US20250283107
2025-09-11
Chemistry; metallurgy
C12N15/8286
The patent application outlines compositions and methods designed to control pests by transforming organisms with nucleic acid sequences that encode insecticidal proteins. These sequences are particularly useful in creating plants and microorganisms with inherent insecticidal properties. The compositions include insecticidal nucleic acids and proteins derived from bacterial species, which can be used to construct expression vectors for transformation into organisms such as plants. The proteins are effective against various pest populations, including Lepidopteran, Coleopteran, Dipteran, fungal, Hemipteran, and nematode pests.
Biological pest control using microbial agents like fungi and bacteria offers an environmentally friendly alternative to synthetic pesticides. This approach reduces pollution and environmental hazards while providing greater target specificity compared to traditional insecticides. Microbial insecticides, especially those from Bacillus strains like Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), have been pivotal in agriculture as alternatives to chemical methods. Genetically engineered crops, such as Bt corn and cotton, have been developed to produce these pesticidal proteins, offering an eco-friendly solution to pest control but limited to a narrow range of pests.
The application introduces novel genes encoding pesticidal proteins, useful in creating pest-resistant transgenic plants. These include nucleic acid molecules for pesticidal polypeptides, vectors containing these molecules, and the host cells comprising them. Synthetic sequences are designed for expression in various organisms, including microorganisms and plants. The focus is on Pteridophyta Insecticidal Protein-83 (PtIP-83) polypeptides with specific amino acid sequences that can be altered or combined for enhanced pest resistance.
Methods for producing these polypeptides and using them to control pests are provided. Transgenic plants expressing these pesticidal sequences can also incorporate additional genes for broader insect resistance. Detection methods for these nucleic acids and polypeptides are included, alongside a kit for identifying PtIP-83 polypeptides or their encoding polynucleotides in samples. These innovations aim to enhance agricultural pest resistance through improved or altered pesticidal proteins.
The described compositions and methods have significant agricultural applications by enhancing organismal pest resistance or tolerance. They provide a means to develop organisms with improved pest resistance traits and offer tools for detecting the presence of specific pesticidal proteins. This approach is intended to address the limitations of current genetically engineered crops by expanding the range of pests that can be effectively controlled.