Nucleotide Sequences Encoding Insecticidal Proteins

Abstract

The present invention provides nucleotide sequences encoding an insecticidal protein exhibiting lepidopteran inhibitory activity, as well as a novel insecticidal protein referred to herein as a Cry1A.105 insecticide, transgenic plants expressing the insecticide, and methods for detecting the presence of the nucleotide sequences or the insecticide in a biological sample.

1 . An isolated nucleotide sequence encoding an insecticidal protein comprising an amino acid sequence as set forth in SEQ ID NO:2 from amino acid position 10 through amino acid position 600. 
     
     
         2 . The isolated nucleotide sequence of  claim 1  selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO:1 and SEQ ID NO:3. 
     
     
         3 . The isolated nucleotide sequence of  claim 2  for use in expressing said insecticidal protein in a crop plant. 
     
     
         4 . The isolated nucleotide sequence of  claim 3  wherein said crop plant is selected from the group consisting of a monocotyledonous crop plant and a dicotyledonous crop plant. 
     
     
         5 . The isolated nucleotide sequence of  claim 4  wherein said monocotyledonous plant is selected from the group of plants consisting of corn, wheat, oat, rice, sorghum, milo, buckwheat, rye, grass (fescue, timothy, brome, orchard, St. Augustine, Bermuda, bentgrass), and barley. 
     
     
         6 . The isolated nucleotide sequence of  claim 4  wherein said dicotyledonous plant is selected from the group of plants consisting of alfalfa, apple, apricot, asparagus, bean, berry, blackberry, blueberry, canola, carrot, cauliflower, celery, cherry, chickpea, citrus tree, cotton, cowpea, cranberry, cucumber, cucurbit, egg plant, fruit tree, grape, lemon, lettuce, linseed, melon, mustard, nut bearing tree, okra, orange, pea, peach, peanut, pear, plum, potato, soybeans, squash, strawberry, sugar beet, sunflower, sweet potato, tobacco, tomato, turnip, and vegetable. 
     
     
         7 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . A method of identifying in a biological sample a nucleotide sequence encoding a Cry1A.105 amino acid sequence, said method comprising contacting said sample with a polynucleotide that hybridizes to the nucleotide sequence under stringent hybridization conditions and detecting the binding of said polynucleotide to said nucleotide sequence, wherein said binding is diagnostic for said nucleotide sequence in said sample. 
     
     
         22 . A method of identifying in a sample a Cry1A.105 protein, said method comprising contacting said sample with an antibody that binds specifically to said protein, and detecting the binding, wherein said binding is diagnostic for the presence of said protein in said sample. 
     
     
         23 - 36 . (canceled)