A New Cypovirus-1 Strain as a Promising Agent for Lepidopteran Pest Control

Biological and genomic characterization of a cypovirus isolated from golden muga silkworm, Antheraea assamensis Helfer (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae)

A potential viral pathogen, cypovirus causing cytoplasmic polyhedrosis in the Indian golden muga silkworm, Antheraea assamensis Helfer, was isolated and characterized. Electron microscopy analysis confirmed the presence of typical occlusion bodies with icosahedral virions embedded in polyhedral matrices. The viral genome was dsRNA totaling approximately 24.9 kb in size, divided into 10 discrete segments containing one single open reading frame (ORF) each. Genomic analysis revealed conserved non-coding sequences such as 'AGUAAU' and 'AUAGAGC' at 5' and 3' termini, respectively. Functional annotation identified the presence of structural proteins, such as major and minor capsid proteins, as well as enzymatic proteins, including RNA-dependent RNA polymerase (RdRp). Phylogenetic analysis using deduced amino acid sequences of viral RdRp gene indicated a close evolutionary relationship between the cypovirus isolated from Antheraea assamensis and Antheraea mylitta cypovirus 4 (AmCPV4), thus we named the Indian golden muga silkworm cypovirus as Antheraea assamensis cypovirus 4 (AaCPV4). Nevertheless, AaCPV4 does not have a genomic segment 11 which was earlier reported in AmCPV4. Bioassay studies demonstrated high virulence, with 100 % larval mortality observed within 12 days of infection due to cytoplasmic polyhedrosis. Tissue tropism studies revealed significant viral replication in the midgut, hemolymph, and malpighian tubules, with the midgut exhibiting the highest viral load (9.65 log copy number of RdRp gene/µg of RNA). Cross-transmission experiments demonstrated AaCPV4 host specificity, infecting only in Antheraea species (A. mylitta and A. assamensis), while other lepidopteran insects including silkworms Bombyx mori, and Samia ricini were not susceptible to AaCPV4 infection. According to morphological, genetic, and biological characteristics, we suggest that AaCPV4 is an isolate of the species Cypovirus antheraeae (family Spinareoviridae).

Atypical pathogenesis of DsCPV-1 in candidate for mass production Manduca sexta (Lepidoptera: Sphingidae)

Recently obtained cypovirus strain DsCPV-1 shows potential as a biological insecticide, with its alternative host Manduca sexta (L.) being a promising producer. We confirmed DsCPV-1 replication in M. sexta by quantitative PCR, validating DsCPV-1's suitability as a biological producer. At the terminal infection stage, we revealed many nonoccluded DsCPV-1 virions by transmission electron microscopy, indicating virus replication with reduced or without polyhedron formation in this alternative host.

RNA Virus Discovery Sheds Light on the Virome of a Major Vineyard Pest, the European Grapevine Moth (Lobesia botrana)

The European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana) poses a significant threat to vineyards worldwide, causing extensive economic losses. While its ecological interactions and control strategies have been well studied, its associated viral diversity remains unexplored. Here, we employ high-throughput sequencing data mining to comprehensively characterize the L. botrana virome, revealing novel and diverse RNA viruses. We characterized four new viral members belonging to distinct families, with evolutionary cues of cypoviruses (Reoviridae), sobemo-like viruses (Solemoviridae), phasmaviruses (Phasmaviridae), and carmotetraviruses (Carmotetraviridae). Phylogenetic analysis of the cypoviruses places them within the genus in affinity with other moth viruses. The bi-segmented and highly divergent sobemo-like virus showed a distinctive evolutionary trajectory of its encoding proteins at the periphery of recently reported invertebrate Sobelivirales. Notably, the presence of a novel phasmavirus, typically associated with mosquitoes, expands the known host range and diversity of this family to moths. Furthermore, the identification of a carmotetravirus branching in the same cluster as the Providence virus, a lepidopteran virus which replicates in plants, raises questions regarding the biological significance of this moth virus to the grapevine host. We further explored viral sequences in several publicly available transcriptomic datasets of the moth, indicating potential prevalence across distinct conditions. These results underscore the existence of a complex virome within L. botrana and lay the foundation for future studies investigating the ecological roles, evolutionary dynamics, and potential biocontrol applications of these viruses in the L. botrana-vineyard ecosystem.

