A Lipase Isolated from the Silkworm Bombyx mori Shows Antiviral Activity against Nucleopolyhedrovirus

A protein showing strong antiviral activity against Bombyx mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV) was purified from the digestive juice of B. mori larvae. A homology search of the deduced amino acid sequence of the protein cDNA revealed 56% homology with Drosophila melanogaster lipase and 21% homology with human lipase. As lipase activity of the protein was confirmed in vitro, this protein was designated Bmlipase-1. Northern blot analysis showed that...