title: The Complete Genome Sequence of a Second Distinct Betabaculovirus from the True Armyworm, Mythimna unipuncta.
abstract: The betabaculovirus originally called Pseudaletia (Mythimna) sp. granulovirus #8 (MyspGV#8) was examined by electron microscopy, host barcoding PCR, and determination of the nucleotide sequence of its genome. Scanning and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the occlusion bodies of MyspGV#8 possessed the characteristic size range and morphology of betabaculovirus granules. Barcoding PCR using cytochrome oxidase I primers with DNA from the MyspGV#8 collection sample confirmed that it had been isolated from the true armyworm, Mythimna unipuncta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) and therefore was renamed MyunGV#8. The MyunGV#8 genome was found to be 144,673 bp in size with a nucleotide distribution of 49.9% G+C, which was significantly smaller and more GC-rich than the genome of Pseudaletia unipuncta granulovirus H (PsunGV-H), another M. unipuncta betabaculovirus. A phylogeny based on concatenated baculovirus core gene amino acid sequence alignments placed MyunGV#8 in clade a of genus Betabaculovirus. Kimura-2-parameter nucleotide distances suggested that MyunGV#8 represents a virus species different and distinct from other species of Betabaculovirus. Among the 153 ORFs annotated in the MyunGV#8 genome, four ORFs appeared to have been obtained from or donated to the alphabaculovirus lineage represented by Leucania separata nucleopolyhedrovirus AH1 (LeseNPV-AH1) during co-infection of Mythimna sp. larvae. A set of 33 ORFs was identified that appears only in other clade a betabaculovirus isolates. This clade a-specific set includes an ORF that encodes a polypeptide sequence containing a CIDE_N domain, which is found in caspase-activated DNAse/DNA fragmentation factor (CAD/DFF) proteins. CAD/DFF proteins are involved in digesting DNA during apoptosis.
authors.affiliation: Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Robert L
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-8348-3874
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Daniel L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Rowley
authors.affiliation: Electron and Confocal Microscopy Unit, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mowery
authors.affiliation: Electron and Confocal Microscopy Unit, Beltsville Agricultural Research Center, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Beltsville, Maryland, United States of America.
authors.forename: Gary R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Bauchan
authors.affiliation: Summerland Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Summerland, British Columbia, Canada.
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Theilmann
authors.affiliation: Department of Microbiology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon, United States of America.
authors.forename: George F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Rohrmann
authors.affiliation: Saskatoon Research and Development Centre, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada.
authors.forename: Martin A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Erlandson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001483:Base Sequence; D058893:DNA Barcoding, Taxonomic; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D016679:Genome, Viral; D025722:Granulovirus / Q000235:genetics* / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007915:Lepidoptera / Q000821:virology*; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D016366:Open Reading Frames; D010802:Phylogeny; D014764:Viral Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral; D014764:Viral Proteins