My research is to study the Mechanism of Insecticidal Action of a Baculovirus-Expressed, Basement Membrane-Degrading Protease.

Basement membrane is an extracellular protein sheet, which covers all tissues of the animals. A recombinant baculovirus (AcMLF9.ScathL) was constructed in our lab can express an active flesh fly cathepsin L (scathL) which kills insect about 50% faster than the wild type virus. I used Transmission electron microscopy and Scanning electron microscopy to study the virus infected tissue like fat body and midgut found that basement membrane overlaying the midgut and fat body are damaged by ScathL; no budded virus accumulation beneath the basement membrane overlaying the midgut and muscle tissue loose integrity. In the following C6 is wild type virus AcMNPV C6 and C146A is a mutant of ScathL which cannot expression a functional Scathl.