Baculoviruses, insecticidal compositions, and methods for control of invertebrates
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture
InventorsJames J. Becnel, Fukuda Tukuo, Bettina Moser, Andrew Cockburn, Susan E. White, Albert H. Undeen
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Abstract
Although the present invention has been described with reference to specific details of certain embodiments thereof, it is not intended that such details should be regarded as limitations upon the scope of the invention except as and to the extent that they are included in the accompanying claims.
Claims29
A method for the in vitro propagation of a mosquito baculovirus comprising infecting a culture of mosquito cells with a baculovirus, growing the cells in culture medium containing at least 1 mM of a divalent cation selected from the group consisting of:
- magnesium, cobalt, strontium, and nickel;
- and a chelator binder that selectively reduces the effective calcium ion concentration below about 1 mM until inclusion bodies are detected in the cells, and harvesting the virus from the cells.
An isolated mosquito-infecting baculovirus having the following characteristics:
- (a) nuclear occlusion bodies, globular in shape, diameter approximately 400 nm, each containing between about 1-8 rod-shaped virions, approximately 200×40 nm;
- (b) nuclear occlusion bodies with no surrounding membrane and with a denisty of approximately 1.14-1.18 g/ml which agglutinate upon freezing;
- and
- (c) infectious in Culex quinquefaciatus and Culex nigripalpus.
An insecticidal composition consisting essentially of:
- (a) a baculovirus effective for producing a lethal or debilitating infection in an insect;
- and
- (b) at least about 1 mM of a divalent cation selected from the group consisting of:
- magnesium, cobalt, strontium, and nickel.
An insecticidal composition comprising:
- (a) a baculovirus effective for producing a lethal or debilitating infection in an insect;
- (b) at least about 1 mM of a divalent cation selected from the group consisting of:
- magnesium, cobalt, strontium, and nickel;
- and
- (c) a chelator or binder that selectively reduces the effective calcium concentration below about 1 mM.
An isolated nucleic acid comprising a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO:
- 83.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.