Author
 |
Lupiani, Blanca |
|
Raina, Ashok |
|
Submitted to: BARC Poster Day
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 4/1/1997 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Heliothis/Helicoverpa species constitute a group of important pests of agriculture worldwide. H. zea affects a wide variety of cultivated crops such as corn, cotton, soybean and tomato. In 1995, Raina and Adams described the isolation of a non-occluded bacilliform virus that affected the reproductive system of the corn earworm, making both males and females sterile. The virus was termed gonad specific virus (GSV) Here we report the development of a PCR assay for the detection of GSV in different tissues of various developmental stages of experimentally infected corn earworm, European corn borer (Ostrinia nubilalis), American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) and Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata). Two sets of primers, P4 and P13, were designed from two different Pst I fragments of GSV genomic DNA. The expected amplification products were obtained when DNA from plasmids containing P4 or P13, DNA from purified GSV virus and DNA from samples of H. zea experimentally infected with GSV were used as templates. No amplification was observed when AcMNPV baculovirus or uninfected H. zea DNA were used as template. Similarly, no amplification was observed from samples obtained from experimentally infected European corn borer, American cockroach and Colorado potato beetle. This results suggest that GSV is species specific. Transmission and persistence studies in H. zea will determine if GSV can be used as biological control agent. Results of tissue specificity studies of GSV in the corn earworm will be presented. |
