Establishment and characterization of Spodoptera littoralis cell line (SL 96), adapted at 19 degrees C permissive for different baculoviruses.

Cells from ovarioule tissues of the Egyptian cotton leaf worm, Spodoptera littoralis (SL 96) were established, identified and characterized comparing with other lepidopteran cell lines using isozymes, karyotyping, RAPD PCR, and polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis polypeptide PAGE profile. Comparison of the number of chromosomes and PAGE profiles; also the isozymes profiles demonstrate the possibility to distinguish the cell lines by those analyses and having a distinguishable finger print for every cell line. A complete replication of the S. littoralis granulovirus (SpliGV), nucleopolyherovirus (SpliNPV), and Phthorimaea operculella granulovirus (PhopGV) was obtained in vitro by both viral infection and DNA transfection in the S. littoralis (S196) cell line. Spli-GV and PhopGV multiplied extensively during several passages in S196 cells at 19 degrees C. Virus infected cells were incubated at 19 degrees C for the first 4 hours and then at .27 degrees C for the rest of the experiment (20 days). Generally, all the three viral multiplications proceeded at the same rate approximately. Comparison of Spli GV progenies multiplied either in vivo or in vitro, using electron microscopy and restriction profile analysis, showed their identity. Viral infections were detected also by specific prepared nucleic probes.