ORIGINAL RESEARCH Characterization of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus with a knockout of Bm17

Abstract Open reading frame 17 (Bm17) gene of Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus is a highly con-served gene in lepidopteran nucleopolyhedroviruses, but its function remains unknown. In this report, transient-expression and superinfection assays indi-cated that BM17 localized in the nucleus and cytoplasm of infected BmN cells. To determine the role of Bm17 in baculovirus life cycle, we constructed a Bm17 knockout virus and characterized its properties in cells. Analysis of the production and infection of budded virions, the level of viral DNA replication revealed showed that there was no significant differ-ence among the mutant, the control, and the Bm17 repaired virus strains. These results suggest that BM17 is not essential for virus replication in cultured cells