This is the third edition of a book that was initiated with the annotation of the function of all the genes in the most commonly studied baculovirus, AcMNPV. The second and third editions involved the update of this information and its integration into chapters covering the major processes central to the replication and pathology of baculoviruses. Topics including taxonomy, the application of baculoviruses as insecticides, the molecular basis for the remarkable ability of these viruses to express genes at high levels, and the interrelationships of baculovirus and transposable elements are also covered. The third edition also contains information on the development of bacmid technology. The chapters include 46 figures and 13 tables, all available for download.

Contents

• Preface
  Created: December 12, 2013.
• 1. Introduction to the baculoviruses, their taxonomy, and evolution
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • The discovery of baculoviruses
  • The definition is not in the name: Naming baculoviruses
  • What defines a baculovirus?
  • Baculovirus Diversity
  • Related viruses: the nudiviruses
  • An occluded virus of pink shrimp, Penaeus monodon
  • Hytrosaviruses
  • A polydnavirus connection
  • A Whispovirus
  • Related References
• 2. Structural proteins of baculovirus occlusion bodies and virions
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Occlusion body evolution
  • Occlusion body proteins
  • Polyhedron associated proteins
  • Baculovirus virions: The envelope proteins
  • Nucleocapsid Structure
  • BV and ODV Nucleocapsid associated proteins encoded by all baculoviruses
  • Host proteins and protein modification
  • References
• 3. The baculovirus replication cycle: Effects on cells and insects
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • The insect midgut
  • Two types of virions
  • From occlusion bodies to susceptible midgut cells
  • Entry into nuclei
  • Exiting the cell to form BV
  • Viruses that cause systemic infections
  • Viral proteins involved in the infection cycle
  • Budded versus cell-associated virus — is there a transition?
  • Occlusion, the final stage in virus infection
  • Virus dispersal
  • The cytopathology of GVs
  • Viruses that are confined to the midgut: hymenopteran and dipteran NPVs
  • Persistence/latent/covert baculovirus infections
  • References
• 4. Early events in infection: Virus transcription
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Transcriptional activators, enhancers and the host RNA polymerase
  • Baculovirus infection: selective effects on host cell gene expression
  • The baculovirus transcription cascade: the evolution of a novel strategy
  • Transcriptional enhancers
  • Baculovirus enhancers:hrs (homologous regions)
  • A major transcriptional activator of early genes, immediate early gene 1 (IE1, Ac147)
  • Binding of IE1 to hr sequences
  • RNA polymerase II signals regulating early virus gene transcription
  • Genome-wide analysis of baculovirus promoters
  • Temporal expression of early and late genes
  • Caveats and qualifications
  • References
• 5. DNA replication and genome processing
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Identification of origins of viral DNA replication
  • Genes required for DNA synthesis
  • Additional genes that influence DNA replication
  • Baculovirus DNA replication genes: What's missing?
  • Location of baculovirus DNA replication; development of the virogenic stroma
  • Additional baculovirus genes: hints of DNA repair
  • Genes involved in nucleotide biosynthesis
  • How are baculovirus genomes replicated?
  • Implications of recombination-dependent replication: Multiple replication origins, a covalently closed circular genome, and multiple nucleocapsids per envelope
  • Processing and packaging of genome-size DNA
  • More unanswered questions
  • References
• 6. Baculovirus late transcription
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Activation of baculovirus late genes
  • Baculovirus late promoter elements
  • Insect virus RNA polymerases and occlusion body protein hyperexpression
  • The baculovirus RNA polymerase
  • The categories of RNA polymerases
  • The relationship of baculovirus RNA polymerase to other RNA polymerases
  • In vitro transcription assays
  • Termination and polyadenylation of early and late mRNAs
  • Very late gene expression
  • Other genes involved in late transcription
  • References
• 7. Baculovirus infection: The cell cycle and apoptosis
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Baculovirus infection and the cell cycle
  • Viral synthetic pathways: Induction of a 'pseudo' or ‘viral’ S phase environment
  • Apoptosis and baculovirus infections
  • AcMNPV orf92 (p33) — a link between apoptosis and the cell cycle?
  • References
• 8. Host resistance, susceptibility and the effect of viral infection on host molecular biology
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • The insect immune system: hemocytes, melanization and encapsulation
  • The reaction of host cells to baculovirus infection: evidence from proteomics, microarrays, and expression analyses
  • Other pathways that modulate virus infection
  • Host resistance to baculovirus infection in the midgut
  • Other factors influencing Baculovirus host range
  • Investigations on BmNPV and AcMNPV host range in B. mori and S. frugiperda cells
  • References
• 9. Baculoviruses as insecticides: Three examples
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • An NPV of the velvet bean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis: Application in Brazil – A major setback
  • A granulovirus of the codling moth, Cydia pomonella: Application in North America and Europe
  • An NPV of the cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera: Application in China
  • References
• 10. Baculovirus expression technology: Theory and application
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Some History
  • Initiating infection: environmental stability and the insect midgut
  • Evolution of a biphasic replication cycle that allowed exploitation of the biosynthetic capacity of insect systems
  • Optimizing the cellular environment: The viral RNA polymerase and the shut down of most viral and host genes late in infection
  • Very late gene (p10 and polyhedrin) activation and transcription
  • A role for gene copy number and nonencapsidated viral DNA
  • Baculovirus gene expression and biotechnology
  • Summary and conclusions
  • Baculovirus Expression Technology: Application
  • Post translational processing of baculovirus expressed proteins
  • References
• 11. Baculoviruses, retroviruses, DNA transposons (piggyBac), and insect cells
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • A baculovirus-associated errantivirus (retrovirus)
  • Errantiviruses in Lepidoptera
  • Relationships between insect retroviruses and baculoviruses: the env gene
  • Cellular homologs of baculovirus F/errantivirus env proteins
  • Features of baculovirus F and insect retrovirus env proteins
  • Additional relationships of insect retroviruses and baculoviruses
  • Are errantiviruses infectious?
  • Does env play a role in errantivirus infectivity?
  • The invasion and amplification of retroelements
  • What prevents retroelements from amplifying continuously?
  • Suppression of transposable elements by DNA and histone methylation
  • Suppression of transposable elements by RNA interference
  • The Argonautes: proteins with RNAse activity that are critical in RNA interference
  • Suppression of transposable elements in gonadal cells
  • In Drosophila; flamenco, a source for piRNAs
  • Activation of endogenous retroelement sequences during a baculovirus infection
  • Piggybac, a transposon from Trichoplusia ni, that was originally isolated from a baculovirus.
  • References
• 12. The AcMNPV genome: Gene content, conservation, and function
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • Adjustments to the AcMNPV genome sequence: There are approximately 150 orfs
  • Annotation of the AcMNPV genome
  • References
• 13. Selected baculovirus genes without orthologs in the AcMNPV genome: Conservation and function
  Created: December 12, 2013.
  • References
• Glossary
  Created: December 12, 2013.

The Department of Microbiology at Oregon State University is sponsoring Baculovirus Molecular Biology in association with the author.