CHARACTERIZATION OF THE REPLICATION CYCLE OF THE LYMANTRIA-DISPAR NUCLEAR POLYHEDROSIS-VIRUS

The life cycle of the Lymantria dispar nuclear polyhedrosis virus (LdM NPV) was characterized through analysis of budded virus (BV) release, the temporal formation of polyhedra, the temporal transcription patter n of representative early, late, and hyper-expressed late genes, and t he onset of DNA replication in the Ld652Y cell line. Transcripts from the LdMNPV immediate early gene G22 were detected 4 h post infection ( h p.i.). The late and hyper-expressed late p39 capsid and polyhedrin g enes were initially transcribed at approximately 20 and 24 h p.i., res pectively. Viral DNA replication initiated at approximately 18-20 h p. i. Budded virus was released from infected cells between 24 and 36 h p .i., and polyhedra were first detected at approximately 48 h p.i. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.