Baculovirus as versatile vectors for protein expression in insect and mammalian cells. Nat Biotechnol. 2005;23:567-575. [PMID: 15877075 DOI: 10.1038/nbt1095]

A secretary bi-cistronic baculovirus expression system with improved production of the HA1 protein of H6 influenza virus in insect cells and Spodoptera litura larvae

A bi-cistronic baculovirus expression vector was constructed to facilitate the expression, detection, and isolation of the hemagglutinin (HA) fragment HA1 of H6N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) in an insect and a culture of its cells. In this construct, the GP67sp signal peptide promoted the secretion of the recombinant protein into the culture medium, and improved protein expression and purification. Enhanced green fluorescent protein, co-expressed through an internal ribosome entry site, served as a visible reporter for protein expression detection. The hemolymph of Spodoptera litura larvae infected with the bi-cistronic baculovirus was collected for the purification of the recombinant HA1, which was found to be glycosylated, and monomeric and trimeric forms of the recombinant HA1 were identified. Proteins expressed in both the cell culture and larvae served as effective subunit vaccines for the production of antiserum against HA. The antiserum recognized the H6 subtype of AIV but not the H5 subtype.

•

HA1 of H6N1 influenza virus was expressed in insect and cell culture.

•

The expressed HA1 was glycosylated, and estimated as monomeric and trimeric forms.

•

The expressed HA1 served as an effective subunit vaccine for producing antisera.

•

The antisera specifically recognized influenza H6 subtype but not the H5 subtype.

Baculovirus Surface Display of Immunogenic Proteins for Vaccine Development

Vaccination is an efficient way to prevent the occurrence of many infectious diseases in humans. To date, several viral vectors have been utilized for the generation of vaccines. Among them, baculovirus-categorized as a nonhuman viral vector-has been used in wider applications. Its versatile features, like large cloning capacity, nonreplicative nature in mammalian cells, and broad tissue tropism, hold it at an excellent position among vaccine vectors. In addition to ease and safety during swift production, recent key improvements to existing baculovirus vectors (such as inclusion of hybrid promoters, immunostimulatory elements, etc.) have led to significant improvements in immunogenicity and efficacy of surface-displayed antigens. Furthermore, some promising preclinical results have been reported that mirror the scope and practicality of baculovirus as a vaccine vector for human applications in the near future. Herein, this review provides an overview of the induced immune responses by baculovirus surface-displayed vaccines against influenza and other infectious diseases in animal models, and highlights the strategies applied to enhance the protective immune responses against the displayed antigens.

The Functional Oligomeric State of Tegument Protein GP41 Is Essential for Baculovirus Budded Virion and Occlusion-Derived Virion Assembly

gp41, one of the baculovirus core genes, encodes the only recognized tegument (O-glycosylated) protein of the occlusion-derived virion (ODV) phenotype so far. A previous study using a temperature-sensitive Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) mutant showed that GP41 plays a crucial role in budded virion (BV) formation. However, the precise function of GP41 in the baculovirus replication cycle remains unclear. In this study, AcMNPV GP41 was found to accumulate around the ring zone (RZ) region within the infected nucleus and finally assembled into both BVs and ODVs. Deletion of gp41 from the AcMNPV genome showed that BVs were no longer formed and ODVs were no longer assembled, suggesting the essential role of this gene in baculovirus virion morphogenesis. In infected cells, besides the 42-kDa monomers, dimers and trimers were detected under nonreducing conditions, whereas only trimeric GP41 forms were selectively incorporated into BVs or ODVs. Mutations of all five cysteines in GP41 individually had minor effects on GP41 oligomer formation, albeit certain mutations impaired infectious BV production, suggesting flexibility in the intermolecular disulfide bonding. Single mutations of key leucines within two predicted leucine zipper-like motifs did not interfere with GP41 oligomerization or BV and ODV formation, but double leucine mutations completely blocked oligomerization of GP41 and progeny BV production. In the latter case, the usual subcellular localization, especially RZ accumulation, of GP41 was abolished. The above findings clearly point out a close correlation between GP41 oligomerization and function and therefore highlight the oligomeric state as the functional form of GP41 in the baculovirus replication cycle.IMPORTANCE The tegument, which is sandwiched between the nucleocapsid and the virion envelope, is an important substructure of many enveloped viruses. It is composed of one or more proteins that have important functions during virus entry, replication, assembly, and egress. Unlike another large DNA virus (herpesvirus) that encodes an extensive set of tegument components, baculoviruses very likely exploit the major tegument protein, GP41, to execute functions in baculovirus virion morphogenesis and assembly. However, the function of this O-glycosylated baculovirus tegument protein remains largely unknown. In this study, we identified trimers as the functional structure of GP41 in baculovirus virion morphogenesis and showed that both disulfide bridging and protein-protein interactions via the two leucine zipper-like domains are involved in the formation of different oligomeric states. This study advances our understanding of the unique viral tegument protein GP41 participating in the life cycle of baculoviruses.

Baculovirus for gene delivery to mammalian cells: Past, present and future

Baculovirus is an insect virus which has been used for more than thirty years for production of recombinant proteins in insect cells. However, baculovirus can also be harnessed for efficient gene delivery to mammalian cells if it is equipped with mammalian promoters. This technology is known as BacMam and has been used for gene delivery to immortalized cell lines, stem cells, and primary cells, as well as for gene delivery in animals. Baculovirus has unique features when compared to mammalian viruses. Besides the fact that it is replication-incompetent and does not integrate into the host genome, it has large capacity for foreign DNA. This capacity can for example be used to deliver multiple genes for reprogramming of stem cells, or for delivery of large homology constructs for genome editing. In this review, we provide a brief overview of baculovirus-based gene delivery and its recent applications in therapy and basic research. We also describe how baculovirus is manipulated for efficient transduction in mammalian cells and we highlight possible future improvements.

