3H-31, A Non-structural Protein of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h,Inhibits the Host Larval Cathepsin and Chitinase Activities

摘要

3h-31 of Heliothis virescens ascovirus 3h(Hv AV-3h)is a highly conserved gene of ascoviruses.As an early gene of Hv AV-3h,3h-31 codes for a non-structural protein(3H-31)of Hv AV-3h.In the study,3h-31 was initially transcribed and expressed at 3 h post-infection(hpi)in the infected Spodoptera exigua fat body cells(Se FB).3h-31 was further inserted into the bacmid of Autographa californica nucleopolyhedrovirus(Ac MNPV)to generate an infectious baculovirus(Ac MNPV-31).In vivo experiments showed that budded virus production and viral DNA replication decreased with the expression of 3H-31,and lucent tubular structures were found around the virogenic stroma in the Ac MNPV-31-infected Se FB cells.In vivo,both LD50and LD90values of Ac MNPV-31 were significantly higher than those of the wild-type Ac MNPV(Ac MNPV-wt)in third instar S.exigua larvae.An interesting finding was that the liquefaction of the larvae killed by the infection of Ac MNPV-31 was delayed.Chitinase and cathepsin activities of Ac MNPV-31-infected larvae were significantly lower than those of Ac MNPV-wt-infected larvae.The possible regulatory function of the chitinase and cathepsin for 3H-31 was further confirmed by RNAi,which showed that larval cathepsin activity was significantly upregulated,but chitinase activity was not significantly changed due to the RNAi of 3h-31.Based on the obtained results,we assumed that the function of 3H-31 was associated with the inhibition of host larval chitinase and cathepsin activities,so as to restrain the hosts in their larval stages.