• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.139-143
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• 2010

The objective of our study was the formulation of a local strain of Mamestra brassicae nucleopolyhedrovirus-K1 (MabrNPV-K1) for the development of viral insecticide to control M. brassicae. To formulate MabrNPV-K1, feeding toxicities of various supplements and ultraviolet (UV)-protection were investigated. Optical brightener Tinopal UNPA-GX (Tinopal) as UV protectant and Bentonite had some toxicity themselves to increase the mortality. The protection of polyhedra from UV light radiation was observed only by Tinopal. The MabrNPV-K1 was formulated as a wettable powder form. The mortality of the formulation was higher and rapid than that of the un-formulated. This suggested the possibility of MabrNPV-K1 formulation as an effective biological control agent for M. brassicae.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 1997.06a
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• pp.73-101
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• 1997

Baculoviruses are characterized by large double-stranded circular DNA genomes and rod-shaped enveloped virions. Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus(BmNPV) is a major pathogen, which causes severe damage in sericulture. Currently, BmNPV is recogtnized as an improtant tool in molecular biology, especially for expression of useful genes in B.mori cells and silkworm larvae. Our laboratories have focused on the studies of the molecular mechanisms of BmNPV replication and the application of BmNPV to agriculture and medicine. The entire nucleotide sequence of the BmNPV genome has recently determined. The BmNPV genome possessed 135 putative genes and 7 homologous repeated sequence (hrs) regions. Relatively little space, a few to a few hundred base-pairs, was observed between the open reading frames and hrs. Termination codons often overlapped. These results showed a compactly packde BmNPV genome. Based on comparative sequence analyses, we speculated that the ancestor of BmNPV was a baculovirus similar to Autographa californica NPV(AcNPV). The function of the BmNPV genes were characterized by gene deletion analysis; p35 was found to be involved in blocking apoptosis and cysteine proteinase was found to be involved in horizontal virus transmission by degrading viral-infected larval host. By AcNPV and BmNPV coinfection experiments, we identified a BmNPV gene involved in expanding host specificity of AcNPV. The identified gene was likely encoded a DNA helicase based on the amino acid sequence analysis; a few amino acid substitutions in the putative DNA helicase gene resulted in the expansion of host range of AcNPV. These findings indicate that BmNPV evolved within a short period from an AcNPV-like ancestral virus due to rapid evolution including specific amino acid substitutions and gene deletions/insertions.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.157-162
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• 2010

Open reading frame 35 (bm35) of the Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is a special gene whose homologues are only found in some group-I nucleopolyhedroviruses, suggesting that bm35 plays a specific role in the viral life cycle. This paper described the characterization of BmNPV bm35. Computerassisted sequence analysis shows that a putative RING finger motif is observed in the protein, Bm35 encoded by bm35. The coding sequence of bm35 was amplified and subcloned into the vector pET30a(+) and the $(His)_6$-tagged fusion protein His-Bm35 was expressed in the Escherichia coli BL21 (DE3) LysS cells. The bm35 transcript and Bm35 protein were detected in BmNPV-infected BmN cells at 12~48 h post infection (p.i.) by RT-PCR and Western blot analysis using the polyclonal antibody generated by immunizing a rabbit with purified $(His)_6$-tagged Bm35, suggesting that bm35 is synthesized in the late stage of BmNPV infection cycle. Bm35 was not a structural component associated with budded virus (BV) and occlusion derived virus (ODV). These data indicated that bm35 is a functional gene in the BmNPV life cycle.

• BMB Reports
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.65-71
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• 2007

The Helicoverpa armigera nucleopolyhedrovirus (HearNPV) ORF80 (ha80) has 765 bp encoding a protein with approximately 254 amino acids and a predicted molecular weight of 30.8 kDa. Homologues of ha80 are found in most baculovirus sequences, including those from lepidopteran NPVs, lepidopteran granuloviruses (GVs), hymenopteran baculoviruses, and one dipteran baculovirus, yet their functions remain unclear. In this study we characterized ha80, and showed that it was transcribed late in infected host cells (HzAM1). The product of ha80 was a 31 kDa protein that was not a structural protein of budded virus (BV) or occlusion-derived virus (ODV) particles. Ha80 was first detected in the cytoplasm of infected HzAM1 cells at 12 h p.i., and was observed in the nucleus at later stages of infection, suggesting that it may be involved in transporting viral proteins into the host cell nucleus or play its roles in the nucleus.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.125-129
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of Mamestra brassicae nucleopolyhedrovirus (MabrNPV)-K1 isolated in Korea. Polyhedra of MabrNPV-K1 showed irregular appearance in shape with the average diameter $1.8{\mu}m$. MabrNPV-K1 contained a number of nucleocapsids within a viral envelope embedded in polyhedron. The polyhedrin of MabrNPV-K1 was composed of single polypeptide with a M.W. of approximate 31 kDa which is identical to the commercialized MabrNPV, Mamestrin, as a biological control agent. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences within the coding region of MabrNPV-K1 polyhedrin shared 99.0% similarity with the polyhedrin gene from previous reported MabrNPVs. The median lethal concentrations ($LC_{50}$) of MabrNPV-K1 and Mamestrin to M. brassicae larvae were $3.9{\times}10^3$ PIBs/larva and $6.0{\times}10^4$ PIBs/larva, respectively. Mortality of the MabrNPV-K1 against to the third instars larvae was 15 times higher than that of the Mamestrin. The median lethal times ($LT_{50})$ of MabrNPV-K1 by the concentration of polyhedra were lower ($4.4{\sim}6.1$ days) than those of Mamestrin ($4.1{\sim}8.6$ days). These results suggest that a local strain MabrNPV-K1 has high pathogenicity to M. brassicae and may be useful for the development of biological control agent to control this.

