Maize event BBL2-2 was developed using Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. The plasmid pL2 carries three expression cassettes:

• The cry1Ab gene cassette. This synthetic version of the cry1Ab gene, isolated from the soil bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) was modified to enhance the expression of the Cry1Ab protein in plants, which confers resistance to certain lepidopteran insects,

• the synthetic cry3Bb1 gene cassette, which is the coding sequence for a close variant of the Cry3Bb1 protein, derived from Bacillus thuringiensis subsp. Kumamotoensis, that provides protection against certain coleopteran target pests belonging to the genus Diabrotica such as the larvae of Western corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera virgifera), Northern corn rootworm (Diabrotica barberi), Southern corn rootworm (Diabrotica undecimpunctata howardi) and Mexican corn rootworm (Diabrotica virgifera zea),

• the modified cp4-epsps gene which is the coding sequence for the native CP4 EPSPS protein, derived from Agrobacterium sp. strain CP4, an enzyme that confers tolerance to the herbicide glyphosate.

Sources: ISAAA Patent WO2023093847A1