RESUMO
Open reading frame17 (Bm17) of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus is a highly conserved gene in lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses, suggesting that it performs an important role in the virus life cycle whose function is unknown. In this report, we describe the characterization of Bm17. Reversed transcriptive-PCR (RT-PCR) and Western blot analysis demonstrated that Bm17 was expressed as a late gen. Immunofluorescence analysis by confocal microscopy showed that BM17 protein was localized on cytoplasm and nucleus of infected cells. These results show that BM17 was a late protein localized in cytoplasm and nucleus.
Assuntos
Bombyx/virologia , Genes Virais , Nucleopoliedrovírus/genética , Proteínas Virais , Sequência de Aminoácidos , Animais , Western Blotting , Linhagem Celular , Núcleo Celular/metabolismo , Citoplasma/metabolismo , Imunofluorescência , Regulação Viral da Expressão Gênica , Dados de Sequência Molecular , Nucleopoliedrovírus/metabolismo , Fases de Leitura Aberta/genética , Reação em Cadeia da Polimerase em Tempo Real , Alinhamento de Sequência , Proteínas Virais/química , Proteínas Virais/genética , Proteínas Virais/metabolismoRESUMO
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.
