Efficient large-scale protein production of larvae and pupae of silkworm by Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus bacmid system

Silkworm is one of the most attractive hosts for large-scale production of eukaryotic proteins as well as recombinant baculoviruses for gene transfer to mammalian cells. The bacmid system of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) has already been established and widely used. However, the AcNPV does not have a potential to infect silkworm. We developed the first practical Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus bacmid system directly applicable for the protein expression of silkworm. By using this system, the green fluorescence protein was successfully expressed in silkworm larvae and pupae not only by infection of its recombinant virus but also by direct injection of its bacmid DNA. This method provides the rapid protein production in silkworm as long as 10 days, is free from biohazard, thus will be a powerful tool for the future production factory of recombinant eukaryotic proteins and baculoviruses.     

Pseudotyping Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV): F proteins from group II NPVs are functionally analogous to AcMNPV GP64

GP64, the major envelope glycoprotein of budded virions of the baculovirus Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV), is involved in viral attachment, mediates membrane fusion during virus entry, and is required for efficient virion budding. Thus, GP64 is essential for viral propagation in cell culture and in animals. Recent genome sequences from a number of baculoviruses show that only a subset of closely related baculoviruses have gp64 genes, while other baculoviruses have a recently discovered unrelated envelope protein named F. F proteins from Lymantria dispar MNPV (LdMNPV) and Spodoptera exigua MNPV (SeMNPV) mediate membrane fusion and are therefore thought to serve roles similar to that of GP64. To determine whether F proteins are functionally analogous to GP64 proteins, we deleted the gp64 gene from an AcMNPV bacmid and inserted F protein genes from three different baculoviruses. In addition, we also inserted envelope protein genes from vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and Thogoto virus. Transfection of the gp64-null bacmid DNA into Sf9 cells does not generate infectious particles, but this defect was rescued by introducing either the F protein gene from LdMNPV or SeMNPV or the G protein gene from VSV. These results demonstrate that baculovirus F proteins are functionally analogous to GP64. Because baculovirus F proteins appear to be more widespread within the family and are much more divergent than GP64 proteins, gp64 may represent the acquisition of an envelope protein gene by an ancestral baculovirus. The AcMNPV pseudotyping system provides an efficient and powerful method for examining the functions and compatibilities of analogous or orthologous viral envelope proteins, and it could have important biotechnological applications.     

杆状病毒介导外源基因在哺乳动物细胞中表达的研究进展

杆状病毒(Baculovirus)是一种以昆虫为唯一宿主的病毒, 可用做生物杀虫剂或作为表达载体在昆虫细胞中大量表达外源蛋白, 制备疫苗。研究发现, 在哺乳动物细胞中携带哺乳动物启动子的重组杆状病毒能启动下游外源基因的表达但病毒不能在哺乳动物细胞中增值, 对细胞毒性小, 转导成功的细胞可以稳定传代并有效表达外源基因, 哺乳动物细胞比昆虫细胞对蛋白质具有更好的翻译后修饰, 表达出的蛋白结构更接近天然蛋白。因此, 杆状病毒可作为一种新型的哺乳动物细胞基因转移载体, 用于表达外源基因及作为一种基因治疗载体, 具有巨大潜力, 日益受到人们的关注。本文对杆状病毒作为一种表达载体在哺乳动物细胞中表达的研究进展进行了综述。     

A baculovirus expression system for insect cells

The review considers the biology of baculoviruses, construction of transfer vectors for the baculovirus expression system, selection of recombinant baculoviruses, approaches to expression of multimeric proteins, and the potentialities and prospects of the system.     

A Baculovirus Expression System for Insect Cells

The review considers the biology of baculoviruses, construction of transfer vectors for the baculovirus expression system (BES), selection of recombinant baculoviruses, approaches to expression of multimeric proteins, and BES potentialities and prospects.     

