Bt Research 2024, Vol.15, No.1, 1-9 http://microbescipublisher.com/index.php/bt 1 Research Article Open Access Exploring the Evolutionary History of Different Strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) in Combating the Phenacoccus solenopsis Fangfang Wang Biotechnology Research Center of Zhuji Cuixi Academy of Biotechology, Zhuji, 311800, Zhejiang, China Corresponding email: 2013478397@qq.com Bt Research, 2024, Vol.15, No.1 doi: 10.5376/bt.2024.15.0001 Received: 28 Dec., 2023 Accepted: 29 Dec., 2023 Published: 01 Jan., 2024 Copyright © 2024 Wang, This is an open access article published under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Preferred citation for this article: Wang F.F., 2024 , Exploring the evolutionary history of different strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) in combating the Phenacoccus solenopsis, Bt Research, 15(1): 1-9 (doi: 10.5376/bt.2024.15.0001) Abstract This study aims to investigate the gene evolution process of different strains of Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) in combating Phenacoccus solenopsis, commonly known as Phenacoccus solenopsis. The research findings highlight that B.t. strains undergo genetic changes through selective pressure and gene mutations during their long-term interaction with cotton mealybugs. By collecting B.t. strains from different geographic regions and conducting morphological and physiological characterization, significant differences in their resistance performances were observed. Further experimental research reveals the functionality of these candidate genes and their association with resistance. Gene knockout and functional analysis demonstrate that some of these genes play a critical role within the mealybug, significantly correlating with the virulence of B.t. strains. This suggests that these genes are closely linked to the development of resistance in B.t. strains and may be one of the key factors in resistance evolution. Through selective pressure and gene mutations, B.t. strains gradually adapt to the resistance of Phenacoccus solenopsis, leading to the development of novel resistance-related gene variations. These research findings are crucial for understanding the adaptive evolution of B.t. strains, resistance development, and the formulation of pest control strategies. Future studies can further explore the mechanisms of action of these resistance-related genes to enhance the efficacy of insecticides and minimize resistance development. Keywords B.t. strains; Phenacoccus solenopsis; Gene evolution; Esistance; Toxin 1 Introduction In recent years, Phenacoccus solenopsis, a harmful insect that seriously endangers the cotton industry, has attracted widespread attention. This pest has high reproductive capacity, strong adaptability, and a wide range of host species, and spreads rapidly, causing serious economic losses to cotton production. Globally, the spread of Phenacoccus solenopsis has spread to many countries and regions, becoming one of the important factors restricting agricultural sustainable development (Hamza et al., 2022). To combat the serious pest Phenacoccus solenopsis, there are many problems in the use of traditional chemical pesticides, such as environmental pollution, impact on non-target organisms, and the emergence of resistance of pests to pesticides. Therefore, it is imperative to seek safe, efficient, and environmentally friendly control strategies. As a widely used biopesticide for pest control, Bacillus thuringiensis (B.t.) has high potential (Chen et al., 2021). This study aims to explore the gene evolution of B.t. in the process of combating Phenacoccus solenopsis, in order to reveal the adaptive evolution mechanism of B.t. strains in the process of long-term interaction with Phenacoccus solenopsis. By collecting and studying B.t. strains from different geographical regions, their morphological and physiological characteristics will be analyzed to understand the differences in resistance performance of different strains to Phenacoccus solenopsis. At the same time, genome sequencing and alignment analysis will be carried out to identify candidate sequences of genes related to resistance, and functional annotation and verification will be conducted (Waqas et al., 2021). Through the implementation of this study, it is expected to gain a deeper understanding of the gene evolution process of B.t. strains in combating Phenacoccus solenopsis, Reveals the mechanism of resistance development in the interaction between B.t. strains and Phenacoccus solenopsis. This will help better understand the adaptive
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