The subject invention concerns materials and methods useful in the control of pests and, particularly, plant pests. More specifically, the subject invention provides plant-optimized, polynucleotide sequences that encode pesticidal toxins (full-lengthand truncated). Truncated polynucleotide sequences can be used to produce truncated toxins or for the production of fusion (or chimeric) genes and proteins. The polynucleotide sequences of the subject invention have certain modifications, compared to wild-type sequences, that make them particularly well-suited for optimized expression in plants. Using techniques known to those skilled in the art, the polynucleotide sequences described herein can be used to transform plants in order to confer pest resistance upon the plants.