Transposable Elements in Baculoviruses: Their Possible Role in Horizontal Gene Transfer

Abstract

Baculoviruses are a primarily insect-pathogenic group of viruses which have received considerable attention because of their use as powerful expression system of eucaryotic genes and their potential in biological control of insect pests. Recent progress in the molecular analyses of baculoviruses also has indicated that they are able to capture transposable elements originated from host genomes during infection of cultured insect cells or host larvae. These observations raised questions on the possible involvement of baculoviruses in the horizontal spread of transposable elements among different insect species. In this contribution we present an overview of the present knowledge of transposon-mediated mutagenesis of baculoviruses.