Abstract: 【Aim】 Antheraea pernyi nucleopolyhedrovirus (AnpeNPV) produces epizootic outbreaks in populations of the oak silkworm A. pernyi. We conducted a comparative analysis among three AnpeNPV isolates to gain insight into the host/parasite interactions of this system at the molecular level. 【Methods】 We sequenced the genome of an AnpeNPV (AnpeNPV-H) isolated from Henan province, China and performed a comparative analysis with two previously sequenced isolates (AnpeNPV-L and AnpeNPV-Z) from Liaoning province. 【Results】 The AnpeNPV-H strain is 125 605 bp in length and contains 146 open reading frames of which 95 are identified as functional proteins and 51 are annotated as hypothetical proteins. The genetic arrangement (synteny) of the three strains is identical while six ORFs are truncated by stop codons in one or two of the isolates. There are more than 200 single nucleotide variations (SNVs) among the three AnpeNPV strains, 85% of which are found in coding regions. Fifty genes show amino acid changes, three of which (odv-e56, p94-like, and egt) have higher evolutionary rates of change (dN/dS>1), suggesting positive or purifying selection. Significant amino acid differences (changes in charge or hydrophobicity among isolates) are seen in envelope proteins, DNA polymerase, helicase and proteins involved in apoptosis and ecdysis. Finally, we show evidence of genetic recombination between AnpeNPV strains. 【Conclusion】 This study reveals the level of intraspecies variation among the strains examined and lends insight into host/virus interactions based on the dynamics of the A. pernyi nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AnpeNPV) genome.

Key words: Antheraea pernyi, baculovirus, genome, single nucleotide variations (SNVs), genetic diversity, evolution