Four novel Bacillus thuringiensis strains, which are deposited at the BCCM-LMG under accession nos. LMG P-12592, LMG P-12593, LMG P-12594, and LMG P-13493, produce new crystal proteins during sporulation that are toxic to Lepidoptera, more particularly against Noctuidae such as Spodoptera spp. and Agrotis ipsilon , against Pyralidae such as Ostrinta nubilalis , and against Yponomeutidae such as Plutella xylostella , and that are encoded by a novel gene. The crystal proteins contain protoxins, which can yield a toxin as trypsin-digestion product. A plant, the genome of which is transformed with a DNA sequence that comes from either one of the strains and that encodes its respective toxin, is resistant to Lepidoptera. Each strain, itself, or its crystals, crystal proteins, protoxin or toxin can be used as the active ingredient in an insecticidal composition for combatting Lepidoptera.
1. An isolated variant or mutant of the protein of SEQ ID NO:5, which protein variant or mutant has insecticidal activity against a Lepidopteran insect, and which variant or mutant comprises an amino acid sequence which is encoded by a DNA sequence that hybridizes under stringent hybridization conditions to the DNA sequence of nucleotide position 797 to nucleotide position 2641 of SEQ ID NO: 4, wherein said stringent hybridization conditions are established using the following steps:
a) immobilizing DNA fragments on a filter;
b) prehybridizing said filter for 1 to 2 hours at 42° C. in 50% formamide, 5× SSPE, 2× Denhardt's reagent and 0.1% SDS, or for 1 to 2 hours at 68° C. in 6× SSC, 2× Denhardt's reagent and 0.1% SDS;
c) adding a hybridization probe which has been radiolabeled;
d) incubating for 16 to 24 hours;
e) washing said filter for 20 minutes at room temperature in 1× SSC, 0.1% SDS; and
f) washing said filter three times for 20 minutes each at 68° C. in 0.2× SSC, 0.1% SDS; and
g) autoradiographing said filter by exposing said filter for 24 to 48 hours to X-ray film at −70° C. with an intensifying screen.
2. The protein variant or mutant of claim 1 , having insecticidal activity against an insect selected from the group consisting of Spodoptera exigua, Spodoptera littoralis, Spodoptera frugiperda, Agrotis ipsilon, Mamestra brassica, Heliothis virescens, Ostrinia nubilalis , and Plutella xylostella.
3. The protein variant or mutant of claim 1 , wherein said DNA encoding said variant or mutant protein comprises a degenerate DNA sequence to the nucleotide sequence of positions 797-2641 of SEQ ID NO:4 wherein one or more amino acid codons have been replaced with others without changing the amino acid sequence of the protein.
4. The protein variant or mutant of claim 2 , wherein said DNA encoding said variant or mutant protein comprises a degenerate DNA sequence to the nucleotide sequence of positions 797-2641 of SEQ ID NO:4 wherein one or more amino acid codons have been replaced with others without changing the amino acid sequence of the protein.