Enhancement of Bacillus thuringiensis Toxicity to Lepidopterous Species with the Enhancin from Trichoplusia ni Granulovirus

The enhancin from the Trichoplusia ni (Hübner) granulovirus (TnGV) is a 104-kDa viral protein that can significantly increase the virulence of several baculoviruses. Enhancin can destroy the structural integrity of the peritrophic membrane (PM) of lepidopterous larvae, resulting in more efficient penetration of the PM by virions and avoidance of inactivation by larval midgut factors. In this study we demonstrate that TnGV enhancin can also enhance toxicity of Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) to several noctuid species. Addition of enhancin significantly increased the toxicity of Dipel, a commercial Bt formulation, to six species (T. ni, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), Heliothis virescens (Fabricius), Spodoptera exigua (Hübner), Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), and Anticarsia gemmatalis (Hübner)). Furthermore, the effectiveness of four commercial Bt-based products (Cutlass, Javelin, Biobit, and Dipel) against T. ni was enhanced three- to sixfold by adding purified enhancin. We hypothesize that the PM of larvae can impede the movement of the BT toxin protein to the midgut brush border and that enhancin can increase the toxicity by affecting the permeability of the PM.