Function Analysis Of A Putative TATA-box Binding Protein Of From White Spot Syndrome Virus And Experimental Infection Of WSSV To Red Claw Crayfish Cherax Quadricarinatus

White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) is the pathogen of shrimp disease broken out during 1993-1994 in South-Asia and is still the major pathogen in shrimp aquaculture worldwide. The thesis introduced firstly the progress of WSSV studies and gave the brief introduction on TATA-box Binding Protein (TBP) (Chapter 1). The main content of the thesis focused on a TBP homologous gene of WSSV (tbp-like Chapter 2, 3 and 4). The seuquence analysis showed that tbp-like gene shares high similarities with motifâ…¢and motifâ…¤of TBPs in eukaryotes and archaea and has a theoretical molecular weight of 100.5kD which is larger than TBPs from eukaryotes and archaea. This putative tbp-like gene was functionally analysed by using RT-PCR, truncated expression in E. coli and production of antibody, Western-blot, DNA binding assay and transient expression in eukaryotic cells. The results showed that tbp-like gene transcript can be detected at 18h.p.i.. The WSSV TBP-like protein is not located in WSSV virions. The conserved domain of this gene does not have DNA binding and the nuclear localization ability. In addition, the thesis also investigated the novel susceptible host of WSSV (Chapter 5). Red claw crayfish Cherax quadricarinatus, economically important crayfish species cultured in China in recent year, was experimentally infected with WSSV. PCR and in situ hybridization results demonstrated that red claw crayfish is susceptible to WSSV and the prevention methods should be performed in advance.