Why Grow the Protein in Pseudomonas fluorescens?
There are several practical reasons for commercially producing the toxins in P. fluorescens rather than in the strains of Bt where they originated: • P. fluorescens produces higher concentrations of the toxins than Bt; • The endotoxins remain within the P. fluorescens cells (“encapsulated” ) when the cells are killed, making collecting the endotoxins relatively easy; • The dead P. fluorescens cells protect the Bt endotoxins from decomposition induced by ultraviolet light, thereby lengthening the time the toxins remains active; • P. fluorescens does not produce the large number of additional toxins made by Bt, which might harm non-target species. How do the Bt Endotoxins Work? The Bt toxins kill the larvae of certain species of insects after being ingested by the larvae. These Bt toxins cause death by attaching to specific receptors in the larval gut, eventually rupturing the gut and killing the larvae in a few days. The toxins kill only the target pests because only the target pests co
