Genome assembly and annotation of Spilosoma obliqua multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus from Bihar hairy caterpillar, an agriculturally important insect pest

AbstractSpilosoma obliqua nucleopolyhedrovirus (SpobNPV) is known as a biocontrol agent against S. obliqua a polyphagous insect. Genome of an isolate designated as SpobMNPV was sequenced and found to have 136,141 bp, 139 putative open reading frames (ORFs) on both sense (48%) and anti‐sense (52%) strands and 97.91% nucleotide similarity with Hyphantria cunea nucleopolyhedrovirus (HycuNPV). All the 38 core genes of baculoviruses were identified and validated in the SpobMNPV genome, which differed from SpobNPV–Manipur isolate in several aspects. In SpobMNPV genome, 7 h were found comprised of 2 to 16 repeated units of 67‐bp at each site with an imperfect 30‐bp palindrome near the centre in both orientations. Comparison of consensus palindrome sequences (hrcons) present in hrs with that of selected alphabaculovirus group I NPVs revealed them to be completely conserved at each side of the hrcons, that is 1‐GxTTTxC‐7 and 22‐TxGxAAAxC‐30. Based on phylogenetic analysis of 38 core genes, SpobMNPV was found closest to the HycuNPV in the group I alphabaculovirus. The complete genome of this isolate is being reported for the first time from North India. The information on genome analysis of SpobMNPV will be an addition to the available database on alphabaculoviruses and also accelerate research on SpobNPV as a component of integrated management of S. obliqua in many economically important crops.