Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus EXON0 (ORF141) is required for efficient egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus

Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) exon0 (orf141) has been shown to be required for the efficient production of budded virus (BV). The deletion of exon0 reduces the level of BV production by up to 99% (X. Dai, T. M. Stewart, J. A. Pathakamuri, Q. Li, and D. A. Theilmann, J. Virol. 78:9633-9644, 2004); however, the function or mechanism by which EXON0 affects BV production is unknown. In this study, we further elucidated the function of EXON0 by investigating the localization of EXON0 in infected Sf9 cells and in virions and by identifying interactions between EXON0 and other viral proteins. In addition, electron microscopy was used to study the cellular localization of nucleocapsids in cells transfected with an exon0 knockout (KO) virus. The results showed that EXON0 was localized to both the cytoplasm and the nuclei of infected Sf9 cells throughout the infection. Western blotting results also showed that EXON0 was purified along with BV and occlusion-derived virus (ODV). The fractionation of BV into the nucleocapsid and envelope components showed that EXON0 localized to the BV nucleocapsid. Yeast two-hybrid screening, coimmunoprecipitation, and confocal microscopy revealed that it interacted with nucleocapsid proteins FP25 and BV/ODV-C42. Cells transfected with the exon0 KO virus exhibited normally appearing nucleocapsids in the nuclei in numbers equal to those in the nuclei of cells transfected with the EXON0 repaired virus. In contrast, the numbers of nucleocapsids in the cytoplasm of cells transfected with the exon0 KO virus were significantly lower than those in the cytoplasm of cells transfected with the repaired virus. These results support the conclusion that EXON0 is required in the BV pathway for the efficient egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus to the cytoplasm.     

Vertical transmission of nucleopolyhedrovirus in the silkworm, Bombyx mori L

Nucleopolyhedrovirus (NPV) was tested for vertical transmission in the silkworm, Bombyx mori. Fifth instar larvae were exposed to four different dosages of BmNPV (830, 1300, 1800, and 2000OBs/larva) and a dosage of about 2000OBs/larva was found suitable for obtaining infected adults. Histopathological studies revealed the infection in susceptible tissues and organs initially, and at later stages of infection cycles the spermatocytes and nurse cells in the young oocytes were infected in the larval rudiments of testis and ovary, respectively. The mating of infected females with uninfected males resulted in significant reduction in fecundity (P < 0.01) and hatching of eggs (P < 0.001) due to transovarial transmission of BmNPV. Mating tests of uninfected females and infected males also confirmed venereal transmission as there was a significant reduction in hatching of eggs (P < 0.01). Further, among the F1 hybrid offspring (infected female x uninfected male) that were infected transovarially, larval progeny died at first and second instar stages, whereas those infected venereally developed acute lethal infection late and died by the end of third and fourth instar stage. PCR amplification and sequencing of 473bp of immediate early-1 (ie-1) gene of BmNPV isolated from the viral-infected parent and the F1 offspring confirmed that the viral infection is vertically transmitted to the progeny.     

Comparative studies of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus chitinase and its host ortholog, BmChi-h

Baculovirus-encoded chitinases (V-CHIAs) were first proposed to be acquired from a bacterium via horizontal gene transfer. However, we have recently reported that lepidopteran hosts also encode v-chiA orthologs. Here we describe comparative studies of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) chitinase and its host ortholog, BmChi-h. We constructed recombinant BmNPVs in which native and modified forms of BmChi-h were driven under the polyhedrin promoter and the authentic v-chiA was deleted. Western blot analysis indicated that BmCHI-h was rapidly secreted from virus-infected BmN cells whereas BmNPV CHIA was localized within the virus-infected cells; probably because of the presence of a C-terminal endoplasmic reticulum retention motif on BmNPV CHIA. Enzymological studies showed that BmNPV CHIA was able to retain much higher chitinolytic activity under alkaline conditions. For B. mori larvae infected with v-chiA-deleted BmNPV, the terminal liquefaction of dead larvae and the activation of baculovirus-encoded cysteine protease were not observed, and the introduction of BmChi-h did not rescue these defects. Our findings show that BmNPV chiA possesses unique features that are not shared by host orthologs, which may reflect functional specialization of baculovirus chitinases.     

A lipase isolated from the silkworm Bombyx mori shows antiviral activity against nucleopolyhedrovirus

A protein showing strong antiviral activity against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) was purified from the digestive juice of B. mori larvae. A homology search of the deduced amino acid sequence of the protein cDNA revealed 56% homology with Drosophila melanogaster lipase and 21% homology with human lipase. As lipase activity of the protein was confirmed in vitro, this protein was designated Bmlipase-1. Northern blot analysis showed that the Bmlipase-1 gene is expressed in the midgut but not in other tissues, nor is it activated by BmNPV infection. In addition, the Bmlipase-1 gene was shown not to be expressed in the molting and wandering stages, indicating that the gene is hormonally regulated. Our results suggest that an insect digestive enzyme has potential as a physiological barrier against BmNPV at the initial site of viral infection.     

