Characterization of an entomopoxvirus of the lesser cornstalk borer (Elasmopalpus lignosellus)

A biochemical and limited morphological characterization of an entomopoxvirus infecting the lesser cornstalk borer, Elasmopalpus lignosellus, was made. The oval virions measure 270 × 200 nm and the spheroids average 1.5 μm in diameter. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis elucidated 32 structural polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 13,000 to 145,000. The viral genome was examined with the restriction endonuclease EcoRI. Gel electrophoresis of the digested DNA yielded 26 bands and a total molecular weight of 140.8 × 10⁶.