Jc. Liu et Je. Maruniak, Molecular characterization of genes in the GP41 region of baculoviruses and phylogenetic analysis based upon GP41 and polyhedrin genes, VIRUS RES, 64(2), 1999, pp. 187-196
A newly sequenced Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMN
PV) gp41 gene was used to reconstruct the phylogeny for gp41 by comparison
with Autographa californica MNPV, Bombyx mori MNPV, Helicoverpa tea single
nucleopolyhedrovirus (SNPV), Lymantria dispar MNPV, Orgyia pseudotsugata MN
PV and Spodoptera frugiperda MNPV. The 3.5 kb fragment of the AgMNPV gp41 r
egion not only contained the gp41 gene but also three other open reading fr
ames that had significant homology with the very late factor (vlf-l) of bac
uloviruses, AcMNPV ORF78, AcMNPV ORF79, and one partial open reading frame
homologous to AcMNPV ORF81. The reconstructed phylogenetic tree of baculovi
rus gp41 genes compared with the polyhedrin gene tree produced similar topo
logies. Two other phylogenetic trees were reconstructed based on either com
bined gp41 and polyhedrin nucleotide sequences (total evidence) or combined
evolutionary histories of both genes (strict consensus tree). The former h
ad an identical tree topology as the gp41 gene tree alone, and the latter l
ost resolution in the branch of AcMNPV and BmMNPV. Mutation rate analysis s
howed the gp41 gene had a higher nucleotide substitution rate than the poly
hedrin gene, implying that the polyhedrin gene may have a different selecti
on constraint than the gp41 gene. Both genes have nonsynonymous/synonymous
substitution values close to 0.1, similar to other DNA viruses. (C) 1999 Pu
blished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.