• Journal of Sericultural and Entomological Science
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.105-110
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• 1998

The baculovirus egt gene encodes an ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase(EGT) which catalyzes the transfer of glucose from UDP-glucose to the insect moltion hormone ecdysteroid resulting in a functionally inactive ecdysteroid. In baculovirus-infected insect larvae, EGT has been shown block molting and pupation. In this study, we compared the development of 4th and 5th instar silkworm, Bombyx mori, larvae injected with either wild-type bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) or a mutant BmNPV(BmEGTZ) in which the egt gene was disrupted by the insertion of a lacZ gene cassette. Larvae injected with BmEGTZ died roughly 12 h more rapidly compared to indentical larvae infected with BmNPV. In addition, BmEGTZ- infected larvae prematurely stopped feeding and gain less weight compared to BmNPV-infected larvae. In order to investigate why BmEGTZ-infected larvae died more rapidly than BmNPV-infected larvae, the array of hemolymph proteins in BmEGTZ-or BmNPV-infected larvae were analyzed by SDS-PAGE. The hemolymph of BmEGTZ-infected larvae showed virus-specific proteins, including polyhedrin, about 12 h earlier than the hemolymph of BmNPV-infected larvae

• BMB Reports
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 2000

Most baculoviruses have an ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase (egt) gene, whose product inactivates ecdysteroid within the infected host. Bomhyx mori larvae infected with BmEGTZ, a mutant B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) in which the egt gene has been inactivated, die more rapidly compared to larvae infected with wild-type BmNPV. In this study, the profile of hemolymph proteins, and progression of virus infection in BmEGTZ- and BmNPV-infected B. mori larvae, was analyzed by SDS-PAGE and histochemically. These analyses showed that virus-encoded and virus-induced proteins were expressed quicker in BmEGTZ-infected larvae than in BmNPV-infected larvae. This suggests that the decrease in time to death, following BmEGTZ infection, results from the stimulation of virus-specific protein expression. In order to examine the effect of ecdysteroid on virus transmission, the profile of hemolymph proteins, and progression of virus infection, were analyzed following an ecdysteroid injection of BmEGTZ- or BmNPV-infected larvae. In the BmNPV-infected larvae, ecdysteroid treatment had no apparent effect on hemolymph protein expression. This suggests that the injected ecdysteroid was inactivated by the BmNPV-expressed ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase. An Ecdysteroid injection into BmEGTZ-infected larvae increased the speed of virus-specific protein expression and virus transmission. These results suggest that ecdysteroid stimulates protein expression, which in tum results in the stimulation of virus transmission.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.169-174
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• 2004

Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus(BmNPV) ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase gene (egt) promoter fragments of different lengths were amplified from BmNPV ZJ-8 genomic DNA by PCR. Reporter plasmids pBmegt542-luc, pBmegt309-luc and pBmegtl59-luc with luciferase (lue) driven by egt promoters were constructed. Both in vitro and in vivo expressions showed that BmNPV egt promoter activity requires the transactivation of viral factor(s), and expression of luc was detected earliest at 24 hrs post infection (pi). BmNPV ZJ-8 homologous region 3 (hr3) increased the expression of luc by over 1,600-fold. Molting hormone of 1.0 - 2.0 $\mu\textrm{g}$/$m\ell$ can dramatically down regulate expression of luc. Juvenile hormone analogue of 0.5-2.0 ${\mu}g$/$m\ell$ increased expression of luc by 145.8% to 75.7%. Deletion assay revealed that the promoter fragment of 159 bp contains the basal promoter structure; Promoter fragments of 309 bp and 542 bp showed similar but much higher transcriptional activities than that of 159 bp, suggesting that nucleotide from -159 to -309 nt upstream the translation initiation site harbors the main cis-acting elements.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.37-41
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• 2001

The ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase (egt) gene isolated from Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus (BmNPV) K1 strain was compared to its homologue from Autographa californica NPV (AcNPV) and Bm NPV T3. The egt gene of BmNPV-K1 encoded 506 amino acid open reading frame, and was 99.6% identical at the amino acid level and 99.2% identical at the nucleotide level to BmNPV T3. The BmNPV-K1 egt gene showed highly identity to AcNPV and BmNPV T3 strain. The BmNPV-K1 egt gene was different from amino acid sequence at 2 positions, 19 and 72, in BmNPV T3. The genomic location of egt gene in the BmNPV-K1 was confirmed by Southern blot analysis and its expression patterns at the transcriptional level in the infected cells were confirmed by Northern hybridization analysis. Transcripts of the egt of Bm NPV-K1 peaked around 12 hrs postinfection (p.i.) and reduced at 24 hrs p.i.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.111-114
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• 2000

The female pupae of the silkworms Bombyx mori, were injected with recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) expressing green fluorescent protein (GFP) by percutaneous inoculation. When the 4 day-old female pupae were injected with 1x10$^{7}$ or 2${\times}$10$^{7}$ plaque forming units (pfu) of the recombinant AcNPV, oviposited number and egg weight were significantly decreased. Furthermore, the shape of the eggs was obviously divides into normal and abnormal shapes. The percentage of the eggs with an abnormal shape was 7.8% and 57.1% at 1${\times}$10$^{7}$ and 2${\times}$10$^{7}$ pfu inoculation, respectively. PCR analysis of the genomic DNA extracted from the eggs revealed that gfp and AcNPV ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase genes were amplified from both types of eggs with normal and abnormal shapes. The results demonstrate that AcNPV DNA, and gfp gene cloned into the AcNPV genome, injected in pupal stage were transmitted to eggs and remained stable through at least next generation.