Multimodality reporter gene imaging: Construction strategies and application

Molecular imaging has played an important role in the noninvasive exploration of multiple biological processes. Reporter gene imaging is a key part of molecular imaging. By combining with a reporter probe, a reporter protein can induce the accumulation of specific signals that are detectable by an imaging device to provide indirect information of reporter gene expression in living subjects. There are many types of reporter genes and each corresponding imaging technique has its own advantages and drawbacks. Fused reporter genes or single reporter genes with products detectable by multiple imaging modalities can compensate for the disadvantages and potentiate the advantages of each modality. Reporter gene multimodality imaging could be applied to trace implanted cells, monitor gene therapy, assess endogenous molecular events, screen drugs, etc. Although several types of multimodality imaging apparatus and multimodality reporter genes are available, more sophisticated detectors and multimodality reporter gene systems are needed.

Titer estimation for quality control (TEQC) method: A practical approach for optimal production of protein complexes using the baculovirus expression vector system

The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is becoming the method of choice for expression of many eukaryotic proteins and protein complexes for biochemical, structural and pharmaceutical studies. Significant technological advancement has made generation of recombinant baculoviruses easy, efficient and user-friendly. However, there is a tremendous variability in the amount of proteins made using the BEVS, including different batches of virus made to express the same proteins. Yet, what influences the overall production of proteins or protein complexes remains largely unclear. Many downstream applications, particularly protein structure determination, require purification of large quantities of proteins in a repetitive manner, calling for a reliable experimental set-up to obtain proteins or protein complexes of interest consistently. During our investigation of optimizing the expression of the Mediator Head module, we discovered that the ‘initial infectivity’ was an excellent indicator of overall production of protein complexes. Further, we show that this initial infectivity can be mathematically described as a function of multiplicity of infection (MOI), correlating recombinant protein yield and virus titer. All these findings led us to develop the Titer Estimation for Quality Control (TEQC) method, which enables researchers to estimate initial infectivity, titer/MOI values in a simple and affordable way, and to use these values to quantitatively optimize protein expressions utilizing BEVS in a highly reproducible fashion.

Advances in the development of human protein microarrays

INTRODUCTION

High-content protein microarrays in principle enable the functional interrogation of the human proteome in a broad range of applications, including biomarker discovery, profiling of immune responses, identification of enzyme substrates, and quantifying protein-small molecule, protein-protein and protein-DNA/RNA interactions. As with other microarrays, the underlying proteomic platforms are under active technological development and a range of different protein microarrays are now commercially available. However, deciphering the differences between these platforms to identify the most suitable protein microarray for the specific research question is not always straightforward. Areas covered: This review provides an overview of the technological basis, applications and limitations of some of the most commonly used full-length, recombinant protein and protein fragment microarray platforms, including ProtoArray Human Protein Microarrays, HuProt Human Proteome Microarrays, Human Protein Atlas Protein Fragment Arrays, Nucleic Acid Programmable Arrays and Immunome Protein Arrays. Expert commentary: The choice of appropriate protein microarray platform depends on the specific biological application in hand, with both more focused, lower density and higher density arrays having distinct advantages. Full-length protein arrays offer advantages in biomarker discovery profiling applications, although care is required in ensuring that the protein production and array fabrication methodology is compatible with the required downstream functionality.

Overview of the Baculovirus Expression System

This unit provides information on the replication cycle of insect baculovirus to provide an understanding of how this virus has been adapted for use as an expression vector for recombinant proteins in insect cells. We provide an overview of the virus structure and its unique bi-phasic replication cycle, which has been exploited in developing the virus as an expression vector. We also review the development of the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS), from the mid-1980s to the present day in which the BEVS is now an established tool for the production of a range of recombinant proteins and multi-protein complexes including virus-like particles. We describe advances made to the BEVS to allow the rapid and easy production of recombinant viruses and developments to improve protein yield. We finish by describing the application of recombinant BacMam as vectors for the delivery of genes into mammalian and human cells. © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Retrofitting baculoviral vector with Sleeping Beauty transposon system: competent for long-term reporter gene imaging in vivo

Reporter gene imaging is widely used for non-invasively detecting tumorigenesis, trafficking therapeutic cells, and monitoring treatment effect. Baculoviral vectors (BVs) have been utilized as transgenic vectors in the reporter gene imaging systems in recent years. However, BV-mediated report gene imaging can only provide short-term investigation due to its transient transgene expression, which is incompetent for the long-term applications. In the current study, we reconstructed a series of hybrid BVs with several elements, to investigate the feasibility of this hybrid BV-mediated long-term reporter gene imaging in vivo. We showed that with the indispensable assistance of a positive-selection process, hybrid BV containing Sleeping Beauty 100× (SB) transposon system (BV-SB) could significantly prolong the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) expression for at least 180 days in vitro at nearly 100% eGFP positive percentage and over 10¹¹ arbitrary unit total fluorescence intensity, whereas other hybrid BV-mediated transgene expression gradually faded in only 20 days. Furthermore, BV-SB-mediated eGFP fluorescent reporter gene imaging monitored tumorigenesis in the nude mice for at least 35 days. In addition, we exploited the glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor (glp-1r) gene as a radionuclide reporter gene for in vivo micro-PET imaging. At 50th day post-tumor transplantation, the micro-PET imaging showed considerable radiotracer-receptor-binding in vivo, resulted by stable high level of BV-SB-mediated GLP-1R expression in tumor. In summary, we retrofitted BV with the SB transposon system to make it competent for the long-term reporter gene imaging in vivo, which might broaden the application scopes of BV in the long-term molecular imaging and other biomedicine research fields.

