Transgenic expression of Dendrolimus kikuchii nucleopolyhedrovirus enhancin in tobacco enhances the mortality and affects the development of Spodoptera exigua larvae

A novel 2551-bp enhancin gene designated En-Dk was isolated from the Dendrolimus kikuchii nucleopolyhedrovirus genome. Sequence analysis revealed that En-Dk encodes a polypeptide chain of 792 amino acid residues containing a conserved enhancin domain and an α-helical transmembrane domain, but no signal peptide. Compared with wild-type tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.), transgenic tobacco showed significant phenotypic changes following En-Dk overexpression with slower growth and delayed initial flowering. An interesting finding is that the transgenic tobacco exerted a toxic effect on newly hatched Spodoptera exigua larvae, with a significant inhibitory effect on third-instar larvae in terms of body weight, pupal weight, pupation and the emergence process.