Project Number: 3622-22000-028-00
Project Type: Appropriated

Start Date: Apr 13, 2004
End Date: Oct 31, 2005

Objective:
Genetically modify wild strains of baculoviruses by insertion and/or deletion of specific genes to increase in vivo activity, sunlight UV stability (SUV) and persistence. Determine the potential for development of resistance of Heliothis/Helicoverpa species to wild and recombinant baculoviruses.

Approach:
The proposal will generate new recombinant baculoviruses with quicker kill, sunlight-UV stability, and longer environmental persistence. Specifically, genes (e.g. toxins, anti-feedents) will be engineered into single and/or multiple sites in the genome of selected baculoviruses (e.g. HzSNPV, AcMNPV, PxMNPV) as well as fused to the polyhedrin gene. Because baculoviruses are extremely sensitive to sunlight-UV, recombinants will be constructed with UV-protectants. UV protectants under consideration are genes expressing fluorescent compounds, pigments and compounds that stabilize nucleotide base pairs. Recombinants also will be evaluated both in vivo and in vitro to determine whether a target pest can develop resistance to an expressed toxin of a recombinant baculovirus following repeated serial exposure through generations of target pests. Efforts also will be directed toward finding the gene(s) responsible for the high resistance of a related species (Heliothis subflexa) to wild-type strains of the Heliothis baculovirus.