A transgenic approach for controlling Lygus in cotton

Anilkumar Gowda (), Timothy J. Rydel, Andrew M. Wollacott, Robert S. Brown, Waseem Akbar, Thomas L. Clark, Stanislaw Flasinski, Jeffrey R. Nageotte, Andrew C. Read, Xiaohong Shi, Brent J. Werner, Michael J. Pleau and James A. Baum
Additional contact information
Anilkumar Gowda: Monsanto Company
Timothy J. Rydel: Monsanto Company
Andrew M. Wollacott: Monsanto Company
Robert S. Brown: Monsanto Company
Waseem Akbar: Monsanto Company
Thomas L. Clark: Monsanto Company
Stanislaw Flasinski: Monsanto Company
Jeffrey R. Nageotte: Monsanto Company
Andrew C. Read: Monsanto Company
Xiaohong Shi: Monsanto Company
Brent J. Werner: Monsanto Company
Michael J. Pleau: Monsanto Company
James A. Baum: Monsanto Company

Nature Communications, 2016, vol. 7, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Lygus species of plant-feeding insects have emerged as economically important pests of cotton in the United States. These species are not controlled by commercial Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton varieties resulting in economic losses and increased application of insecticide. Previously, a Bt crystal protein (Cry51Aa2) was reported with insecticidal activity against Lygus spp. However, transgenic cotton plants expressing this protein did not exhibit effective protection from Lygus feeding damage. Here we employ various optimization strategies, informed in part by protein crystallography and modelling, to identify limited amino-acid substitutions in Cry51Aa2 that increase insecticidal activity towards Lygus spp. by >200-fold. Transgenic cotton expressing the variant protein, Cry51Aa2.834_16, reduce populations of Lygus spp. up to 30-fold in whole-plant caged field trials. One transgenic event, designated MON88702, has been selected for further development of cotton varieties that could potentially reduce or eliminate insecticide application for control of Lygus and the associated environmental impacts.

Date: 2016
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DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12213

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