An Hyposoter didymator ichnovirus (HdIV) gene was stably maintained and efficiently transcribed in lepidopteran cell lines more than 3 years after HdIV infection. This K-gene had two introns and the fully spliced cDNA, named K19, comprised a short open reading frame and a long 3'-untranslated region with 13 imperfectly repeated sequences (44 to 102 nt). Transcripts related to the K-gene were detected in several long-term infected cell lines (Sf9, Spodoptera littoralis haemocytes, Trichoplusia ni). Conversely, no transcripts related to seven other viral cDNAs were detected, suggesting that the K-related DNA is selectively retained in long-term infected Sf9 cells. The function of the K-gene product and its association with stably transformed insect cell lines remains to be investigated.