Genomic sequence of Spodoptera frugiperda Ascovirus 1a, an enveloped, double-stranded DNA insect virus that manipulates apoptosis for viral reproduction.

ABSTRACT: Ascoviruses (family Ascoviridae) are double-stranded DNA viruses with circular genomes that attack lepidopterans, where they produce large, enveloped virions, 150 by 400 nm, and cause a chronic, fatal disease with a cytopathology resembling that of apoptosis. After infection, host cell DNA is degraded, the nucleus fragments, and the cell then cleaves into large virion-containing vesicles. These vesicles and virions circulate in the hemolymph, where they are acquired by parasitic wasps during oviposition and subsequently transmitted to new hosts. To develop a better understanding of ascovirus biology, we sequenced the genome of the type species Spodoptera frugiperda ascovirus 1a (SfAV-1a). The genome consisted of 156,922 bp, with a G+C ratio of 49.2%, and contained 123 putative open reading

SUBMITTER: Bideshi DK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1642580 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature