ISOLATED NUCLEIC ACID MOLECULE, GENETIC CONSTRUCT, VECTOR, TRANSGENIC CELL, METHOD FOR PRODUCING A TRANSGENIC CELL AND PLANT, ISOLATED AND PURIFIED POLYPEPTIDE, BIODEGRADABLE PESTICIDE COMPOSITION, PEST CONTROL METHOD, METHOD FOR PRODUCING TRANSGENIC STRAINS RESISTANT TO INSECT PESTS

摘要

The present invention pertains to an insecticide compound derived from a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis and relates to the field of plant pest control, particularly to the control of the boll weevil - Anthonomus grandis. More specifically, the subject matter of the invention relates to a new gene for a new delta-endotoxin designated Cry8Ha and to the cloning and expression of the gene that encodes for the protein Cry8Ha in Escherichia coli. The nucleotide and protein sequence that encodes the new delta-endotoxin, recombinant vectors and host cells are disclosed. Also disclosed are processes and means for the recombinant production and use of the new delta-endotoxin for controlling the boll weevil. Additionally, the invention also provides an optimized synthetic gene for expression in cotton plants. Using the gene described herein, it is possible to transform plants using techniques known by specialists in the field for the expression of the endotoxin active against the boll weevil.