Cry protein is a large family of crystalline toxins produced from soil bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis. These proteins are harmless to vertebrates, but they are highly toxic to insects and nematodes. Their value in controlling insects that destroy crops and transmit human diseases is well established. The Cry proteins exist as inactive protoxins and get converted into active toxin when ingested by the insect, as the alkaline of gut solubilises the crystals.

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