Discovery of a novel insecticidal protein from Chromobacterium piscinae, with activity against Western Corn Rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera.

Western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera, is one of the most significant pests of corn in the United States. Although transgenic solutions exist, increasing resistance concerns make the discovery of novel solutions essential. In order to find a novel protein with high activity and a new mode of action, a large microbial collection was surveyed for toxicity to WCR using in vitro bioassays.

Characterization and plant expression of a glyphosate-tolerant enolpyruvylshikimate phosphate synthase.

Background: Glyphosate tolerance is a dominant trait in modern biotech crops.

Results: A gene encoding a glyphosate-tolerant EPSP synthase (aroA(1398)) from bacterial strain ATX1398 was cloned and characterized. The protein is initiated at a GTG translational start codon to produce a protein that provides robust glyphosate resistance in Escherichia coli (Mig) Cast & Chalm.

The base substitution fidelity of DNA polymerase beta-dependent single nucleotide base excision repair.

Damaged DNA bases are removed from mammalian genomes by base excision repair (BER). Single nucleotide BER requires several enzymatic activities, including DNA polymerase and 5',2'-deoxyribose-5-phosphate lyase. Both activities are intrinsic to four human DNA polymerases whose base substitution error rate during gap-filling DNA synthesis varies by more than 10,000-fold.

Efficiency of correct nucleotide insertion governs DNA polymerase fidelity.

DNA polymerase fidelity or specificity expresses the ability of a polymerase to select a correct nucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) from a pool of structurally similar molecules. Fidelity is quantified from the ratio of specificity constants (catalytic efficiencies) for alternate substrates (i.e.