New nucleic acid from Photorhabdus luminescens, useful for producing insecticidal polypeptides active against Lepidoptera, and for producing insect resistant transgenic plants

摘要

Isolated nucleic acid (I) sequences (2) and (4), not given in the specification, that encode at least one polypeptide (II) active against insects, are new. Independent claims are also included for: (1) a nucleic acid sequence (Ia) that: (a) is at least 70% identical with (I); (b) hybridizes under highly stringent conditions with (I); (c) is complementary to (a) or (b); (d) is a fragment of (2) or (4), or their complements, of at least 10 b; (e) comprises (a)-(d); (f) is a modified form of (a)-(e), provided they encode a (II); (2) a polypeptide (II) that: (a) is encoded by (I) or (Ia); (b) has a sequence (3) or (5) (not given in the specification); (c) has at least 80% identity with (a); or (d) is a fragment of (a) with at least 10 consecutive amino acids; (3) a nucleic acid (Ib) that encodes (3) or (5); (4) an expression cassette (EC) containing a promoter linked to (I), (Ia) or (Ib); (5) a cloning and/or expression vector containing EC, (I), (Ia) or (Ib); (6) a viral vector containing (I), (Ia) or (Ib) in its genome, optionally linked to an inducible or constitutive promoter; (7) host cells that contain EC; (8) producing plants that express an insecticidal toxin by introducing EC into at least one cell, then regenerating the cell to a plant; (9) plants or their parts that contain EC; (10) controlling insects by applying a composition containing (II), the cells of (7) or the vector of (5) to infected plants; (11) producing (II) by culturing cells of (7); (12) producing insect-resistant plants by introduction of (I), (Ia) or (Ib); (13) an isolated nucleic acid (Ic) comprising about 26 kb from Photorhabdus luminescens, designated plBAC8C11 (CNCM I-2700), present in Escherichia coli DH10B; (14) an isolated nucleic acid having sequence (1), (not given in the specification); and (15) a strain containing the vector of (5) deposited as plbac8c11.