Optimized expression and purification of NavAb provide the structural insight into the voltage dependence

Voltage-gated sodium channels are crucial for electro-signalling in living systems. Analysis of the molecular mechanism requires both fine electrophysiological evaluation and high-resolution channel structures. Here, we optimized a dual expression system of NavAb, which is a well-established standard of prokaryotic voltage-gated sodium channels, for E. coli and insect cells using a single plasmid vector to analyse high-resolution protein structures and measure large ionic currents. Using this expression system, we evaluated the voltage dependence and determined the crystal structures of NavAb wild-type and two mutants, E32Q and N49K, whose voltage dependence were positively shifted and essential interactions were lost in voltage sensor domain. The structural and functional comparison elucidated the molecular mechanisms of the voltage dependence of prokaryotic voltage-gated sodium channels.

Production of Recombinant Killer Immunoglobulin-Like Receptors for Crystallography and Luminex-Based Assays

The killer immunoglobulin-like receptors (KIR) are a highly diverse family of cell-surface receptors that are of importance to the effector function of Natural Killer cells. KIR have been implicated in the detection and clearance of malignantly transformed cells and in the immune-control of viruses including HIV, HCV and CMV. Recently, the mismatching of donor and recipient KIR has been demonstrated to improve success of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation treatments of leukemias. Due to the high degree of diversity amongst the KIR, a number of strategies are required for the production of recombinant protein for medical, biochemical and structural applications. Each of these strategies has advantages and limitations and is suitable for different subsets of the KIR and their intended use. Here we describe the preparation of these proteins for crystallography and the novel adaptation of tetramer production for this protein family that is suitable for a number of assays including single-antigen bead binding by Luminex. These methods are intended to provide comprehensive details for the production and characterization of each KIR and to be broadly applicable to other cell surface receptors of the immune system.

Production and Application of Insect Virus-Based VLPs

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembling platforms composed of viral structural proteins. They are used for a variety of purposes, ranging from the study of virus assembly to vaccine development. VLPs can be produced in plants, bacteria, yeast, and insect and mammalian cells. The baculovirus expression system is one of the most commonly used systems for production of VLPs in eukaryotic cells. This chapter provides a brief overview of the main strategies used to generate recombinant baculoviruses and the applications of insect virus-derived VLPs in basic and applied research. It then describes detailed protocols for generation of recombinant baculoviruses, screening for their expression of VLPs in insect cells, and VLP purification.

Disruption of Ssp411 causes impaired sperm head formation and male sterility in mice

BACKGROUND

We previously cloned the Ssp411 gene. We found that the Ssp411 protein is predominantly expressed in elongated spermatids in the rat testis in a stage-dependent manner. Although our findings strongly suggested that Ssp411 might play an important role in mammalian spermatogenesis, this hypothesis has not been studied.

METHODS

We first used real-time PCR, Western blotting and immunohistochemistry to confirm that the expression pattern of Ssp411 in several murine tissues is similar to its expression pattern in corresponding rat tissues. To better understand the roles of Ssp411 in male reproduction in vivo, we identified and characterized an Ssp411 expression-disrupted murine strain (Ssp411^PB/PB) that was generated by piggyBac (PB) transposon insertion. We studied Ssp411-interacting proteins using proteome microarray, co-IP and GST pull-down assay.

RESULTS

Both Ssp411 mRNA and protein were detected exclusively in spermatids after step 9 during spermiogenesis in testis. Phenotypic analysis suggested that only Ssp411^PB/PB males are sterile. These males have smaller testes, reduced sperm counts, decreased sperm motility and deformed spermatozoa. Microscopy analysis indicated that the manchette, a structurally reshaped sperm head, is aberrant in Ssp411^PB/PB spermatids. The results of proteome microarray analysis and GST pull-down assays suggested that Ssp411 participates the ubiquitin-proteasome system by interacting with PSMC3. This has been reported to be manchette-associated and important for the head shaping of spermatids.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested that Ssp411 is required for spermiogenesis. It seems to play a role in sperm head shaping. The lack of Ssp411 causes sperm deformation and results in male infertility.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

Ssp411^PB/PB mouse strain is an animal model of idiopathic oligoasthenoteratozoospermia (iOAT), and the gene may represent a therapeutic target for iOAT patients.

Exploring three different expression systems for recombinant expression of globins: Escherichia coli, Pichia pastoris and Spodoptera frugiperda

Globins are among the best investigated proteins in biological and medical sciences and represent a prime tool for the study of the evolution of genes and the structure-function relationship of proteins. Here, we explore the recombinant expression of globins in three different expression systems: Escherichia coli, Pichia pastoris and the baculovirus infected Spodoptera frugiperda. We expressed two different human globin types in these three expression systems: I) the well-characterized neuroglobin and II) the uncharacterized, circular permutated globin domain of the large chimeric globin androglobin. It is clear from the literature that E.coli is the most used expression system for expression and purification of recombinant globins. However, the major disadvantage of E. coli is the formation of insoluble aggregates. We experienced that, for more complex multi-domain globins, like the chimeric globin androglobin, it is recommended to switch to a higher eukaryotic expression system.

Preclinical Development and Production of Virus-Like Particles As Vaccine Candidates for Hepatitis C

Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) infects 2% of the world’s population and is the leading cause of liver disease and liver transplantation. It poses a serious and growing worldwide public health problem that will only be partially addressed with the introduction of new antiviral therapies. However, these treatments will not prevent re-infection particularly in high risk populations. The introduction of a HCV vaccine has been predicted, using simulation models in a high risk population, to have a significant effect on reducing the incidence of HCV. A vaccine with 50 to 80% efficacy targeted to high-risk intravenous drug users could dramatically reduce HCV incidence in this population. Virus like particles (VLPs) are composed of viral structural proteins which self-assemble into non-infectious particles that lack genetic material and resemble native viruses. Thus, VLPs represent a safe and highly immunogenic vaccine delivery platform able to induce potent adaptive immune responses. Currently, many VLP-based vaccines have entered clinical trials, while licensed VLP vaccines for hepatitis B virus (HBV) and human papilloma virus (HPV) have been in use for many years. The HCV core, E1 and E2 proteins can self-assemble into immunogenic VLPs while inclusion of HCV antigens into heterogenous (chimeric) VLPs is also a promising approach. These VLPs are produced using different expression systems such as bacterial, yeast, mammalian, plant, or insect cells. Here, this paper will review HCV VLP-based vaccines and their immunogenicity in animal models as well as the different expression systems used in their production.