Ubiquitin ligase activities of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus RING finger proteins

The genome of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is predicted to contain six RING finger proteins: IAP1, ORF35, IAP2, CG30, IE2, and PE38. Several other members of the RING finger family have recently been shown to have the ubiquitin-ligase (E3) activity. We thus examined whether BmNPV RING finger proteins have the E3 activity. In vitro ubiquitination assay with the rabbit reticulocyte lysates and BmNPV RING finger proteins fused with maltose-binding protein (MBP) showed that four of them (IAP2, IE2, PE38, and CG30) were polyubiquitinated in the presence of zinc ion. Furthermore, MBP-IAP2, MBP-IE2, and MBP-PE38 were able to reconstitute ubiquitination activity in cooperation with the Ubc4/5 subfamily of ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes. Mutational analysis also showed that ubiquitination activity of MBP-IAP2, MBP-IE2, and MBP-PE38 were dependent on their RING finger motif. Therefore, these results suggest that IAP2, IE2, and PE38 may function as E3 enzymes during BmNPV infection.     

Characterization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus with a knockout of Bm17

Open reading frame 17 (Bm17) gene of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus is a highly conserved gene in lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses, but its function remains unknown. In this report, transient-expression and superinfection assays indicated that BM17 localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm of infected BmN cells. To determine the role of Bm17 in baculovirus life cycle, we constructed a Bm17 knockout virus and characterized its properties in cells. Analysis of the production and infection of budded virions, the level of viral DNA replication revealed showed that there was no significant difference among the mutant, the control, and the Bm17 repaired virus strains. These results suggest that BM17 is not essential for virus replication in cultured cells.     

Arginine kinase is highly expressed in a resistant strain of silkworm (Bombyx mori, Lepidoptera): Implication of its role in resistance to Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus

A gene encoding Bombyx mori arginine kinase (BmAK) has been indentified differentially expressed in the midguts of Bombyx mori strain NB which is resistant to nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), strain 306 which is susceptible to NPV and a near isogenic line BC(8) with similar genetic background to 306 but resistant to NPV by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE). In this study, we characterized the expression profiles of BmAK using RT-PCR and real-time quantitative PCR. The expression level of BmAK fluctuated in various developing stage and various tissue. Remarkably, the expression level of BmAK increased more than 10-fold 24 hours post inoculation (h p.i.) of NPV in strain NB and BC(8), while such increment was abraded in strain 306 although the basal expression level of BmAK in strain 306 was higher than that of strain NB and BC(8). Western blotting analysis using polyclonal antibody against BmAK verified such observation, and immunofluoresence analysis indicated for the first time that BmAK was mainly located to the cytoplasm or some structures in cytoplasm. These findings suggest that arginine kinase is involved in the antiviral process of Bombyx mori larvae against NPV infection.     

Screening of candidate proteins interacting with IE-2 of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus

IE-2 of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) has been shown to play important roles in baculovirus infection, which are involved in gene expression and viral replication. However, the mechanism remains unknown. In this paper, by TargetP software, four genes, i.e.-2, odv-e26, odv-e56 and BmNPV-gp101 (Ac-orf116) of BmNPV and Autographa californica multiple NPV (AcMNPV) were predicted to be located in mitochondria. By BLAST tool using BmNPV IE-2 protein sequence, 14 NPVs were found to have IE-2 homologues in GenBank, and most of them were predicted to be located in mitochondria, except for that of Antheraea pernyi NPV (AnpeNPV) and Anticarsia gemmatalis NPV (AngeNPV). To observe the subcellular localization of BmNPV IE-2, a recombinant virus overexpressed the IE-2 and eGFP fusion protein was constructed. In infected BmN cells, the fluorescence specifically enriched in the cellular mitochondria. This evidence was accordant with the prediction. Further, Pull-down assay was used to select protein candidates interacting with IE-2 in B. mori cells infected with BmNPV. Of several isolated protein components, sixteen candidates were identified by MALDI-TOF mass-spectrometry, eight baculoviral proteins (ALK-EXO, F protein, IAP-1, LEF-3, LEF-9, ODV-NC42, TLP, and VP39), and eight proteins from B. mori (Actin, ADP/ATP translocase, ATP synthase subunit beta, Beta-tubulin, DNA topoisomerase 2, Histone H4, Soluble guanylyl cyclae alpha-1 subunit, Transketolase). From the functional point of view, most of these proteins were generally divided into two groups, mitochondrial interaction proteins and viral DNA replication proteins. These results implied that the IE-2 had multiple functions involved in regulating viral gene expression, viral replication and also as a component of mitochondrial factors to regulate the cellular energy supply and apoptosis.     

