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Title: Identification of HoCV-1 virus in Texas Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Populations

Author
item MARSHALL, P - UNIV OF TEXAS
item Hunter, Wayne
item HAIL, D - UNIV OF TEXAS
item BEXTINE, B - UNIV OF TEXAS

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/10/2008
Publication Date: 11/17/2008
Citation: Marshall, P., Hunter, W.B., Hail, D., Bextine, B. 2008. Identification of HoCV-1 virus in Texas Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter Populations [abstract]. Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: A new strain of leafhopper virus was discovered in leafhoppers which are vectors of Pierce’s disease of grapes. The original leafhopper infecting virus, HoCV-1, was isolated from the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis, from samples collected in California and Florida. Using the original genetic primers to detect HoCV-1, we then conducted sequencing of the capsid protein gene and discovered 10 stable nucleotide changes, SNP’s in leafhopper virus isolated from Texas leafhoppers.The SNP’s at these locations also altered the amino acids in the subsequent protein being produced, thus creating a new strain of virus, referred to as HoVV-1-TX, for Homalodisca Vitripennis Virus-1-Texas strain. Subsequent examinations are working to deduce if this new viral strain is more efficient at killing glassy-winged sharpshooters, such that it may be used as a biological control agent to reduce the spread of Pierce’s disease of grapes.