Novel insecticidal proteins and methods for their use

Abstract

Compositions and methods for controlling pests are provided. The methods involve transforming organisms with a nucleic acid sequence encoding an insecticidal protein. In particular, the nucleic acid sequences are useful for preparing plants and microorganisms that possess insecticidal activity. Thus, transformed bacteria, plants, plant cells, plant tissues and seeds are provided. Compositions are insecticidal nucleic acids and proteins of bacterial species. The sequences find use in the construction of expression vectors for subsequent transformation into organisms of interest, as probes for the isolation of other homologous (or partially homologous) genes. The insecticidal proteins find use in controlling, inhibiting growth or killing lepidopteran, coleopteran, dipteran, fungal, hemipteran, and nematode pest populations and for producing compositions with insecticidal activity.

1 - 30 . (canceled) 
     
     
         31 . A nucleic acid molecule comprising a heterologous regulatory element and a polynucleotide encoding an insecticidal polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6 or a fragment thereof and having insecticidal activity. 
     
     
         32 . A DNA construct comprising the nucleic acid molecule of  claim 31 , wherein the polynucleotide has codons optimized for expression in an agriculturally important crop. 
     
     
         33 . A transgenic plant comprising the nucleic acid molecule of  claim 31 . 
     
     
         34 . A method of inhibiting growth of or killing an insect pest or pest population, comprising contacting the insect pest or pest population with an insecticidal polypeptide comprising an amino acid sequence having at least 80% sequence identity to SEQ ID NO: 6 or a fragment thereof having insecticidal activity. 
     
     
         35 . A method of inhibiting growth of or killing an insect pest or pest population in a plant comprising expressing in a plant the nucleic acid molecule of  claim 31 . 
     
     
         36 . A method of controlling insect pest damage to plants comprising providing the insecticidal polypeptide of  claim 31  to an insect pest or pest population for ingestion, wherein said insecticidal polypeptide is produced by a transgenic plant and is present in at least one of said plants. 
     
     
         37 . A method for controlling insect pest infestation comprising providing in the diet of the pest the transgenic plant of  claim 33 , or a part thereof. 
     
     
         38 . A method for improving the yield of a crop comprising growing the transgenic plant of  claim 33 , wherein the yield of the crop is increased in the presence of the insect pest relative to the crop not comprising said transgenic plant. 
     
     
         39 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the insect pest or pest population is resistant to at least one Cry insecticidal protein. 
     
     
         40 . The method of  claim 36 , wherein the transgenic plant is selected from barley, corn, oat, rice, rye, sorghum, turf grass, sugarcane, wheat, alfalfa, banana, broccoli, bean, cabbage, canola, carrot, cassava, cauliflower, celery,  citrus , cotton, a cucurbit,  eucalyptus , flax, garlic, grape, onion, lettuce, pea, peanut, pepper, potato, poplar, pine, sunflower, safflower, soybean, strawberry, sugar beet, sweet potato, tobacco,  tomato  ornamental, shrub, nut, chickpea, pigeon pea, millets, hops, and pasture grass plant cells. 
     
     
         41 . The method of  claim 34 , wherein the insect pest or insect pest population is an agriculturally important species in the Order  Lepidoptera  or Order  Hemiptera.    
     
     
         42 . The method of  claim 41 , wherein the insect pest or insect pest population is selected from corn earworm, European corn borer, black cutworm, fall armyworm, soybean looper, velvet bean caterpillar, and diamondback moth. 
     
     
         43 . A method of controlling  Lepidoptera  and/or  Hemiptera  insect infestation in a transgenic plant and providing insect resistance management, comprising expressing in the plant at least two different insecticidal proteins having different modes of action, wherein one of the at least two insecticidal proteins comprises the insecticidal polypeptide of  claim 31  and one of the at least two insecticidal proteins comprises a Cry protein insecticidal to insects in the order  Lepidoptera  and/or  Hemiptera.    
     
     
         44 . A means for effective  Lepidoptera  and/or  Hemiptera  insect resistance management, comprising co-expressing at high levels in transgenic plants two or more insecticidal proteins toxic to  Lepidoptera  and/or  Hemiptera  insects but each exhibiting a different mode of effectuating its inhibiting growth or killing activity, wherein the two or more insecticidal proteins are selected from the insecticidal polypeptide of  claim 31  and a Cry protein.