Patent

1. A polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 99.5% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 8, wherein said polypeptide has insecticidal activity.

2. The polypeptide of claim 1 further comprising additional amino acids, wherein said additional amino acids expressed in conjunction with said polypeptide create a protoxin.

3. The polypeptide of claim 2 , wherein said additional amino acids are separated from said polypeptide in an insect.

4. The polypeptide of claim 1 , wherein said polypeptide sequence comprises the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8.

5. An expression cassette comprising a heterologous promoter operably linked to a nucleic acid molecule comprising a nucleotide sequence encoding a polypeptide having at least 99.5% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 8, wherein said encoded polypeptide has insecticidal activity.

6. The expression cassette of claim 5 wherein the nucleotide sequence further comprises additional nucleotides, said additional nucleotides encoding additional amino acids that when expressed in conjunction with said polypeptide create a protoxin.

7. The expression cassette of claim 6 , wherein said additional amino acids are separated from said polypeptide in an insect.

8. The expression cassette of claim 5 , wherein the nucleic acid molecule encodes a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 8.

9. A vector comprising the expression cassette of claim 5 .

10. A recombinant host cell comprising a nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide having at least 99.5% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:8, wherein said encoded polypeptide has insecticidal activity.

11. The host cell of claim 10 , wherein said host cell is a plant cell.

12. A transgenic plant comprising stably incorporated in its genome a transgene, wherein said transgene comprises a polynucleotide operably linked to a promoter functional in a plant cell, and wherein the polynucleotide comprises:

a) a polynucleotide comprising a nucleotide sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8;

b) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 7 or 9; or

c) a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide having at least 99.5% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8, wherein said polypeptide has insecticidal activity.

13. The transgenic plant of claim 12 , wherein the plant is a monocotyledonous plant.

14. The transgenic plant of claim 13 , wherein said monocotyledonous plant is maize, sugarcane, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, millet, or rye.

15. The transgenic plant of claim 12 , wherein said plant is a dicotyledonous plant.

16. The transgenic plant of claim 15 , wherein the dicotyledonous plant is soybean, Brassica , alfalfa, spinach, tobacco, tomato, potato, sunflower, cotton, or canola.

17. The transgenic plant of claim 12 , wherein the transgenic plant has increased resistance to a Lepidopteran insect pest as compared to a plant that is not transgenic.

18. A seed of the transgenic plant of claim 12 , wherein said seed comprises said transgene.

19. A method for producing a plant with increased insect resistance, the method comprising:

a) introducing into plant cells a construct comprising a polynucleotide encoding an insecticidal polypeptide operably linked to a promoter functional in plant cells to yield transformed plant cells, and wherein the polynucleotide encoding the insecticidal polypeptide is:

i) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence that encodes the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8;

ii) a polynucleotide comprising the nucleotide sequence of any one of SEQ ID NOS: 7 or 9; or

iii) a polynucleotide that encodes a polypeptide having insecticidal activity and at least 99.5% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 8; and,

b) regenerating a transgenic plant from said transformed plant cells, wherein said insecticidal polypeptide is expressed at levels sufficient to increase insect resistance in said transgenic plant as compared to a control plant.

20. The method of claim 19 , wherein said polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide is constitutively expressed.

21. The method of claim 19 , wherein the plant is a monocotyledonous plant.

22. The method of claim 21 , wherein said monocotyledonous plant is maize, sugarcane, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, millet, or rye.

23. The method of claim 19 , wherein the plant is a dicotyledonous plant.

24. The method of claim 23 , wherein said dicotyledonous plant is soybean, Brassica , alfalfa, spinach, tobacco, tomato, potato, sunflower, cotton, or canola.

25. A composition comprising one or more polypeptides comprising an amino acid sequence having

at least 99.5% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 8;

and an agent, wherein the agent comprises spreader-sticker adjuvants, stabilizing agents, insecticidal agents, diluents, surfactants, emulsifiers, or dispersants.

26. A method of increasing plant resistance to an insect pest comprising applying to a plant susceptible to the insect pest, an insecticidal amount of one or more polypeptides having

at least 99.5% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 8;

wherein said insecticidal amount of the one or more polypeptides is sufficient to have insecticidal activity against said insect pest.

27. The method of claim 26 , wherein the plant is a monocotyledonous plant.

28. The method of claim 27 , wherein said monocotyledonous plant is maize, sugarcane, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, millet, or rye.

29. The method of claim 26 , wherein the plant is a dicotyledonous plant.

30. The method of claim 29 , wherein the dicotyledonous plant is soybean, Brassica , alfalfa, spinach, tobacco, tomato, potato, sunflower, cotton, or canola.