Abstract

In Korea, a Lymantria dispar multinucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus, LdMNPV-NM, was isolated and characterized from dead L. dispar larvae. The polyhedra of LdMNPV-NM were irregularly shaped with a diameter of 1.62?0.33 ?m. Numerous virions comprised of the multinucleocapsid were evident in the electron microscopic examination of the polyhedra cross sections. These polyhedra were composed of a major protein of 30 kDa. The restriction enzyme digestion patterns of LdMNPV-NM showed that this isolate had some different fragments from those of the Gypchek팜?LdMNPV isolate, although their overall profiles were similar. The deduced amino acid sequence of the enhancin gene of LdMNPV-NM showed differences when compared to previously reported enhancin genes of other LdMNPV strains. These results suggested that the LdMNPV-NM isolate from Korea was a new NPV strain and had a new enhancin gene.

• Keywords: baculovirus; LdMNPV-NM; enhancin; Lymantria dispar