CHARACTERIZATION OF A GRANULOSIS-VIRUS FROM THE CASTOR-SEMILOOPER, ACHAEA-JANATA L

The granulosis virus isolated from Achaea janata is composed of capsul es (463 +/- 25 x 280 +/- 22 nm) which contain single virus particles. The virus particles (274 +/- 9 x 95 +/- 4 nm) contain nucleocapsids (2 97 +/- 7 x 52 +/- 2 nn) within an envelope. The empty capsids measured 265 +/- 9 x 63 +/- 3 nm. SDS-PAGE electrophoresis was carried out and the granulin polypeptide (28.9 +/- 0.5 kDa) was found to contain two other associated polypeptides of molecular weight 58.2 +/- 2.3 and 55. 2 +/- 1.3 kDa, respectively. Protein gel electrophoresis of granulin g ave degradation products from 27.2 to 15.4 kDa, when protease associat ed with capsules was not inhibited. The virus particles were found to contain 16 polypeptides with molecular weights ranging from 106.4 +/- 2.1 to 15.5 +/- 0.8 kDa and 12 of these polypeptides were contained in the nucleocapsids. The major polypeptide of the capsids had molecular weight of 34.9 +/- 0.3 kDa. Restriction profiles of viral DNA with se ven enzymes were obtained and the average molecular weight was found t o be approximately 92 +/- 7 kb. Southern hybridization of the restrict ion profiles of the viral DNA with Soil fragment from p(UCTnGV) (conta ining granulin gene) was performed and hybridization was found on sing le discrete fragments with molecular weights ranging from 12.0 to 2.7 kb. The GC content of AjGV DNA was found to be 65 +/- 1% and the genom e size as determined from reassociation kinetics was 92 kb. (C) 1998 A cademic Press.