Transgenic cotton co-expressing chimeric Vip3AcAa and Cry1Ac confers effective protection against Cry1Ac-resistant cotton bollworm.

Wide planting of transgenic Bt cotton in China since 1997 to control cotton bollworm (Helicoverpa armigera) has increased yields and decreased insecticide use, but the evolution of resistance to Bt cotton by H. armigera remains a challenge. Toward developing a new generation of insect-resistant transgenic crops, a chimeric protein of Vip3Aa1 and Vip3Ac1, named Vip3AcAa, having a broader insecticidal spectrum, was specifically created previously in our laboratory.

Transgenic cotton coexpressing Vip3A and Cry1Ac has a broad insecticidal spectrum against lepidopteran pests.

Although farmers in China have grown transgenic Bt-Cry1Ac cotton to resist the major pest Helicoverpa armigera since 1997 with great success, many secondary lepidopteran pests that are tolerant to Cry1Ac are now reported to cause considerable economic damage. Vip3AcAa, a chimeric protein with the N-terminal part of Vip3Ac and the C-terminal part of Vip3Aa, has a broad insecticidal spectrum against lepidopteran pests and has no cross resistance to Cry1Ac. In the present study, we tested insecticidal activities of Vip3AcAa against Spodoptera litura, Spodoptera exigua, and Agrotis ipsilon, which are relatively tolerant to Cry1Ac proteins.

[Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy Study of D-Carnitine on a New Base].

A fast and efficient way to synthesize a large number of silver nanowires was developed in this paper, in which the reaction conditions were optimized. Under the protection of Cu(NO3)2 silver nitrate was reduced by polyol with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP) in existence. The silver nanowires with uniform structure and good dispersion were obtained.

Biochemical Characterization and Complete Conversion of Coenzyme Specificity of Isocitrate Dehydrogenase from Bifidobacterium longum.

Bifidobacterium longum is a very important gram-positive non-pathogenic bacterium in the human gastrointestinal tract for keeping the digestive and immune system healthy. Isocitrate dehydrogenase (IDH) from B. longum (BlIDH), a novel member in Type II subfamily, was overexpressed, purified and biochemically characterized in detail.

A Novel Type II NAD+-Specific Isocitrate Dehydrogenase from the Marine Bacterium Congregibacter litoralis KT71.

In most living organisms, isocitrate dehydrogenases (IDHs) convert isocitrate into ɑ-ketoglutarate (ɑ-KG). Phylogenetic analyses divide the IDH protein family into two subgroups: types I and II. Based on cofactor usage, IDHs are either NAD+-specific (NAD-IDH) or NADP+-specific (NADP-IDH); NADP-IDH evolved from NAD-IDH.

[IR and Raman spectra studies of Rotundine based on DFT].

Infrared spectroscopy (IR), the normal Raman spectroscopy (NRS) and the surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) in new Ag/Cu nanomaterial of Rotundine were studied in the present paper. The IR and the NRS of Rotundine were calculated by the density functional theory (DFT) using B3LYP/6-311+G(d, p), then the spectral intensity graph of Rotundine were given. The vibrational peaks were assigned comprehensively by the visualization software of Gauss view 5.