Ecological safety of insecticide based on entomopathogenic virus DsCPV-1 for nontarget invertebrates

For the first time under laboratory conditions, the virulence of a unique cypovirus strain, DsCPV-1, which has broad host specificity, was tested on nontarget aquatic organisms (natural species: Gammarus lacustris, Anopheles messeae, Coenagrion lunulatum, Cloeon robusta, Chironomus sp., Ilyocoris cimicoides, and Plea minutissima; laboratory species: Aedes aegypti and Daphnia magna), a terrestrial pollinator species (Apis mellifera), and an entomophage (Podisus maculiventris). The probability of this virus's accumulation in the bodies of invertebrates and of its transmission along a trophic chain was evaluated by two approaches: bioassays and a molecular diagnostic analysis. In the bioassays, there was no significant increase in mortality among all the tested aquatic and terrestrial nontarget species exposed to DsCPV-1 as compared with control groups (no virus). When we fed Podisus maculiventris with caterpillars having active DsCPV-1 infection (i.e., with the virus replicating in the host) no viral replication was observed in bug. No replication was also observed in mosquitos as well as in bee after viral treatment. Thus, the results show that the DsCPV-1 virus has excellent environmental safety toward many invertebrate species and can be recommended for the control of lepidopteran pests in forestry and agriculture as insecticide with light effect on environment.

Microsporidia-cypovirus interactions during simultaneous infection of the tree defoliator Dendrolimus sibiricus (Lepidoptera: Lasiocampidae)

The Siberian moth, Dendrolimus sibiricus is a dangerous forest defoliator, the number one pest of boreal forests in Asia. Search for effective and ecologically friendly control measures drives attention to microbial pathogens. Viruses and microsporidia are obligate intracellular parasites widespread in insect populations causing either chronic or acute infections. Interactions of these pathogens vary from antagonistic to synergistic. The goal of the work was to test a recently discovered cytoplasmatic polyhedrosis virus (cypovirus) strain DsCPV-1 isolated from D.sibiricus, combined with a microsporidium, against D. sibiricus, by feeding the inoculum (viral polyhedral and microsporidian spores). Three different microsporidian parasites of lepidopterans were tested against D. sibiricus as monoinfection: Nosema bombycis from silkworm, N. pyrausta from corn borer, and Tubulinosema loxostegi from beet webworm. Nosema bombycis was the most virulent, with a median lethal time of 7 days in the first and second instars treated with 100,000 and 1 million spores/larva, respectively. Nosema bombycis (dose 100,000 spores/larva) was chosen to test it as mixed infection in combination with an extremely low dose of DsCPV-1 (1 polyhedron/larva) against two races of D. sibiricus second instar larvae (the fir-feeding race and the larch-feeding race). The mixed infection demonstrated the most prominent negative effect on larval lethal time and weight for the both tested races. Mixed infections showed a synergistic effect for the fir-feeding larvae but additive effect only for the larch feeding larvae. Both pathogens co-developed successfully in the larvae with equal ratio of producing inoculum. The combination of these entomopathogens is therefore promising for forest protection against the Siberian moth and could be the way to significantly decrease the amount of pathogens applied in field.

The Impact of a Cypovirus on Parental and Filial Generations of Lymantria dispar L

Recently, we found that the spongy moth Lymantria dispar L. is susceptible to infection by a Dendrolimus sibiricus cytoplasmic polyhedrosis virus (DsCPV-1). In the present study, we evaluated the pathogenicity of DsCPV-1 against L. dispar larvae and its impact on surviving insects after the infection. Offspring of virally challenged insects were tested for susceptibility to a stress factor (starvation). In addition, we used light microscopy and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to test the ability of DsCPV-1 to be transmitted vertically. We found insect mortality of the L. dispar parents following the infection was positively associated with DsCPV-1 dose. DsCPV-1 was lethal to second-instar L. dispar larvae with a 50% lethal dose (LD50) of 1687 occlusion bodies per larva. No vertical transmission of DsCPV-1 to offspring larvae was detected, while the majority of insect deaths among offspring larvae were caused by microsporidia (Vairimorpha lymantriae), which was harbored by the parents. The offspring of virally challenged parents exhibited a higher number of detected microsporidia compared to the control. Our findings suggest that the application of DsCPV-1 is effective in controlling pests in terms of transgenerational impact following virus exposure.

Diversity of RNA viruses in agricultural insects

Recent advancements in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology and bioinformatics tools have revealed a vast array of viral diversity in insects, particularly RNA viruses. However, our current understanding of insect RNA viruses has primarily focused on hematophagous insects due to their medical importance, while research on the viromes of agriculturally relevant insects remains limited. This comprehensive review aims to address the gap by providing an overview of the diversity of RNA viruses in agricultural pests and beneficial insects within the agricultural ecosystem. Based on the NCBI Virus Database, over eight hundred RNA viruses belonging to 39 viral families have been reported in more than three hundred agricultural insect species. These viruses are predominantly found in the insect orders of Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Thysanoptera, Lepidoptera, Diptera, Coleoptera, and Orthoptera. These findings have significantly enriched our understanding of RNA viral diversity in agricultural insects. While further virome investigations are necessary to expand our knowledge to more insect species, it is crucial to explore the biological roles of these identified RNA viruses within insects in future studies. This review also highlights the limitations and challenges for the effective virus discovery through NGS and their potential solutions, which might facilitate for the development of innovative bioinformatic tools in the future.