Pathology and genome sequence of a Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV) isolate from Heilongjiang, China

Authors: Harrison, Robert - Bob; Rowley, Daniel; KEENA, MELODY - Us Forest Service (FS)

Submitted to: Journal of Invertebrate Pathology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/19/2020
Publication Date: 11/1/2020
Citation: Harrison, R.L., Rowley, D.L., Keena, M.A. 2020. Pathology and genome sequence of a Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (LdMNPV) isolate from Heilongjiang, China. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2020.107495.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2020.107495

Interpretive Summary: The gypsy moth is a serious pest of trees and forests in the United States and elsewhere. A foreign type of the gypsy moth known as the Asian gypsy moth, which spreads faster and is more damaging to trees than the North American gypsy moth, poses a potential invasive threat. An environmentally safe insecticide for suppressing gypsy moth outbreaks has been developed from a gypsy moth baculovirus. In this study, a Chinese isolate of the gypsy moth baculovirus was examined to see how well it is able to infect and kill Asian gypsy moth larvae. The genome sequence of this baculovirus was also determined and studied to see how this isolate differs genetically from other gypsy moth baculoviruses. In laboratory bioassays, the Chinese baculovirus isolate outperformed the baculovirus from the gypsy moth baculovirus-based insecticide in infecting and killing one strain of gypsy moth from north China. Also, the Chinese baculovirus was more closely related to other gypsy moth baculoviruses from China, Japan, and South Korea, and less related to baculoviruses from Russia, Europe, and the USA. The information in this study contributes to progress towards improving gypsy moth virus-based insecticides, and will be of interest to those in academia, government, and industry who work with this group of insect viruses or with gypsy moth.

Technical Abstract: The pathogenicity and genome sequence of isolate LdMNPV-HrB of the gypsy moth alphabaculovirus, Lymantria dispar multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus from Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, were determined. A stock of this virus from one passage through the gypsy moth New Jersey Standard Strain (LdMNPV-HrB-NJSS) exhibited 6.2 - to 11.9-fold greater pathogenicity against larvae from a Harbin colony of L. dispar asiatica than both Gypchek and a Massachusetts, USA LdMNPV isolate (LdMNPV-Ab-a624). Sequence determination and phylogenetic analysis of LdMNPV-HrB and LdMNPV-HrB-NJSS revealed that these isolates formed a group with other east Asian LdMNPV isolates which was separate from groups of isolates from Russia, Europe, and USA.