Two insecticidal bacteria are used as larvicides to control larvae of nuisance and vector mosquitoes in many countries, Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis and B. sphaericus. Field studies show both are effective, but serious resistance, as high as 50 000-fold, has evolved where B. sphaericus is used against Culex mosquitoes. To improve efficacy and deal with even greater potential problems...

Lysinibacillus fusiformis SW-B9 was the first reported strain in L. fusiformis showing effective biotransformation of isoeugenol to vanillin. Here, we report the annotated genome of strain SW-B9, which has special pathways for producing vanillin. The genome will provide a genetic basis for better understanding the physiology of this species.

Gluconobacter oxydans strain DSM 2003 can efficiently produce some industrially important building blocks, such as (R)-lactic acid and (R)-2-hydroxybutyric acid. Here, we present a 2.94-Mb assembly of its genome sequence, which might provide further insights into the molecular mechanism of its biocatalysis in order to further improve its biotechnological applications.

Primary powders of Bacillus sphaericus strain S2 isolated from soil samples in Brazil, and strain 2362 were produced in a 14 liter fermentor. Growth patterns and sporulation observed in three trials with strains S2 and 2362 in the fermentor were similar. Second-instar larvae of Culex quinquefasciatus, Anopheles albimanus, Anopheles quadrimaculatus, and Aedes aegypti exposed for 48 hr to strain ...

The microbial control of Anopheles gambiae and other mosquitoes with a granular formulation of Bacillus sphaericus (Vectolex) was evaluated in rice fields and swamps, located around the suburban region of Kingabwa-village in Kinshasa, Zaíre. Ten treatment cycles with 15-day intervals were carried out with the same application rate, 10 kg/ha, during the dry season (May to September 1991). The tr...

In the course of sporulation, some strains of Bacillus sphaericus synthesize a parasporal inclusion or "crystal" (Fig. 1), which contains proteins toxic for larvae of a variety of mosquito species (64, 74). Upon completion of sporulation, the crystal remains associated with the endospore, both being enclosed within the exosporium (74). The major components of the crystal are two proteins of 51 ...

Lysinibacillus sp. ZYM-1, a Gram-positive strain isolated from marine sediments, reduces selenite and tellurite efficiently. Meanwhile, it also exhibits high resistance to Zn2+ and Mn2+. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of strain ZYM-1, which contains genes related to selenite and tellurite reduction and also metal resistance.

Tetragonal layer protein (T-layer) isolated from Bacillus sphaericus NTCC 9602 (wild type) or 9602 Lmw (variant) bonded specifically to the sacculi (peptidoglycan) of either cell type. Only uncleaved T-layer subunits were capable of specific recognition of the B. sphaericus sacculi; other Bacillus strains and gram-positive bacterial sacculi would not adsorb B. sphaericus strain 9602 T-layer. Th...

Cry11A from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. israelensis and Cry11Ba from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. jegathesan were introduced, separately and in combination, into the chromosome of Bacillus sphaericus 2297 by in vivo recombination. Two loci on the B. sphaericus chromosome were chosen as target sites for recombination: the binary toxin locus and the gene encoding the 36-kDa protease that may b...