Establishment of a monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus, Lepidoptera: Danaidae) cell line and its susceptibility to insect viruses

Abstract

A cell line from the monarch butterfly Danaus plexippus designated BCIRL-DP-AM/JG was established from adult ovaries. The cell line consisted mainly of round cells and took a prolonged period of time in the growth medium ExCell 401 containing 10% fetal bovine serum and antibiotics before it could be subcultured on a regular basis. The cell line had a population doubling time of 32 h and was susceptible to four baculoviruses (MNPV) but was refractile to a fifth baculovirus, a single nucleopolyhedrovirus (HzSNPV). PxMNPV was the most infectious of the MNPV for BCIRL-DP-AM/JG cell line of D. plexippus producing a titer of 5.9×107 TCID50/ml. The non-occluded Hz-1 virus was also infectious for the D. plexippus cell line. The occlusion bodies produced by the BCIRL-DP-AM/JG cell line were infectious for 24 h old Trichoplusia ni larvae and gave LC50 values equivalent to or better than the LC50 for OB produced in the other susceptible cell lines by the MNPV under study. The identity of the monarch butterfly cell line was established by DAF-PCR.