Helicoverpa zea strain:HZAM1 Transcriptome or Gene expression

The Helicoverpa armigera single-capsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (HaSNPV) can be propagated using H. zea insect cell cultures, for use as a biopesticide against Heliothine agricultural pests. This study sequenced, assembled and functionally annotated 29,586 transcript sequences from cultured H. zea cells using Illumina 100 bps and paired-end transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq). From these sequences, a genome-scale microarray platform was constructed and validated for effective expression analysis of H. zea genes. This array also included probes for all HaSNPV genes, thereby allowing virus and host gene changes to be monitored simultaneously. The Helicoverpa zea cell line, designated as BCIRL-NZ-AM1, was isolated from pupal ovarian tissue by McIntosh and Ignoffo (1983).