General Characteristics, Gene Organization and Expression of Small RNA Viruses of Insects

Genome organization and translation products of Providence virus: insight into a unique tetravirus

“…The members of the family Tetraviridae have an unusually narrow host range often restricted to only one or a few closely related lepidopteran species (Moore et al, 1985;Gordon & Hanzlik, 1998;Christian et al, 2001;Pringle et al, 2003). Tetraviruses replicate in the midgut tissues of their hosts (Moore et al, 1985;Bawden et al, 1999;Brooks et al, 2002) and sloughing of infected cells results in the stunting of infected larvae (Moore, 1991;Christian et al, 2001;Brooks et al, 2002).…”

The novel genome organization of the insect picorna-like virus Drosophila C virus suggests this virus belongs to a previously undescribed virus family.

“…The gene expression and replication strategies of both DCV and CrPV have been extensively studied (for review see Moore et al, 1985) using a combination of in vitro and in vivo translational studies and comparisons have generally been made between these viruses and the picornavirus paradigm. Many good reviews of the events involved in picornaviral translation and replication are available (see Ansardi et al, Author for correspondence : Peter Christian.…”

Characterization of a New Picorna-like Virus Isolated from Aphids

“…Twenty percent of the aphids were infected with both ALPV and RhPV. DISCUSSION ALPV, like other viruses of the family Picornaviridae, has small virions containing three major proteins with Mr values around 30000, as well as small amounts of a higher Mr protein which could be analogous to the VP0 found in mammalian picornaviruses, IFV, CrPV and Drosophila C virus (Moore et al, 1985). The genome consists of a single ssRNA of Mr 3.3 × 106 which is polyadenylated.…”

“…The physical properties of ALPV also differentiate it from other small RNA-containing viruses of insects such as Drosophila C virus, IFV (Fig. 2), Gonometa virus, Kawino virus, Lymantria ninayi virus, sacbrood virus, Kashmir bee virus, bee slow paralysis virus, Egypt bee virus, bee acute paralysis virus and black queen-cell virus (for review, see Moore et al, 1985). Although the sedimentation coefficients of ALPV and CrPV are similar (Table 1), CrPV and ALPV were found to have different buoyant densities in CsC1 and differences were seen between the protein profiles when CrPV and ALPV capsid proteins were co-electrophoresed (Fig.…”