A new single-step protocol for rapid baculovirus-driven protein production in insect cells

Background

In the last three decades, the Baculovirus expression vector system (BEV) has evolved to one of the most widely used eukaryotic systems for heterologous protein expression including approved vaccines and therapies. Despite the significant improvements introduced during the past years, the BEV system still has major drawbacks, primarily the time required to generate recombinant virus and virus instability for certain target proteins. In this study we show that the conventional method to generate recombinant Baculovirus using a Tn7 transposition based system can be shortened to a single-step transfection-only procedure without further amplification.

Methods

In a first step we have adapted a recently published protocol that replaces the standard liposome-based transfection procedure of adherent insect cells by transfecting insect cells in suspension with a preformed DNA-PEI complex generating P0 virus. We have then expressed and purified six different target proteins, among them four intracellular and two secreted proteins, by infecting insect cells either with P0 or P1 virus.

Results

We demonstrate that transfection in suspension is as efficient as the standard protocol, but in addition allows generation of high amounts of P0 virus early in the process. To test if this P0 virus generated by bacmid transfection can be used directly for protein expression in either the screening or production process, we compared P0 versus amplified P1 virus-mediated protein expression. We show that protein expression levels, purity and yield of the purified proteins are equally high for P0 and P1.

Conclusion

The standard protocol for generating recombinant baculovirus comprises transfection of the bacmid followed by one or two subsequent virus amplification steps. In this study we show that Baculovirus generated by transfection-only is equally efficient in driving protein expression. This reduces the time from bacmid DNA to protein to eight days and reduces the risk of virus decay. In contrast to transient gene expression protocols, the required amount of DNA is minimal: 100 µg bacmid DNA is sufficient for a production scale of 10 L.

Production and Purification of Filovirus Glycoproteins in Insect and Mammalian Cell Lines

Filoviruses are highly virulent pathogens capable of causing severe disease. The glycoproteins of filoviruses are the only virally expressed proteins on the virion surface and are required for receptor binding. As such, they are the main candidate vaccine antigen. Despite their virulence, most filoviruses are not comprehensively characterized, and relatively few commercially produced reagents are available for their study. Here, we describe two methods for production and purification of filovirus glycoproteins in insect and mammalian cell lines. Considerations of expression vector choice, modifications to sequence, troubleshooting of purification method, and glycosylation differences are all important for successful expression of filovirus glycoproteins in cell lines. Given the scarcity of commercially available filovirus glycoproteins, we hope our experiences with possible difficulties in purification of the proteins will facilitate other researchers to produce and purify filovirus glycoproteins rapidly.

Efficient ASK-assisted system for expression and purification of plant F-box proteins

Ubiquitin-mediated protein degradation plays an essential role in plant growth and development as well as responses to environmental and endogenous signals. F-box protein is one of the key components of the SCF (SKP1-CUL1-F-box protein) E3 ubiquitin ligase complex, which recruit specific substrate proteins for subsequent ubiquitination and 26S proteasome-mediated degradation to regulate developmental processes and signaling networks. However, it is not easy to obtain purified F-box proteins with high activity due to their unstable protein structures. Here, we found that Arabidopsis SKP-like proteins (ASKs) can significantly improve soluble expression of F-box proteins and maintain their bioactivity. We established an efficient ASK-assisted method to express and purify plant F-box proteins. The method meets a broad range of criteria required for the biochemical analysis or protein crystallization of plant F-box proteins.

Recombinant baculovirus-based vaccine expressing M2 protein induces protective CD8+ T-cell immunity against respiratory syncytial virus infection

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is an important cause of acute lower respiratory tract disease in infants, young children, immunocompromised individuals, and the elderly. However, despite ongoing efforts to develop an RSV vaccine, there is still no authorized RSV vaccine for humans. Baculovirus has attracted attention as a vaccine vector because of its ability to induce a high level of humoral and cellular immunity, low cytotoxicity against various antigens, and biological safety for humans. In this study, we constructed a recombinant baculovirus- based vaccine expressing the M2 protein of RSV under the control of cytomegalovirus promoter (Bac_RSVM2) to induce CD8⁺ T-cell responses which play an important role in viral clearance, and investigated its protective efficacy against RSV infection. Immunization with Bac_RSVM2 via intranasal or intramuscular route effectively elicited the specific CD8⁺ T-cell responses. Most notably, immunization with Bac_RSVM2 vaccine almost completely protected mice from RSV challenge without vaccine-enhanced immunopathology. In conclusion, these results suggest that Bac_RSVM2 vaccine employing the baculovirus delivery platform has promising potential to be developed as a safe and novel RSV vaccine that provides protection against RSV infection.

Cardiac Non-Human Leukocyte Antigen Identification: Techniques and Troubles

Historically efforts have focused on the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) as the major cause for acute and chronic rejection following cardiac transplantation. However, rising evidence indicates that non-HLA antibodies can be both primary initiators and modifiers of antibody-mediated rejection (AMR) and cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV). The purpose of this review is to assess currently available technologies for non-HLA identification and leveraging such responses toward antibody quantification. Several techniques have been used to identify antigenic determinants of recipient graft-specific non-HLA humoral immune responses, but each comes with its own set of benefits and caveats. Improving our ability to detect non-HLA humoral immune response will aid in our understanding of the underlying antigenic determinants of AMR and CAV, as well as improve patient outcomes.

