In our previous study, several Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains were isolated from bryophyte samples, indicating that bryophytes could serve as Bt reservoirs in the wild. SFR13 is a wild strain isolated from the bryophyta Physcomitrium japonicum. | Turkish Journal of Biology Turk J Biol (2017) 41: 41-48 © TÜBİTAK doi: Research Article The colonization of Bacillus thuringiensis strains in bryophytes 1,2 1,2 3 4, 1,2 1,2 1,2, Qiuqiu LIN , Pengli ZHU , Rebeca CARBALLAR-LEJARAZÚ , Ivan GELBIČ *, Xiong GUAN , Lei XU , Lingling ZHANG * 1 Key Laboratory of Biopesticide and Chemical Biology, Ministry of Education, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, Fujian, P. R. China 2 Fujian-Taiwan Joint Center for Ecological Control of Crop Pests, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, P. R. China 3 Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, University of California Irvine, Irvine, CA, USA 4 Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Entomology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: In our previous study, several Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) strains were isolated from bryophyte samples, indicating that bryophytes could serve as Bt reservoirs in the wild. SFR13 is a wild strain isolated from the bryophyta Physcomitrium japonicum. In order to understand its ecological properties, green fluorescent protein (GFP)-labelled SFR13 (SFR13GFP) was generated to evaluate the colonization capability in bryophytes, using dynamic tracing and cell counting to observe the process and patterns of colonization. Our results showed that genetic stability, growth curve dynamics, and insecticidal crystal production were not affected by GFP expression in Bt. Fluorescence microscopy was used to track the dynamic distribution of SFR13GFP. Distribution patterns showed that SFR13GFP can establish stable and long-term colonization in leaves and stems by the 26th day after inoculation. A better understanding of how Bt colonizes plants in the wild will not only result in increased knowledge of plant–microbe interactions but will also lead to a .
