Abstracto
- The Andean potato weevil, Premnotrypes vorax, an insect of the order Coleoptera, is a major cause of damage to potato crops in the Andean regions of South America. The insecticidal Cry proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis are useful biological pesticides, and some are toxic to Coleopteran insects. We overexpressed recombinant, histidine-tagged Cry3Aa protein in Escherichia coil host cells. The recombinant protein was solubilized at high pH with urea, purified using Ni2+-nitrilo-triacetic acid affinity resin, and dialysed to lower pH and remove urea. Bioassays were performed with an insect media whose surface was spread with 70 μg/mL purified native or recombinant toxins. First instar larvae exposed to toxin treated media for 5 days exhibited mortalities from 57% (native Cry3Aa) to 52% (recombinant Cry3Aa). Purified native and recombinant Cry3Aa proteins appeared to be equally toxic to the Andean potato weevil. © 2000 Academic Press.