• BMB Reports
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.737-742
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• 2006

Open reading frame 60 of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (Bm60) is located between 56,673 and 57,479 bp in the BmNPV genome which encodes 268 amino acid residues with predicted molecular weight of 31.0 kDa. Bm60 and its homologues have been identified in 11 completely sequenced lepidopteran NPVs. The transcript of Bm60 was detected by RT-PCR at 18-72 h post-infection (p.i.), while the corresponding protein could be detected at 24-72 h p.i. in BmNPV-infected BmN cells by Western blot analysis using a polyclonal antibody against Bm60. The expression of Bm60 was inhibited in the presence of Ara-c, an inhibitor of viral DNA synthesis. These results together indicated that Bm60 was a late gene. The size of Bm60 product was found to be a 31 kDa in BmNPV-infected BmN cells, consistent with predicted molecular weight. Immuno-fluoresence analysis showed that the Bm60 product was first detected in the cytoplasm at 24 h p.i and also located in nucleus during later infection. In conclusion, the available data suggest that Bm60 is a functional ORF of BmNPV and encodes a 31kDa protein expressed in the later stage of infection cycle.

• Korean journal of applied entomology
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• v.43 no.4 s.137
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• pp.329-332
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• 2004

This experiment was conducted to investigate pathogenicity of Spodoptera exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeNPV) with different temperatures for mass production. In laboratory condition, $LC_{50}$ values of SeNPV were $9.797{\times}10^{3}PIBs/mL$ at $20^{\circ}C$ and $3.351{\times}10^{2}PIBs/mL$ at $32^{\circ}C$ in 2nd instar larvae. $LC_{50}$ of the other larval stage were similar to that of 2nd instar. $LT_{50}$ values of SeNPV was 9.0 days in $1.0{\times}10^{3}PIBs/mL$ but 6.9 to 3.5 days in $1.0{\times}10^{4-6}PIBs/mL$ against 3rd instar of Spodoptera exigua. $LT_{50}$ Values of $1.0{\times}10^{4}PIBs/mL$ were 5.7, 5.5 and 4.9 days in 24, 28 and $32^{\circ}C$, respectively. As a results, $LT_{50}$ was shortened with increase of temperatures up to $32^{\circ}C$ and also dependent on viral concentration and larval instars.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.137-141
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• 2002

An experimental study was undertaken to quantify the effects of insect hormones on the replication of nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV). The results demonstrated that TCID/ sub 50/ at 72 h post-infection (hpi) rose systematically from 0.55$\times$10$^{8}$ /m1, for untreated cells, up to 1.67$\times$10$^{8}$ / ml at 3$\mu$g/ml, then dropped down to 1.45$\times$10$^{8}$ /m1 at 4 $\mu$g/ml, by adding ecdysone to the culture medium for Bm-N cells infected with a wild-type Bambyx mori. nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV). The optimum enhancement of about 3 times on budded virus (BV) titer at 72 hpi was given at 3 $\mu$g/ml of ecdysone. While the polyhedra number had no obvious variation within the range of concentrations from 0 to 4 $\mu$g/ml. By addition of juvenile hormone analogue (JHA) into the media with this concentration range, the BmNPV TCID/ sub 50/ and polyhedra number at 72 hpi did not show significant changes. Also, the addition of either 3 $\mu$g/ml of ecdysone or 3 $\mu$g/ml of JHA to the culture media did not appear to affect the TCID/ sub 50/ and polyhedra number significantly in infected Sf-21 cells with the autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV).

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.123-128
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• 2011

1-Deoxynojirimycin (DNJ) is an alkaloid that is found at relatively high concentrations in mulberry leaf and tissues of the silkworm, $Bombyx$ $mori$. DNJ is a well known inhibitor of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase, an enzyme that is involved in the early stages of the $N$-linked glycoprotein synthesis pathway. ${\alpha}$-Glucosidase activity in the cell extract from $B.$ $mori$-derived Bm5 cells showed approximately 40-fold less sensitivity to DNJ than ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity in the cell extract from $Spodoptera$ $frugiperda$-derived Sf9 cells. The replication of $B.$ $mori$ nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) was not inhibited when it was propagated in BmN cells that were grown in medium containing up to 10 mM DNJ. In contrast, the replication of $Autographa$ $californica$ multiple NPV (AcMNPV) was reduced by 67% when it was propagated in Sf9 cells that were grown in medium containing 10 mM DNJ. The viability of Bm5 and Sf9 cells that were grown in medium containing up to 10 mM DNJ was not affected. Our results suggested that the reduced replication of AcMNPV was the result of the higher sensitivity of ${\alpha}$-glucosidase activity in Sf9 cells to DNJ.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Sericultural Science Conference
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• 2004.10a
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• pp.52-53
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• 2004