Molecular characterization and detection of baculovirus infecting Oak tasar silkworm Antheraea proylei

Abstract

Tiger band disease is commonly caused by Antheraea proylei nucleopolyhedrovirus (AnprNPV), which infects the temperate/oak tasar silkworm. A. proylei NPV results in substantial financial damages. In the current study a comparative pan-genomic approach was used to systematically study and characterize 27 genomes of NPVs that infect Saturniid and Bombycid. The core genome consists of 78 conserved genes between Saturniid and Bombycid NPV strains. The polyhedrin gene from AnprNPV was cloned, expressed and further characterized. The molecular weight of recombinant polyhedrin was found to be 45 kDa by SDS PAGE. It is also found that baculovirus isolated from infected A. proylei exhibited cross-infectivity in Antheraea pernyi, A. frithi, and Samia ricini. The findings were contributed to a thorough knowledge of the tiger band disease and the pathogen that causes it, AnprNPV, which will benefit in future research and disease control in oak tasar culture. newline