Improved process conditions for increasing expression of MHC class II protein from a stable Drosophila S2 cell line

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the effects of operational process conditions on expression of MHC class II protein from a stable Drosophila S2 cell line.

RESULTS

When the Drosophila S2 cells were grown in vented orbitally shaken TubeSpin bioreactor 600 containers, cell growth was improved three-fold and the yield of recombinant major histocompatibility (MHC) class II protein (HLA-DR1_2xHis) increased four-fold over the levels observed for the same cells cultivated in roller bottles (RB) without vented caps. Culturing in RB with vented caps while increasing the rotation speed from 6 rpm to 18 rpm also improved cell growth five-fold and protein productivity three-fold which is comparable to the levels observed in the orbitally shaken containers. Protein activity was found to be almost identical between the two vessel systems tested.

CONCLUSIONS

Optimized cell culture conditions and a more efficient vessel type can enhance gas transfer and mixing and lead to substantial improvement of recombinant product yields from S2 cells.

Infectivity of Sf-rhabdovirus variants in insect and mammalian cell lines

Sf-rhabdovirus was only recently identified as an adventitious agent of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf) cell lines used as hosts for baculovirus vectors. As such, we still know little about its genetic variation, infectivity, and the potential impact of variation on the Sf-rhabdovirus-host interaction. Here, we characterized Sf-rhabdoviruses from two widely used Sf cell lines to confirm and extend information on Sf-rhabdovirus variation. We then used our novel Sf-rhabdovirus-negative (Sf-RVN) Sf cell line to assess the infectivity of variants with and without a 320bp X/L deletion and found both established productive persistent infections in Sf-RVN cells. We also assessed their infectivity using heterologous insect and mammalian cell lines and found neither established productive persistent infections in these cells. These results are the first to directly demonstrate Sf-rhabdoviruses are infectious for Sf cells, irrespective of the X/L deletion. They also confirm and extend previous results indicating Sf-rhabdoviruses have a narrow host range.

A NMDA-receptor calcium influx assay sensitive to stimulation by glutamate and glycine/D-serine

N-methyl-D-aspartate-receptors (NMDARs) are ionotropic glutamate receptors that function in synaptic transmission, plasticity and cognition. Malfunction of NMDARs has been implicated in a variety of nervous system disorders, making them attractive therapeutic targets. Overexpression of functional NMDAR in non-neuronal cells results in cell death by excitotoxicity, hindering the development of cell-based assays for NMDAR drug discovery. Here we report a plate-based, high-throughput approach to study NMDAR function. Our assay enables the functional study of NMDARs with different subunit composition after activation by glycine/D-serine or glutamate and hence presents the first plate-based, high throughput assay that allows for the measurement of NMDAR function in glycine/D-serine and/or glutamate sensitive modes. This allows to investigate the effect of small molecule modulators on the activation of NMDARs at different concentrations or combinations of the co-ligands. The reported assay system faithfully replicates the pharmacology of the receptor in response to known agonists, antagonists, positive and negative allosteric modulators, as well as the receptor’s sensitivity to magnesium and zinc. We believe that the ability to study the biology of NMDARs rapidly and in large scale screens will enable the identification of novel therapeutics whose discovery has otherwise been hindered by the limitations of existing cell based approaches.

Covert Infection of Insects by Baculoviruses

Baculoviruses (Baculoviridae) are occluded DNA viruses that are lethal pathogens of the larval stages of some lepidopterans, mosquitoes, and sawflies (phytophagous Hymenoptera). These viruses have been developed as biological insecticides for control of insect pests and as expression vectors in biotechnological applications. Natural and laboratory populations frequently harbor covert infections by baculoviruses, often at a prevalence exceeding 50%. Covert infection can comprise either non-productive latency or sublethal infection involving low level production of virus progeny. Latency in cell culture systems involves the expression of a small subset of viral genes. In contrast, covert infection in lepidopterans is associated with differential infection of cell types, modulation of virus gene expression and avoidance of immune system clearance. The molecular basis for covert infection may reside in the regulation of host-virus interactions through the action of microRNAs (miRNA). Initial findings suggest that insect nudiviruses and vertebrate herpesviruses may provide useful analogous models for exploring the mechanisms of covert infection by baculoviruses. These pathogens adopt mixed-mode transmission strategies that depend on the relative fitness gains that accrue through vertical and horizontal transmission. This facilitates virus persistence when opportunities for horizontal transmission are limited and ensures virus dispersal in migratory host species. However, when host survival is threatened by environmental or physiological stressors, latent or persistent infections can be activated to produce lethal disease, followed by horizontal transmission. Covert infection has also been implicated in population level effects on host-pathogen dynamics due to the reduced reproductive capacity of infected females. We conclude that covert infections provide many opportunities to examine the complexity of insect-virus pathosystems at the organismal level and to explore the evolutionary and ecological relationships of these pathogens with major crop and forest pests.

The genome sequence of Condylorrhiza vestigialis NPV, a novel baculovirus for the control of the Alamo moth on Populus spp. in Brazil

Condylorrhiza vestigialis (Lepidoptera: Cambridae), commonly known as the Brazilian poplar moth or Alamo moth, is a serious defoliating pest of poplar, a crop of great economic importance for the production of wood, fiber, biofuel and other biomaterials as well as its significant ecological and environmental value. The complete genome sequence of a new alphabaculovirus isolated from C. vestigialis was determined and analyzed. Condylorrhiza vestigialis nucleopolyhedrovirus (CoveNPV) has a circular double-stranded DNA genome of 125,767bp with a GC content of 42.9%. One hundred and thirty-eight putative open reading frames were identified and annotated in the CoveNPV genome, including 38 core genes and 9 bros. Four homologous regions (hrs), a feature common to most baculoviruses, and 19 perfect and imperfect direct repeats (drs) were found. Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that CoveNPV is a Group I Alphabaculovirus and is most closely related to Anticarsia gemmatalis multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AgMNPV) and Choristoneura fumiferana DEF multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus CfDEFMNPV. The gp37 gene was not detected in the CoveNPV genome, although this gene is found in many NPVs. Two other common NPV genes, chitinase (v-chiA) and cathepsin (v-cath), that are responsible for host insect liquefaction and melanization, were also absent, where phylogenetic analysis suggests that the loss these genes occurred in the common ancestor of AgMNPV, CfDEFMNPV and CoveNPV, with subsequent reacquisition of these genes by CfDEFMNPV. The molecular biology and genetics of CoveNPV was formerly very little known and our expectation is that the findings presented here should accelerate research on this baculovirus, which will facilitate the use of CoveNPV in integrated pest management programs in Poplar crops.

