Comparative properties of the inclusion body proteins of the nucleopolyhedrosis viruses of Neodiprion sertifer and Lymantria dispar.

A comparison was made on the properties of the inclusion body proteins of two insect viruses: the nucleopolyhedrosis viruses of the European pine sawfly, Neodiprion sertifer, Geoffroy, and the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar, Linnaeus. The inclusion body proteins were characterized by the following parameters: amino acid composition, polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in the absence and presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate--mercaptoethanol, isoelectric focusing, and alkaline protease activity. The properties of the inclusion body proteins of the two viruses were similar in many respects, but clear differences were observed. A principal difference was the absence of alkaline protease activity associated with the inclusion body proteins of N. sertifer nucleopolyhedrosis virus.