Characterization of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus ORF17

The expression of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) ORF17 was examined. The respective transcript of 492 nts could be detected by RT-PCR at 3-72 hrs p.i., while the corresponding protein could be assessed by Western blot analysis at 6-72 hrs p.i. Its size was determined at about 19 K in agreement with the predicted value of 18.5 K, suggesting that no major posttranslational modification of primary gene product. The ORF17 protein was primarily located in the cytoplasm. All these results together with earlier data on early AcMNPV promoter motifs suggest that ORF17 as an early gene encoding a protein located in the cytoplasm of infected cells.