Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

Analysis of the Genome of the Sexually Transmitted Insect Virus Helicoverpa zea Nudivirus 2

2012; Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute; Volume: 4; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.3390/v4010028

1999-4915

John P. Burand, Woojin Kim, Claudio L. Afonso, E. R. Tulman, G. F. Kutish, Zhiqiang Lu, Daniel L. Rock,

Entomopathogenic Microorganisms in Pest Control

The sexually transmitted insect virus Helicoverpa zea nudivirus 2 (HzNV-2) was determined to have a circular double-stranded DNA genome of 231,621 bp coding for an estimated 113 open reading frames (ORFs). HzNV-2 is most closely related to the nudiviruses, a sister group of the insect baculoviruses. Several putative ORFs that share homology with the baculovirus core genes were identified in the viral genome. However, HzNV-2 lacks several key genetic features of baculoviruses including the late transcriptional regulation factor, LEF-1 and the palindromic hrs, which serve as origins of replication. The HzNV-2 genome was found to code for three ORFs that had significant sequence homology to cellular genes which are not generally found in viral genomes. These included a presumed juvenile hormone esterase gene, a gene coding for a putative zinc-dependent matrix metalloprotease, and a major facilitator superfamily protein gene; all of which are believed to play a role in the cellular proliferation and the tissue hypertrophy observed in the malformation of reproductive organs observed in HzNV-2 infected corn earworm moths, Helicoverpa zea.