转座子介导的多角体基因表达及提高病毒粒子的感染效率

现行的杆状病毒表达外源基因的方法是将外源基因取代病毒中的多角体基因,因而得到的重组杆状病毒感染活体时不能经口感染,只能进行针刺注射,效率低且易引起活体感染其他疾病。将家蚕核型多角体病毒(Bombyx mor inucleopolyhedrovirus,BmNPV)中的多角体基因(polyhedrin,poly)及其启动子片段克隆到转座子载体pigA3GFP中,将其与辅助质粒pHA3PIG利用脂质体介导法导入家蚕细胞中,经过多次筛选获得稳定的转基因家蚕细胞。之后先将BmPAK6(含LacZ)及BmGFP(含GFP)重组病毒分别感染转基因细胞,再将得到的重组病毒经口感染5龄家蚕幼虫。结果显示,重组杆状病毒可以经口感染家蚕幼虫。这些研究表明来自于转基因家蚕细胞的poly基因表达产物可以提高重组杆状病毒经口感染家蚕率,为解决杆状病毒表达系统中重组病毒不能经口感染家蚕幼虫的问题提供新思路。     

Low METTL3 level in midgut of the Bombyx mori inhibit the proliferation of nucleopolyhedrovirus

N6-methyladeosine (m⁶A) plays an important role in virus infection and replication. Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis is caused by Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) infection. Expression levels of m⁶A-modification-related genes after the infection of BmNPV were detected at first. Then, expression levels of BmNPV nucleocapsid protein gene VP39 and envelope fusion protein gene GP64 after knockdown of METTL3in vitro were quantified to identify the effect of m⁶A modification on BmNPV. BmNPV firstly infects the larval midgut in case of oral infection. Subsequently, to clarify the relationship between m⁶A modification and resistance of the silkworm to BmNPV, we detected the expression levels of m⁶A-modification-related genes invivo before and after infection of BmNPV. The results indicated that low METTL3 level hindered the proliferation of BmNPV to some extent, and silkworm strain with low METTL3 level showed stronger resistance against BmNPV. This study will accumulate new experimental data for elucidating the resistance mechanism of silkworm against BmNPV.     

Identification of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus ac93 as a core gene and its requirement for intranuclear microvesicle formation and nuclear egress of nucleocapsids

Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) orf93 (ac93) is a highly conserved uncharacterized gene that is found in all of the sequenced baculovirus genomes except for Culex nigripalpus NPV. In this report, using bioinformatics analyses, ac93 and odv-e25 (ac94) were identified as baculovirus core genes and thus p33-ac93-odv-e25 represent a cluster of core genes. To investigate the role of ac93 in the baculovirus life cycle, an ac93 knockout AcMNPV bacmid was constructed via homologous recombination in Escherichia coli. Fluorescence and light microscopy showed that the AcMNPV ac93 knockout did not spread by infection, and titration assays confirmed a defect in budded virus (BV) production. However, deletion of ac93 did not affect viral DNA replication. Electron microscopy indicated that ac93 was required for the egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus and the formation of intranuclear microvesicles, which are precursor structures of occlusion-derived virus (ODV) envelopes. Immunofluorescence analyses showed that Ac93 was concentrated toward the cytoplasmic membrane in the cytoplasm and in the nuclear ring zone in the nucleus. Western blot analyses showed that Ac93 was associated with both nucleocapsid and envelope fractions of BV, but only the nucleocapsid fraction of ODV. Our results suggest that ac93, although not previously recognized as a core gene, is one that plays an essential role in the formation of the ODV envelope and the egress of nucleocapsids from the nucleus.     

Identification and characterization of host factors interacting with Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF8

The orf8 gene (Bm8) in Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) is one of 17 genes unique to group I NPVs and is expressed as an early gene. We have reported that Bm8 may play an important role during viral infection and that Bm8 protein co-localized with IE1 to specific nuclear foci throughout infection. It was also demonstrated that both IE1 and BmNPV hr facilitate this localization of Bm8. To investigate further, host proteins interacting with Bm8 were screened using a yeast two-hybrid system. We identified 6 host clones as Bm8-interacting partners from three cDNA libraries derived from BmN cells or B. mori larvae. Further assays showed that the N-terminal region of Bm8 is important for the interaction with most host clones and that two of the clones can associate with IE1. Cloning and sequencing of full-length cDNAs revealed that most of the clones potentially encode either membrane-bound proteins or secreted proteins. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis revealed that some of these host genes were slightly induced during the early stage of infection in BmN cells, and that the expression of all genes was markedly reduced during the late stage of infection. Generation of mutant BmNPVs over-expressing these host genes also identified a gene that potentially functions as a negative factor during BmNPV infection. These features of Bm8-interacting host proteins strongly support that Bm8 is a multifunctional protein involved in multiple signaling pathways in host cells.