The braconid parasitoid wasp Glyptapanteles indiensis infects its natural host, Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) with a polydnavirus (GiPDV) to suppress the immune system during parasitization. Previous studies in this laboratory reported the persistence of partial DNA from the GiPDV genome integrated within chromosomal DNA of cells derived from L. dispar host that were GiPDV infected. One of the cloned ds circular DNA GiPDV segments involved with in vitro integration, 18.6 Kb clone p157, has been fully sequenced. Here we describe genetic composition of this segment, identifying ORFs for homologs of genes present in many systems that could be involved in gene regulation and/or immune response. We cloned and assayed certain of these genes in order to hypothesize their potential roles in polydnavirus infection.
Species 1: Hymenoptera Braconidae Glyptapanteles indiensis
Species 2: Lepidoptera Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth)
Keywords: polydnavirus
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