Recent developments in solution nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR)-based molecular biology

Visualizing post-translational modifications, conformations, and interaction surfaces of protein structures at atomic resolution underpins the development of novel therapeutics to combat disease. As computational resources expand, in silico calculations coupled with experimentally derived structures and functional assays have led to an explosion in structure-based drug design (SBDD) with several compounds in clinical trials. It is increasingly clear that "hidden" transition-state structures along activation trajectories can be harnessed to develop novel classes of allosteric inhibitors. The goal of this mini-review is to empower the clinical researcher with a general knowledge of the strengths and weaknesses of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy in molecular medicine. Although NMR can determine protein structures at atomic resolution, its unrivaled strength lies in sensing subtle changes in a nuclei's chemical environment as a result of intrinsic conformational dynamics, solution conditions, and binding interactions. These can be recorded at atomic resolution, without explicit structure determination, and then incorporated with static structures or molecular dynamics simulations to produce a complete biological picture.

Transcriptome analysis of Spodoptera frugiperda 9 (Sf9) cells infected with baculovirus, AcMNPV or AcMNPV-BmK IT

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the transcriptome of Spodoptera frugiperda 9 (Sf9) cells infected with AcMNPV or AcMNPV-BmK IT.

RESULTS

A comprehensive transcriptome profile for Sf9 cells infected with AcMNPV or AcMNPV-BmK IT is shown. 43127572, 46529744 and 47235310 RNA-Seq profiles permitted the quantification of expression levels for control (C), AcMNPV-BmK IT treatment (ABT) and AcMNPV treatment (AT) groups. There were 997 up-regulated or down-regulated candidate genes with significant different expression level in these treatment groups.

CONCLUSION

These results provide a broad spectrum of candidate genes that are critically involved in the molecular regulation mechanism of Sf9 cells infected with AcMNPV-BmK IT.

Surface displaying of swine IgG1 Fc enhances baculovirus-vectored vaccine efficacy by facilitating viral complement escape and mammalian cell transduction

Baculovirus-mediated gene transfer has been developed as a vaccine design strategy against a number of diseases without apparent viral replication. However, it has been hampered by complement-dependent inactivation, thus hindering the in vivo application of baculovirus. A variety of approaches have been exploited to bypass the complement system in the serum. In this study, we constructed and screened a series of baculovirus vectors displaying complement interfering factors, of which a baculovirus vector displaying swine IgG1 Fc (pFc) showed the highest complement antagonism (75.6%). Flow cytometry analysis of transduced cells demonstrated that the baculovirus display of pFc had a significant increase in transduction efficiency and transgene expression of reporter genes. On this basis, a VSV-G-pseudotyped with swine IgG1 Fc surface displayed baculovirus vector was developed to express the classical swine fever virus (CSFV) E2 gene. The translational enhancers Syn21 and P10UTR were incorporated to improve the antigen expression. The E2 gene was efficiently expressed in both insect and mammalian cells. Pigs immunized with this recombinant baculovirus developed high levels of E2-specific antibody, CSFV-specific neutralizing antibody and IFN-γ-secreting cellular immune responses. These results demonstrate that the strategy of surface-displaying swine IgG1 Fc has a great potential to improve the efficiency of baculovirus-vectored vaccine for CSFV and other swine pathogens.

Transient Expression and Cellular Localization of Recombinant Proteins in Cultured Insect Cells

Heterologous protein expression systems are used for the production of recombinant proteins, the interpretation of cellular trafficking/localization, and the determination of the biochemical function of proteins at the sub-organismal level. Although baculovirus expression systems are increasingly used for protein production in numerous biotechnological, pharmaceutical, and industrial applications, nonlytic systems that do not involve viral infection have clear benefits but are often overlooked and underutilized. Here, we describe a method for generating nonlytic expression vectors and transient recombinant protein expression. This protocol allows for the efficient cellular localization of recombinant proteins and can be used to rapidly discern protein trafficking within the cell. We show the expression of four recombinant proteins in a commercially available insect cell line, including two aquaporin proteins from the insect Bemisia tabaci, as well as subcellular marker proteins specific for the cell plasma membrane and for intracellular lysosomes. All recombinant proteins were produced as chimeras with fluorescent protein markers at their carboxyl termini, which allows for the direct detection of the recombinant proteins. The double transfection of cells with plasmids harboring constructs for the genes of interest and a known subcellular marker allows for live cell imaging and improved validation of cellular protein localization.

