinetics of plasmid transfer among Bacillus cereus group strains within lepidopteran larvae

• Published in: Archives of microbiology Vol. 187; no. 6; pp. 425 - 431
• Main Authors: YUAN, Y. M, HU, X. M, LIU, H. Z, HANSEN, Bjarne Munk, YAN, J. P, YUAN, Z. M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Heidelberg Springer 01.06.2007; Berlin Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Animals; Bacillus cereus; Bacillus cereus - genetics; Bacillus cereus - metabolism; Bacillus thuringiensis; Bacteria; Bacterial Proteins - genetics; Bacterial Proteins - metabolism; Bacterial Toxins - genetics; Bacterial Toxins - metabolism; Bacteriology; Biological and medical sciences; Conjugation; Conjugation, Genetic; Endotoxins - genetics; Endotoxins - metabolism; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene transfer; Gene Transfer, Horizontal; Genetics; Helicoverpa armigera; Hemolysin Proteins - genetics; Hemolysin Proteins - metabolism; Horizontal transfer; Insects; Kinetics; Larva - microbiology; Larvae; Lepidoptera; Lepidoptera - classification; Lepidoptera - growth & development; Lepidoptera - microbiology; Microbiology; Plasmids; Plasmids - genetics; Plutella; Spodoptera exigua; Strains (organisms); Toxins; Bacillus thuringiensis; Insecta; Biological control; Bacillus thuringiensis, Bacillus cereus; Conjugation, Insect larvae, Plasmid; Bacillaceae; Strain; Genetic transfer; Plasmid; Bacillus cereus; Bacillales; Arthropoda; Bacteria; Kinetics; Conjugation; Invertebrata
• ISSN: 0302-8933; 1432-072X
• DOI: 10.1007/s00203-006-0206-5

The cry toxin encoding plasmid pHT73 was transferred from Bacillus thuringiensis subspecies kurstaki KT0 to six B. cereus group strains in three lepidopteran (Spodoptera exigua, Plutella xyllostella and Helicoverpa armigera) larvae by conjugation. The conjugation kinetics of the plasmid was precisely studied during the larval infection using a new protocol. The infections were performed with both vegetative and sporulated strains. However, larval death only occurred when infections were made with spore and toxin preparations. Likewise, spore germinations of both donor and recipient strains were only observed in killed larvae, 44-56 h post-infection. Accordingly, kinetics showed that gene transfer between B. thuringiensis strain KT0 and other B. cereus strains only took place in dead larvae among vegetatively growing bacteria. The conjugational transfer ratios varied among different strain combinations and different larvae. The highest transfer ratio reached 5.83 x 10(-6) CFU/donor between the KT0 and the AW05R recipient in Helicoverpa armigera, and all transconjugants gained the ability to produce the insecticidal crystal. These results indicated that horizontal gene transfer among B. cereus group strains might play a key role for the acquisition of extra plasmids and evolution of these strains in toxin susceptible insect larvae.