Replication of Spodoptera exigua nucleopolyhedrovirus in permissive and non-permissive lepidopteran cell lines

The Spodoptera exigua multinucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (SeMNPV) was i noculated to eight lepidopteran cell lines derived from Spodoptera exigua ( Se301), Spodoptera frugiperda (SF21AEII), Spodoptera littoralis (CLS-79), S podoptera litura (SpLi-221), Pseudaletia separata (LeSe-11), Trichoplusia n i (hi-5), Plutella xylostella (PXL/C) and Bombyx mori (BmN4). The productiv e infection of SeMNPV was observed only in Se301 cells. However, a dot-blot hybridization analysis revealed that SeMNPV DNA replicated in five non-per missive cell lines: SF21AEII, CLS-79, SpLi-221,hi-5 and BmN4. In addition, the virus-infected hi-5 and BmN4 cells displayed morphological changes. In contrast, CLS-79 cells inoculated with SeMNPV showed membrane blebbing at 2 0 hrs post inoculation (p.i.) and fragmentation of genomic DNA. All that in dicated that the infected CLS-79 cells underwent apoptosis. These findings indicate that the SeMNPV replication was restricted at various points in de pendence upon each cell line.