Toward developing recombinant gonadotropin-based hormone therapies for increasing fertility in the flatfish Senegalese sole

Captive flatfishes, such as the Senegalese sole, typically produce very low volumes of sperm. This situation is particularly prevalent in the first generation (F1) of reared sole males, which limits the development of artificial fertilization methods and the implementation of selective breeding programs. In this study, we investigated whether combined treatments with homologous recombinant follicle-stimulating (rFsh) and luteinizing (rLh) hormones, produced in a mammalian host system, could stimulate spermatogenesis and enhance sperm production in Senegalese sole F1 males. In an initial autumn/winter experiment, weekly intramuscular injections with increasing doses of rFsh over 9 weeks resulted in the stimulation of gonad weight, androgen release, germ cell proliferation and entry into meiosis, and the expression of different spermatogenesis-related genes, whereas a subsequent single rLh injection potentiated spermatozoa differentiation. In a second late winter/spring trial corresponding to the sole’s natural prespawning and spawning periods, we tested the effect of repeated rLh injections on the amount and quality of sperm produced by males previously treated with rFsh for 4, 6, 8 or 10 weeks. These latter results showed that the combination of rFsh and rLh treatments could increase sperm production up to 7 times, and slightly improve the motility of the spermatozoa, although a high variability in the response was found. However, sustained administration of rFsh during spawning markedly diminished Leydig cell survival and the steroidogenic potential of the testis. These data suggest that in vivo application of rFsh and rLh is effective at stimulating spermatogenesis and sperm production in Senegalese sole F1 males, setting the basis for the future establishment of recombinant gonadotropin-based hormone therapies to ameliorate reproductive dysfunctions of this species.

Subcellular distribution of the 18kDa translocator protein and transcript variant PBR-S in human cells

Despite continued interest in the 18kDa translocator protein (PBR/TSPO) as a biomarker and a therapeutic target for a range of diseases, its functional role, such as in the steroid synthesis pathway and energy metabolism has either become contentious or remains to be described more precisely. The PBR/TSPO gene consists of four exons, while a shorter isoform termed PBR-S lacks exon 2. The PBR-S 102-codon open reading frame differs to that of PBR/TSPO, resulting in a protein that is completely unrelated to PBR/TSPO. To our knowledge, PBR-S protein has never been described and has no known or proposed function. To obtain possible clues on the role of this uncharacterised protein, we compared the subcellular distribution of PBR-S to that of PBR/TSPO. By expressing fluorescently tagged PBR/TSPO, we confirmed that full-length PBR/TSPO co-localises with mitochondria in HeLa, HEK-293, MDA-MB-231, BJ and U87-MG human cell lines. Unlike the strictly mitochondrial localisation of PBR/TSPO, PBR-S has a punctate distribution throughout the cytosol that co-localises with lysosomes in HeLa, HEK-293, MDA-MB-231, BJ and U87-MG cells. In summary, within the cell lines examined we confirm mitochondria rather than occasionally reported other localisations, such as the cell nucleus, to be the only site where PBR/TSPO resides. Due to the lack of any shared protein sequences and the different subcellular locations, we suggest that the previously uncharacterised PBR-S protein variant of the PBR/TSPO gene is likely to serve a different yet to be discovered function compared to PBR/TSPO.

Avian and Human Seasonal Influenza Hemagglutinin Proteins Elicit CD4 T Cell Responses That Are Comparable in Epitope Abundance and Diversity

Avian influenza viruses remain a significant concern due to their pandemic potential. Vaccine trials have suggested that humans respond poorly to avian influenza vaccines relative to seasonal vaccines. It is important to understand, first, if there is a general deficiency in the ability of avian hemagglutinin (HA) proteins to generate immune responses and, if so, what underlies this defect. This question is of particular interest because it has been suggested that in humans, the poor immunogenicity of H7 vaccines may be due to a paucity of CD4 T cell epitopes. Because of the generally high levels of cross-reactive CD4 T cells in humans, it is not possible to compare the inherent immunogenicities of avian and seasonal HA proteins in an unbiased manner. Here, we empirically examine the epitope diversity and abundance of CD4 T cells elicited by seasonal and avian HA proteins. HLA-DR1 and HLA-DR4 transgenic mice were vaccinated with purified HA proteins, and CD4 T cells to specific epitopes were identified and quantified. These studies revealed that the diversity and abundance of CD4 T cells specific for HA do not segregate on the basis of whether the HA was derived from human seasonal or avian influenza viruses. Therefore, we conclude that failure in responses to avian vaccines in humans is likely due to a lack of cross-reactive CD4 T cell memory perhaps coupled with competition with or suppression of naive, HA-specific CD4 T cells by memory CD4 T cells specific for more highly conserved proteins.

Promising Anti-influenza Properties of Active Constituent of Withania somnifera Ayurvedic Herb in Targeting Neuraminidase of H1N1 Influenza: Computational Study

Neuraminidase (NA) is a membrane surface antigen which helps in the release of influenza viruses from the host cells after replication. Anti-influenza drugs such as zanamivir bind with eight highly conserved functional residues (R118, D151, R152, R224, E276, R292, R371, and Y406) in the active site of NA, thus restricting the viral release the from host cells. Binding of the drug in active site inhibits the ability of enzyme to cleave sialic acid residues on the cell membrane. Reports on the emergence of zanamivir-resistant strains of H1N1 Influenza virus necessitated a search for alternative drug candidates, preferably from plant source due to their known benefits such as less or no side effects, availability, and low cost. Withaferin A (WA), an active constituent of Withania somnifera ayurvedic herb, has been shown to have a broad range of medicinal properties including its anti-viral activity. The present study demonstrated that WA has the potential to attenuate the neuraminidase of H1N1 influenza. Our docking and simulation results predicted high binding affinity of the WA toward NA and revealed several interesting molecular interactions with the residues which are catalytically important during molecular dynamic simulations. The results presented in the article could be of high importance for further designing of target-specific anti-influenza drug candidates.