Production of adeno-associated viral vectors in insect cells using triple infection: optimization of baculovirus concentration ratios

The production of viral vectors or virus-like particles for gene therapy or vaccinations using the baculovirus expression system is gaining in popularity. Recently, reports of a viral vector based on adeno-associated virus (AAV) produced in insect cells using the baculovirus expression vector system have been published. This system requires the triple infection of cells with baculovirus vectors containing the AAV gene for replication proteins (BacRep), the AAV gene for structural proteins (BacCap), and the AAV vector genome (BacITR). A statistical approach was used to investigate the multiplicities of infection of the three baculoviruses and the results were extended to the production of AAVs containing various transgenes. Highest AAV yields were obtained when BacRep and BacCap, the baculovirus vectors containing genes that code for proteins necessary for the formation of the AAV vector, were added in equal amounts at high multiplicities of infection. These combinations also resulted in the closest ratios of infectious to total AAV particles produced. Overexpression of the AAV structural proteins led to the production of empty AAV capsids, which is believed to overload the cellular machinery, preventing proper encapsidation of the AAV vector transgene, and decreased the viability of the insect cells. Delaying the input of BacCap, to reduce the amount of capsids produced, resulted in lower infectious AAV titers then when all three baculoviruses were put into the system at the same time. The amount of BacITR added to the system can be less than the other two without loss of AAV yield.     

Baculovirus expression system for magnetic sorting of infected cells and enhanced titer determination

Recombinant baculoviruses derived from the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) are widely used to express heterologous genes in insect cells, but the use of the baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is hampered by slow and tedious procedures for the selection and separation of baculovirus-infected insect cells and for titer determination. Here we developed a new technology based on the bicistronic vector with a fusion protein of the human integral plasma membrane glycoprotein CD4 and green fluorescent protein (GFP) for concomitant expression of target proteins in insect Sf21 cells. Magnetic cell sorting (MACS) technology with anti-CD4 antibody-labeled superparamagnetic beads was used to separate the baculovirus-infected from the noninfected insect cells and therefore to increase the virus titer and to reduce process time. With the herein described use of the MACS-improved baculovirus expression plasmid MACS in baculovirus expression (pMACSiBac-1), we have been able to select the baculovirus-infected insect cells at an early time point of the infection cycle and therefore enrich the virus titer dramatically. Furthermore, simple end point dilution and GFP fluorescence detection can be used for early and facile detection of recombinant viruses and simplified titer determinations. We show that the bicistronic pMACSiBac-1 with an additional multiple cloning site under the control of the very late promoter polyhedrin (PPH) allows for the expression of target proteins in high amounts, less workloads, and shorter timelines.     

重组杆状病毒：一种新型哺乳动物细胞基因转移载体

昆虫杆状病毒表达载体系统已广泛应用于表达重组蛋白。近年来研究显示,含有哺乳动物细胞启动子元件的重组杆状病毒可有效地转导多种哺乳动物原代和传代细胞。借助于杆状病毒载体,已成功实现了外源基因在哺乳动物细胞内的瞬时或稳定表达;而在体内,杆状病毒可被血清中的补体成份所灭活,从而抑制了转导效率,但是通过对杆状病毒进行修饰（如伪型杆状病毒）,可以抵抗补体的灭活作用。研究人员对杆状病毒转导机制进行了探索,但是至今尚未完全弄清。杆状病毒基因转移系统最大特点是,杆状病毒能在昆虫细胞内大量繁殖,而不能在哺乳动物细胞内复制,因而具有很高的生物安全性;同时,此系统还具有操作简便、插入外源基因容量大等优点,使得杆状病毒作为哺乳动物细胞的基因传递载体,具有广泛的应用前景。     

A bi-cistronic baculovirus expression vector for improved recombinant protein production

Baculoviruses are one of the most studied insect viruses both in basic virology research and in biotechnology applications. Incorporating an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) into the baculovirus genome generates bi-cistronic baculoviruses expression vectors that produce two genes of interest. The bi-cistronic baculoviruses also facilitate recombinant virus isolation and titer determination when the green fluorescent protein was co-expressed. Furthermore, when the secretion proteins were co-expressed with the cytosolic green fluorescent protein, the cell lysis and cytosolic protein released into the culture medium could be monitored by the green fluorescence, thus facilitating purification of the secreted proteins.     

