The molecular characterization of trichoplusia ni single nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus: a study on early regulatory features

Abstract

With the development of biological insecticides, many research efforts have been made in baculoviruses to investigate fundamental molecular aspects of these viruses, such as the function and regulation of genes, genome organization, mode of entry, DNA replication and virus factors that determine the host range and virulence. Previously, a South African Trichoplusia ni single capsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus (TnSNPV) isolate was partially characterized as a novel baculovirus. During the process of the characterization, a few late genes of the virus were identified. This thesis describes a molecular characterization of the TnSNPV early genes to gain insight into the functional roles of these genes, their unique features and further determination of the placement of TnSNPV in baculovirus phylogeny.