title: Genetic engineering of Periplaneta fuliginosa densovirus as an improved biopesticide.
abstract: The smoky-brown cockroach (Periplaneta fuliginosa) densovirus (PfDNV) has previously shown potential in urban pest control. To improve its efficacy as a biopesticide, the genome of PfDNV was engineered by inserting the insect-specific toxin gene BmKIT1 in the open reading frame encoding the major structural proteins. A green fluorescent protein (GFP) marker was tagged to the BmKIT1 at its C-terminus for in vivo imaging using Confocal laser scanning microscopy (CFSM). Using a virion rescue strategy, the genomes of recombinant and wild-type (wt) PfDNV were then cotransfected in P. fuliginosa nymphs. Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR) showed that the inserted BmkIT1 genes were expressed in the P. fuliginosa nymphs 48 h after cotransfection. CFSM and transmission electron microscopy also confirmed the generation of virus particles and expression of BmKIT1-GFP fusion protein in the cotransfected nymphs. The recombinant viruses remained infective to P. fuliginosa nymphs in feeding tests. Using the LT(50) bioassay method, the coninfection of the recombinant and wt PfDNV killed the P. fuliginosa nymphs approximate 32% faster than wt PfDNV only. This is the first report showing the improvement of engineered densovirus for the potential application of biopesticide.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Virology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017990:Densovirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D005818:Genetic Engineering; D016679:Genome, Viral; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D007300:Insect Control / Q000379:methods*; D007306:Insecticides; D009758:Nymph / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology; D010526:Periplaneta / Q000648:ultrastructure / Q000821:virology*; D010957:Plasmids; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012604:Scorpion Venoms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D014162:Transfection; D014771:Virion / Q000648:ultrastructure
chemical_list: D007306:Insecticides; C418407:KBT toxin, Buthus martensii; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D012604:Scorpion Venoms; D049452:Green Fluorescent Proteins