Fast isolation of recombinant baculovirus by antibody screening

We describe a rapid and efficient scheme for the isolation and purification of recombinant baculoviruses. The method is based on the detection of foreign proteins in cellular lysates of baculovirus-infected insect cells by antibody screening. The recombinant virus is purified by repeated serial dilutions. The method allows the identification and purification of recombinant viruses within 2 to 3 wk. This procedure selects for recombinant baculoviruses that highly overproduce the desired protein product.     

Generation of baculovirus expression vectors

The baculovirus expression system has become an important tool for the expression of heterologous genes because it has several positives attributes. First, high quantities of protein are produced because the target genes are driven by strong viral promoters. Second, most eukaryotic posttranslational modifications are carried out in insect cells in an authentic manner. Thus, proteins expressed with the baculovirus expression system usually have the same activities as the authentic protein. Several approaches have been developed to obtain recombinant baculoviruses easily and nowadays many modified baculoviral DNAs and a huge variety of transfer plasmids are available. Here, we described the rapid generation of recombinant baculoviruses using parental viral DNA that incorporates a lethal deletion and can be selected against. This basic approach should be suitable for the majority of applications.     

Improvements to the throughput of recombinant protein expression in the baculovirus/insect cell system

Recombinant baculoviruses have proved to be a very useful means to express many proteins over the last 20 years. Since their introduction, there have been a number of significant improvements that have simplified and speeded up the construction of baculoviruses. One of the most commonly used methods relies upon recombination with the baculovirus genome maintained in Escherichia coli. In this paper, we report the conversion of nearly all the steps in this process including the expression testing and purification to a multi-well plate format. This enables a significant increase in the number of constructs that can be processed in a shorter period of time and an order of magnitude increase in the number of expression conditions that can be analysed. A key step in our process is that the transfection is done in suspension rather than adherent cells, which gives a much higher virus titre than in the standard methods.     

Overexpression of a cytosolic chaperone to improve solubility and secretion of a recombinant IgG protein in insect cells

The secretion of heterologous IgG proteins in the baculovirus-insect cell expression system is accompanied by substantial insoluble immunoglobulin in the infected cells. The accumulation of these insoluble forms suggests a limitation in the processing and secretory pathway of the infected cells. As a result, cytosolic hsp70 chaperones, which are known to associate and prevent aggregation of polypeptides in vitro, have been coexpressed in the infected cells. The hsp70 protein coprecipitated with the immunoglobulin to indicate the formation of a specific hsp70-immunoglobulin complex in vivo. Immunoblot and pulse chase studies indicated that coexpression of hsp70 increased intracellular immunoglobulin solubility. Metabolic labeling experiments revealed that hsp70 increased secreted immunoglobulin levels after several days infection as compared to infection with control baculoviruses. Pulse chase studies indicated that hsp70 increases the solubility of immunoglobulin precursors that are then processed and assembled into the complete antibody oligomer. A comparison of the action of cytosolic hsp70 chaperone to the endoplasmic reticulum chaperone BiP suggests sequential action in which hsp70 increases the solubility of preprocessed immunoglobulin, while BiP enhances the solubility of processed immunoglobulin chains.     

Improved insecticidal activity of a genetically modified baculovirus expressing the immunosuppressive CrV1 protein from a polydnavirus against Spodoptera exigua

Recombinant baculoviruses could be used as biological insecticides through the introduction and expression of exogenous genes (such as those coding for proteins) that interfere with metabolism, metamorphosis (toxins, hormones, and enzymes), and immune system of the insects. The CrV1 secreted protein of Cotesia rubecula polydnavirus (PDV) is responsible for the actin depolymerisation in haemocytes and the abolishment of immune functions such as phagocytosis and cell spreading, thus allowing the successful embryonic development of the parasitoid wasp. CrV1 cDNA was cloned into C6 strain of Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV-C6-CrV1) under p10 promoter to construct a recombinant virus. The recombinant virus was then tested against the insect pest Spodoptera exigua. The recombinant virus expressing CrV1 protein showed significantly lower LC₅₀ and shorter LT₅₀ as compared with the AcMNPV-C6 wild-type virus. The potential of recombinant baculoviruses expressing PDV genes in relation to their virulence is discussed.     

