Nucleotide sequence of Lymantria dispar nuclear polyhedrosis virus polyhedrin gene

The polyhedrin gene of the nuclear polyhedrosis virus of the gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar) (LdMNPV) was cloned and sequenced. A polyhedrin open reading frame of 735 nucleotides (nt) was identified which can code for a protein of 245 amino acids that demonstrates a high degree of similarity to other polyhedrins. The protein predicted from the nucleotide sequence shows differences in several regions to that previously sequenced from the LdMNPV polyhedrin protein. The consensus sequence AATAAGTATTTT found at the mRNA start site of baculovirus hyperexpressed genes was located 55 nt upstream from the translational start site.