Expression and Purification of Class 7 Semaphorin and Its PlexinC1 Receptor Using Baculovirus-Mediated Mammalian Cell Gene Transduction

Semaphorins and their receptor plexins are large glycoproteins that are difficult to express using regular recombinant methods, and the widely used E. coli and baculovirus-insect cell systems have been inadequate for semaphorins and plexins which contain a large number of domains and are heavily modified by glycosylation. Here, we describe the expression of class 7 semaphorin (Sema7A) and the extracellular domain of its receptors PlexinC1, using the baculovirus-mediated mammalian cell gene transduction (BacMam) method. A robust mammalian cell expression gene cassette, including a highly efficient secretion signal peptide, is introduced into the baculovirus which subsequently enters mammalian cells for efficient expression in suspension cell culture. Large amount of high-infectivity BacMam viruses are needed for infecting suspended mammalian cells in large scale, to generate semaphorin and plexin proteins at an amount sufficient for binding experiments and crystallographic studies. The inclusion of serum in expression ensures the robustness of cell culture, but introduces substantial amount of contaminant proteins interfering with immobilized metal ion affinity purification, which can be overcome with a two-step purification scheme.

Highly efficient transduction of primary adult CNS and PNS neurons

Delivery and expression of recombinant genes, a key methodology for many applications in biological research, remains a challenge especially for mature neurons. Here, we report easy, highly efficient and well tolerated transduction of adult peripheral and central neuronal populations of diverse species in culture using VSV-G pseudo-typed, recombinant baculovirus (BacMam). Transduction rates of up to 80% were reliably achieved at high multiplicity of infection without apparent neuro-cytopathic effects. Neurons could be transduced either shortly after plating or after several days in culture. Co-incubation with two different baculoviruses attained near complete co-localization of fluorescent protein expression, indicating multigene delivery. Finally, evidence for functional protein expression is provided by means of cre-mediated genetic recombination and neurite outgrowth assays. Recombinant protein was already detected within hours after transduction, thereby enabling functional readouts even in relatively short-lived neuronal cultures. Altogether, these results substantiate the usefulness of baculovirus-mediated transduction of mature neurons for future research in neuroscience.

Production of a fragment of glycoprotein G of herpes simplex virus type 2 and evaluation of its diagnostic potential

INTRODUCTION

Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) is the most common cause of genital herpes. Glycoprotein G (gG) is a prototype antigen for type-specific serodiagnosis distinguishing between HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV-2 infections. As immunological diagnosis kits for accurate differentiation between HSV-1 and HSV-2 antibodies can be expensive, there is a need to develop a convenient, sensitive, specific and cost-effective serodiagnostic kit.

METHODS

We successfully expressed a fragment of gG comprising residues 321-580 of HSV-2 with histidine tag (gG(321-580His)) in a Bac-to-Bac baculovirus expression system, which had an antigenicity similar to its native counterpart. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed using gG(321-580His) as the diagnostic antigen and evaluated by comparison with a commercial HerpeSelect 2 ELISA immunoglobulin G kit as reference.

RESULTS

In testing 318 field serum samples, the diagnostic relative sensitivity and specificity of the developed gG(321-580His)-ELISA test in qualitative comparison with the commercial kit were 93.81% and 96.74%, respectively, and the accuracy was 94.65%.

CONCLUSION

The study indicates that gG(321-580His) has a high diagnostic potential for HSV-2 virus serodiagnosis in humans.

Purification of baculovirus vectors using heparin affinity chromatography

Baculoviruses are commonly used for recombinant protein and vaccine production. Baculoviruses are nonpathogenic to vertebrates, have a large packaging capacity, display broad host and cell type tropism, infect both dividing and nondividing cells, and do not elicit strong immune or allergic responses in vivo. Hence, their use as gene delivery vehicles has become increasingly popular in recent years. Moreover, baculovirus vectors carrying mammalian regulatory elements can efficiently transduce and express transgenes in mammalian cells. Based on the finding that heparan sulfate, which is structurally similar to heparin, is an attachment receptor for baculovirus, we developed a novel scalable baculovirus purification method using heparin-affinity chromatography. Baculovirus supernatants were loaded onto a POROS heparin column, washed to remove unbound materials, and eluted with 1.5 mol/l NaCl, which yielded a recovery of purified baculovirus of 85%. After ultracentrifugation, baculovirus titers increased from 200- to 700-fold with overall yields of 26–29%. We further show that baculovirus particles were infectious, normal in morphology and size, despite high-salt elution and shear forces used during purification and concentration. Our chromatography-based purification method is scalable and, together with ultracentrifugation and/or tangential flow filtration, will be suitable for large-scale manufacturing of baculovirus stocks for protein and vaccine production and in gene therapy applications.

Human cell lines for biopharmaceutical manufacturing: history, status, and future perspectives

Biotherapeutic proteins represent a mainstay of treatment for a multitude of conditions, for example, autoimmune disorders, hematologic disorders, hormonal dysregulation, cancers, infectious diseases and genetic disorders. The technologies behind their production have changed substantially since biotherapeutic proteins were first approved in the 1980s. Although most biotherapeutic proteins developed to date have been produced using the mammalian Chinese hamster ovary and murine myeloma (NS0, Sp2/0) cell lines, there has been a recent shift toward the use of human cell lines. One of the most important advantages of using human cell lines for protein production is the greater likelihood that the resulting recombinant protein will bear post-translational modifications (PTMs) that are consistent with those seen on endogenous human proteins. Although other mammalian cell lines can produce PTMs similar to human cells, they also produce non-human PTMs, such as galactose-α1,3-galactose and N-glycolylneuraminic acid, which are potentially immunogenic. In addition, human cell lines are grown easily in a serum-free suspension culture, reproduce rapidly and have efficient protein production. A possible disadvantage of using human cell lines is the potential for human-specific viral contamination, although this risk can be mitigated with multiple viral inactivation or clearance steps. In addition, while human cell lines are currently widely used for biopharmaceutical research, vaccine production and production of some licensed protein therapeutics, there is a relative paucity of clinical experience with human cell lines because they have only recently begun to be used for the manufacture of proteins (compared with other types of cell lines). With additional research investment, human cell lines may be further optimized for routine commercial production of a broader range of biotherapeutic proteins.