The extrachromosomal zoo of the biopesticide Bacillus thuringiensis
(2014) International Society for Plasmid Biology Scientific Meeting 2014 — Location: Palm Cove, Australia (27.October.2014)
Files
No attached file found for this publication.
Details
- Authors
- Abstract
- Members of the Bacillus cereus group display a broad spectrum of virulence, from the human and animal pathogen Bacillus anthracis to the well-known insect biopesticide Bacillus thuringiensis, including the foodborne pathotypes of B. cereus sensu stricto. In many cases, the genetic determinants related to these pathogenicities are plasmid-borne, and have the capacity to be transferred horizontally through conjugation. Moreover, these elements are part of an extrachromosomal pool that extends beyond the virulence of the bacterial host and includes features that participate to the lifestyles and ecotypes displayed by this group of spore-forming, soil-dweller bacteria. Of particular interest is the case of B. thuringiensis. It has long been recognized that strains of this bacterium harbour a wealth of plasmids, with more than 10 distinct molecules in certain isolates. Moreover, some other mobile genetic elements, such as transposon, (pro)phages and insertion sequences, can be composite structures included in these plasmids. Using the mosquito-pathogen B. thuringiensis serovar israelensis as example, the diversity and potential function of these molecules will be reviewed, with a particular emphasis on their roles as “niche-adapters” and/or “life-style formatters”. The unexpected contribution of “plasmidial prophage” will also be detailed with the remarkable case of tectiviral prophages.
- Affiliations
Citations
Gillis, A., Makart, L., Guo, S., & Mahillon, J. (2014). The extrachromosomal zoo of the biopesticide Bacillus thuringiensis. International Society for Plasmid Biology Scientific Meeting 2014, Palm Cove, Australia. https://hdl.handle.net/2078.5/195009