Boolarra virus: a member of the Nodaviridae isolated from Oncopera intricoides (Lepidoptera: Hepialidae)

Abstract

A small RNA virus with a bipartite genome was isolated from Oncopera intricoides. It was named Boolarra virus (BoV). The particle had a diameter of 30 nm, a sedimentation coefficient of 140S, and a buoyant density of 1.34 g/ml in CsCl. The capsid proteins were examined by SDS-PAGE and consisted of a major species of molecular weight (mol. wt.) 38,000 and a minor one of mol. wt. 40,600. The particle contained 21.2% RNA which was divided between a 22S and a 17S species whose mol. wts. were 1.03 x 10(6) and 0.47 x 10(6), respectively. These properties were comparable to those of the Nodaviridae and established BoV as a member of the family. Serologically, BoV shared antigenic determinants with both Nodamura virus and black beetle virus.