Molecular cloning of a new cry2A-type gene from Bacillus thuringiensis strain Nn10 and its expression studies.

In the present study, eight indigenous Bacillus thuringiensis isolates of Western Ghats of India with more than 90% toxicity against Helicoverpa armigera were characterized for cry2A gene sub families. Seven of the eight isolates harboured cry2Aa, cry2Ab and cry2Ac genes alone and or in combination. Further, the indigenous cry2Aa gene(s) from Bacillus thuringiensis isolate Nn10 which showed 100% mortality against Helicoverpa armigera was cloned and expressed into recombinant Bt strains for management of resistance development in insects. The ORF of cry2Aa (∼1.9 kb) gene(s) from Nn10 isolate was ligated with T/A vector (pTZ57 R/T) and expressed in E. coli, DH5α. Automated sequence analysis of newly cloned recombinant cry2Aa revealed 99% homology to 916 bases in the 3' region of minus strand and 100% homology with 720 bases in the 5' region of holotype cry2Aa1 gene. The partial Cry2Aa amino acid sequence of Bt strain, Nn10, deduced from the nucleotide sequence generated by M13F primer showed four amino acid variation in comparison to Cry2Aa1 holotype, at 338, 345, 346 and 489 position of ORF and the sequence was submitted to the NCBI. Further the expression of ORF of cry2Aa of Nn10 into acrystalliferous Bt strain, 4Q7 using expression vector pHT3P2T under the transcriptional control of cry3Aa promoter and cry2Aa terminator. SDS PAGE analysis of recombinant protein exhibited a prominent band of about 65 kDa. Bioassay studies revealed that recombinant proteins, Cry2Aa of Nn10 was toxic to Helicoverpa armigera with LC50 value of 7.26 μg ml.