昆虫杆状病毒应用于哺乳动物基因治疗的研究进展

杆状病毒是一类宿主特异性的昆虫病毒。昆虫杆状病毒表达系统是一个高效的真核表达系统,被广泛用于在昆虫细胞或昆虫幼虫中生产外源蛋白质。杆状病毒不能感染哺乳动物,却可以进入不同物种和组织来源的多种哺乳动物细胞,并在合适的哺乳动物启动子控制下表达外源基因。杆状病毒在哺乳动物细胞中不能复制,对细胞没有毒性,加上杆状病毒本身具有基因组大、可操作性好等优点,作为哺乳动物基因治疗的载体,将治疗基因传递给哺乳动物细胞已受到了广泛关注。在此就杆状病毒作为基因治疗载体的最新研究进展进行了阐述并探讨其发展趋势。     

杆状病毒用于哺乳动物细胞快速高效表达外源基因的研究

现已发现杆状病毒可进入某些培养的哺乳动物细胞,这提示可将杆状病毒作为一种对哺乳动物细胞的新型基因转移载体。对杆状病毒转移载体的改造及对哺乳动物细胞的基因转移方式进行了进一步的研究。以绿色荧光蛋白基因为报告基因,利用Bac-to-Bac系统构建了分别含有正向和反向CMV启动子表达盒的两种重组杆状病毒。可观察到CMV启动子在Sf9细胞中可启动报告基因的表达,但表达效率较低。用重组杆状病毒感染后Sf9细胞的培养上清直接与HepG2细胞作用,以流式细胞术检测基因转移效率及荧光表达强度,发现这两种病毒在相同的感染复数下对HepG2细胞具有相似的基因转移及表达效率。同时,利用流式细胞术进一步研究了直接使用重组杆状病毒感染4d后Sf9细胞的培养上清对哺乳动物细胞进行基因转移的方法。通过对HepG2细胞的实验结果显示,将带毒Sf9细胞培养上清(1.2×10⁷PFU/mL)用哺乳动物细胞培养基1倍稀释后,37℃下孵育靶细胞12h(moi=50),可达到较高的基因转移及表达效率,同时不会对细胞造成明显损伤。将重组杆状病毒与脂质体和逆转录病毒这两种系统对HepG2及CV1细胞的基因转移效率进行了比较,结果发现在同样未经浓缩等特殊处理的条件下重组杆状病毒对这两种细胞的基因转移效率是最高的。因此可以认为,经过适当改造后的Bac-to-Bac重组杆状病毒系统可作为一种对哺乳动物细胞简便高效的基因转移表达载体。     

Recombinant baculoviruses as mammalian cell gene-delivery vectors

The baculovirus expression system has been used extensively for the expression of recombinant proteins in insect cells. Recently, recombinant baculovirus vectors engineered to contain mammalian cell-active promoter elements, have been used successfully for transient and stable gene delivery in a broad spectrum of primary and established mammalian cells. The application of modified baculoviruses for in vivo gene delivery has also been demonstrated. In contrast to other commonly used viral vectors, baculoviruses have the unique property of replicating in insect cells while being incapable of initiating a replication cycle and producing infectious virus in mammalian cells. The viruses can be readily manipulated, accommodate large insertions of foreign DNA, initiate little to no microscopically observable cytopathic effect in mammalian cells and have a good biosafety profile. These attributes will undoubtedly lead to the increased application and continued development of this system for efficient gene delivery into mammalian cells. Who said you can't teach an old dog new tricks?