................................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ........................................................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................ v LIST OF FIGURES ..................................................................................................................... viii LIST OF TABLES .......................................................................................................................... x LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ........................................................................................................ xi 1. GENERAL INTRODUCTION................................................................................................ 1 1.1. Importance of the Canadian agriculture industry ............................................................. 1 1.2. Influence of insects on the agriculture industry ............................................................... 1 1.3. Pest management strategies .............................................................................................. 1 1.4. Biological control agents .................................................................................................. 2 1.5. Economically significant pests in Saskatchewan with the potential to be managed with biological control agents ............................................................................................................. 3 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................ 4 2.1. The insect alimentary canal .............................................................................................. 4 2.2. Peritrophic matrix ............................................................................................................. 5 2.3. Baculoviruses ................................................................................................................... 6 2.3.1. Baculovirus structure ................................................................................................ 8 2.3.1.1. Occlusion-derived virus ........................................................................................ 9 2.3.1.2. Budded virus ....................................................................................................... 11 2.3.2. Infection cycle ......................................................................................................... 12 2.3.3. Gene expression ...................................................................................................... 15 2.3.4. DNA replication ...................................................................................................... 17 2.3.5. Genes required for oral infectivity .......................................................................... 18 2.3.6. Proteomics of the ODV envelope ........................................................................... 19 2.3.7. Baculovirus 11K genes ........................................................................................... 20 2.3.8. Previous studies on 11K proteins ............................................................................ 22 3. PROJECT OBJECTIVES ...................................................................................................... 24