A Novel Alphabaculovirus from the Soybean Looper, Chrysodeixis includens, that Produces Tetrahedral Occlusion Bodies and Encodes Two Copies of he65
1
Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, MD 20705, USA
2
AgBiTech, Fort Worth, TX 76155, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Viruses 2019, 11(7), 579; https://doi.org/10.3390/v11070579
Received: 29 May 2019 / Revised: 18 June 2019 / Accepted: 21 June 2019 / Published: 26 June 2019
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Insect Viruses and Pest Management)
Abstract
Isolates of the alphabaculovirus species, Chrysodeixis includens nucleopolyhedrovirus, have been identified that produce polyhedral occlusion bodies and infect larvae of the soybean looper, Chrysodeixis includens. In this study, we report the discovery and characterization of a novel C. includens-infecting alphabaculovirus, Chrysodeixis includens nucleopolyhedrovirus #1 (ChinNPV#1), that produces tetrahedral occlusion bodies. In bioassays against C. includens larvae, ChinNPV #1 exhibited a degree of pathogenicity that was similar to that of other ChinNPV isolates, but killed larvae more slowly. The host range of ChinNPV#1 was found to be very narrow, with no indication of infection occurring in larvae of Trichoplusia ni and six other noctuid species. The ChinNPV#1 genome sequence was determined to be 130,540 bp, with 126 open reading frames (ORFs) annotated but containing no homologous repeat (hr) regions. Phylogenetic analysis placed ChinNPV#1 in a clade with other Group II alphabaculoviruses from hosts of lepidopteran subfamily Plusiinae, including Chrysodeixis chalcites nucleopolyhedrovirus and Trichoplusia ni single nucleopolyhedrovirus. A unique feature of the ChinNPV#1 genome was the presence of two full-length copies of the he65 ORF. The results indicate that ChinNPV#1 is related to, but distinct from, other ChinNPV isolates. View Full-TextKeywords:
soybean looper; Chrysodeixis includens; baculovirus; occlusion body; polyhedrin; lef-12; he65; DNA ligase 3
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Harrison, R.L.; Rowley, D.L.; Popham, H.J.R. A Novel Alphabaculovirus from the Soybean Looper, Chrysodeixis includens, that Produces Tetrahedral Occlusion Bodies and Encodes Two Copies of he65. Viruses 2019, 11, 579.
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