Orally active androctonus amoreuxi pesticidal biopeptides

Abstract

The present invention provides compositions and methods for orally active Androctonus amoreuxi pesticidal polypeptides. Compositions include novel Androctonus amoreuxi pesticidal polypeptides and biologically active variants thereof. Further provided are methods for modulating the pesticide resistance of plants by expressing the sequences disclosed herein. One method comprises stably transforming into the genome of a plant cell a nucleotide sequence of the present invention operably linked to a heterologous promoter and regenerating a stably transformed plant that expresses the nucleotide sequence. An additional method comprises incorporating a nucleotide sequence of the present invention operably linked to a heterologous promoter into a microorganism and applying said microorganism to the environment of a plant.

1 . An isolated polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence selected from the group consisting of:
 (a) an amino acid sequence encoded by a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:1, 3, 6, 8, 9, 11, 21, or 23;   (b) an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, 10, 20, 22, 24, or 27;   (c) an amino acid sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, 10, 20, 22, 24, or 27, or a fragment thereof, wherein said polypeptide retains pesticidal activity; and   (d) an amino acid sequence consisting of at least 10 contiguous amino acids of the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:2, 4, 7, 10, 20, 22, 24, or 27.   
     
     
         2 . The isolated polypeptide of  claim 1 , wherein the polypeptide is orally active. 
     
     
         3 . A composition comprising the isolated polypeptide of  claim 1 .