| The genome of Hz-2V, which is sexually transmitted and causes sterility of Helicoverpa zea moths, was sequenced. It is composed of 231,621 bases with G+C content of 41.9%, and contains 113 putative open reading frames (ORFs). Homologies were found to 38 of the 113 ORFs predicted for genes with known functions. Hz-2V shares 16 of the 30 baculovirus conserved core genes, including RNA polymerase genes, and per os infectivity factor genes. Partially conserved baculovirus core cluster structure was found in Hz-2V suggests that the Hz-2V is distantly related to baculovirus. Interstingly, Hz-2V showed 93.5% of sequence homology with Hz-1V and with other nudiviruses, hytrosaviruses, and polydnaviruses. Based on the genome sequencing results, an analysis of structural proteins and prediction of putative microRNAs of Hz-2V was performed. Four of structural genes, p11.7, p15.1, p28.4, and p31.7 were identified by matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectroscopy. Two transmembrane domains were predicted in p11.7, and a DNA binding motif was found in p31.7 by amino acid sequence analysis, therefore p11.7 and p31.7 were predicted to be envelope and capsid protein, respectively. A putative late gene promoter motif sequence, AGTAT was found in the 3' upstream sequences of these genes. Twenty putative pre-microRNA sequences were predicted in Hz-2V by searching stem-loop structures with less than -25kcal/mol of free energy, and one of the microRNA candidates was predicted to target the Hz2V007 gene transcript, which codes for a putative juvenile hormone esterase. |
