Polydnavirus

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A polydnavirus is generally a virus whose genome is encoded in multiple superhelical deoxyribonucleic acid molecules. Notably, the polydnavirus Campoletis sonorensis has been found in the oviducts of all or most adult female C. sonorensis parasitoid wasps. These viruses replicate only within specific calyx cells of female ovaries. Polydnaviruses may affect their hosts' immune systems and appear to have a symbiotic relationship with the wasps (which benefit from suppression of their host organism's immune system by the virus). Ongoing research on polydnaviruses has involved sequence analysis to gather information on the functions of polydnaviral genes.

[edit] References

• Fleming, J.-A. G. W. & Summers, M. D. (1991, November). Polydnavirus DNA is integrated in the DNA of its parasitoid wasp host. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 88, 9770 – 9774.
• Whitfield, J. B. (2002). Estimating the age of the polydnavirusybraconid wasp symbiosis. In Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 99, 7508 – 7513.
• E. Espagne et al (2004). "Genome Sequence of a Polydnavirus: Insights into Symbiotic Virus Evolution". Science 306: 286-289.

[edit] See also

• Mutualism

[edit] External links

• http://research.biology.arizona.edu/mosquito/willott/507/polydnaviruses.html
• Polydnavirus DNA is Integrated in the DNA of Its Parasitoid Wasp Host - article from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
  • Abstract of the PNAS article.
• Genome Sequence of a Polydnavirus: Insights into Symbiotic Virus Evolution article from Science.