Study of structural proteins of Anticarsia gemmatalis Nucleopoliedrovirus (AgMNPV-2D) in different insect cell lines

• Grant number: 07/06796-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date: March 01, 2008
• End date: September 30, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Genetics - Molecular Genetics and Genetics of Microorganisms
• Principal Investigator: Paolo Marinho de Andrade Zanotto
• Grantee: Carla Torres Braconi
• Host Institution: Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas (ICB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Since the 80's the nucleopolyhedrovirus Anticarsia gemmatalis (AgMNPV) is been used in many Latin American countries and in the United States as a biologic control to the velvetbean caterpillar (A. gammatalis). In Brazil there are at least two millions hectares of soybean plantation that uses this viral control with great ecological and economical benefits to the country. The AgMNPV also plays an important whole as a clone vector and eucaryotic gene expressor. This virus is and enveloped one, it belongs to the baculoviridae family with a circular double DNA strand surrounded by a proteic capsid, that can be evolved by a paracristalline matrix. The gene expression of AgMNPV happens in cascade (i.e it is temporally regulated). The expressed genes of each temporal class regulates the expression of the following phase. Due to its great commercial and biotechnological importance, this virus has been studied in many ways. Recently, our laboratory coordinated the AgMNPV-2D complete genome sequencing, finding 152 potentially "ORFs". As a natural consequence of the sequencing, this project has as main goals: (i) Determinate and characterize part of AgMNPV-2D structural protein sequence; (ii) identify differents expressed proteins from the two viral phenotypes (ODV and BV), in distinct lepidopteran line cells; (iii) Map in silico the "ORFs" responsible buy the structural protein expression from both viral phenotypes. Therefore the follow methods will be applied: SDS page, 2D electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. This study will allow a better comprehension about the viral morphogenesis and the associated factors of the viral multiplication.