Nature Biotechnology pp 1307 - 1313

Scientists have sequenced the genome of an insect pathogen harboring genes that may offer new ways of controlling insect pests. In the November issue of Nature Biotechnology, Frank Kunst and colleagues report and analyze the complete genome sequence of the bacterium Photorhabdus luminescens.

This bacterium has a complex life cycle, shuttling from harmoniously coexisting with worms inside their guts to proliferating within insects and killing them to provide food for those same worms. To do this, it has acquired the ability to kill a variety of insects by producing different kinds of toxins. The genome sequence now provides scientists with the genetic information needed to apply these toxins in agriculture.

Some of the toxins produced by P. luminescens may provide an alternative to currently used insecticides (such as Bt toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis). This is an important goal because the effectiveness of insecticides sometimes diminishes over time as a result of increasing insect resistance.