title: Identification and characterization of the ecdysteroid UDP-glycosyltransferase gene of Epinotia aporema granulovirus.
abstract: The ecdysteroid UDP-glycosyltransferase (egt) gene of Epinotia aporema granulovirus (EpapGV) was cloned sequenced and its biological activity was assessed. It encodes a protein of 446 amino acids. Direct evidence that the cloned gene encodes an active EGT protein was obtained by transient expression assays in insect cells. The upstream untranslated region of the egt gene exhibits several consensus early promoter elements. Accordingly, the gene is expressed early upon infection of Epinotia aporema larvae and the EGT activity remains high until later times post infection. Sequence analyses indicate the presence of clusters of amino acid residues conserved among all the baculoviral EGTs, although their relation with proper protein folding, ligand binding and catalytic activity remain to be assessed. Phylogenetic trees consistently cluster the granulovirus EGTs separating them clearly from the nucleopolyhedroviruses.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Argentina.
authors.forename: María Alejandra
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Manzán
authors.forename: Mario E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lozano
authors.forename: Alicia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sciocco-Cap
authors.forename: Pablo D
authors.initials: PD
authors.lastname: Ghiringhelli
authors.forename: Víctor
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Romanowski
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D015723:Gene Library; D005964:Glucosyltransferases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D025722:Granulovirus / Q000201:enzymology* / Q000235:genetics*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009036:Moths / Q000821:virology*; D010802:Phylogeny; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D005964:Glucosyltransferases; C086659:ecdysteroid UDP-glucosyltransferase