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. 1992 Nov;66(11):6563–6571. doi: 10.1128/jvi.66.11.6563-6571.1992

Characterization of a baculovirus gene encoding a small conotoxinlike polypeptide.

R Eldridge 1, Y Li 1, L K Miller 1
PMCID: PMC240151  PMID: 1404603

Abstract

We identified a gene of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) that encodes a small cysteine-rich polypeptide which has size and sequence similarity to omega-conotoxins, a class of calcium ion (Ca2+) channel inhibitors, found in the venom of cone snails. Transcriptional analysis indicated that the 159-bp open reading frame, which we named ctl, and a downstream 984-bp open reading frame are transcribed as a single 1.3-kb bicistronic late RNA. The mature ctl gene product was identified as a small secreted protein by high-pressure liquid chromatography fractionation of extracellular fluid. Viruses with a site-specific deletion in ctl appeared normal with regard to the kinetics and virulence of infection, both in vitro and in vivo. Although we studied the behavior of wild-type and mutant virus-infected insects in some detail, a biological role for ctl in AcMNPV infection remains to be established.

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Selected References

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