University of Kentucky
The Characterization of a Novel Cypovirus in a Parasitoid-host Relationship
Institution
University of Kentucky
Faculty Advisor/ Mentor
Bruce Webb
Abstract
Although viruses are generally thought of as destructive to their hosts, some are beneficial, and even vital, to their host species. Parasitoid wasps are known to employ Polydnaviruses (PDVs) in order to subdue the immune systems of their hosts. Recently, I co-discovered a second virus in the parasitoid-host relationship between Campoletis sonorensis wasps and their lepidopteran host, Heliothis virescens. I identified this virus as a cypovirus of the Reoviridae family. This virus was present in both the caterpillar and the wasp and may play a role in preventing successful parasitization of the caterpillar by the wasp. There also appeared to be at least two variants of this cypovirus. The activity of this cypovirus in the PDV lifecycle is of great importance in providing a chance to study the unique, complex relationship that exists between these viruses and their development as biological weapons in their respective, primary hosts. Cypoviruses have yet to be studied in the context of parasitoid-host networks, and this particular system provides an ideal opportunity to study the characteristics of these viruses in a system with a sequenced PDV genome.
The Characterization of a Novel Cypovirus in a Parasitoid-host Relationship
Although viruses are generally thought of as destructive to their hosts, some are beneficial, and even vital, to their host species. Parasitoid wasps are known to employ Polydnaviruses (PDVs) in order to subdue the immune systems of their hosts. Recently, I co-discovered a second virus in the parasitoid-host relationship between Campoletis sonorensis wasps and their lepidopteran host, Heliothis virescens. I identified this virus as a cypovirus of the Reoviridae family. This virus was present in both the caterpillar and the wasp and may play a role in preventing successful parasitization of the caterpillar by the wasp. There also appeared to be at least two variants of this cypovirus. The activity of this cypovirus in the PDV lifecycle is of great importance in providing a chance to study the unique, complex relationship that exists between these viruses and their development as biological weapons in their respective, primary hosts. Cypoviruses have yet to be studied in the context of parasitoid-host networks, and this particular system provides an ideal opportunity to study the characteristics of these viruses in a system with a sequenced PDV genome.