• Reproductive and Developmental Biology
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.71-76
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• 2009

Salivary lipocalin (SAL1) is a member of the lipocalin protein family that has a property to associate with many lipophilic molecules. The importance of SAL1 during pregnancy in pigs has been suggested by our previous study which has shown that SAL1 is expressed in the uterine endometrium in a cell type- and implantation stage-specific manner and secreted into the uterine lumen. However, function of SAL1 in the uterus during pregnancy in pigs is not known. To understand SAL1 function in the uterus during pregnancy, we generated recombinant porcine SAL1 protein in an insect cell line. Porcine SAL1 cDNA was cloned into a baculovirus expression vector using RT-PCR and total RNA from uterine endometrium on day 12 of pregnancy, and the expression vector was used to generate recombinant Bacmid containing the SAL1 gene. The recombinant Bacmid was then transfected Sf9 cell to produce recombinant baculovirus. By infecting Sf9 cell with recombinant baculovirus, we established a SAL1-expressing insect cell expression system. Immunoblot analysis confirmed SAL1 expression in the infected cells. Recombinant SAL1 produced by the Sf9 cell line will be useful for understanding physiological function of SAL1 during pregnancy in pigs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.1719-1727
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• 2014

In the present study, whispovirus immediate early 1 promoter (ie-1) was used to initiate surface expression of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein of Egyptian H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) by using the baculovirus expression vector system. The HA gene and whispovirus ie-1 promoter sequence were synthesized as a fused expression cassette (ie1-HA) and successfully cloned into the pFastBac-1 transfer vector. The recombinant vector was transformed into DH10Bac competent cells, and the recombinant bacmid was generated via site-specific transposition. The recombinant bacmid was used for transfection of Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf-9) insect cells to construct the recombinant baculovirus and to induce expression of the HA protein of H5N1 AIV. The recombinant glycoprotein expressed in Sf-9 cells showed hemadsorption activity. Hemagglutination activity was also detected in both extra- and intracellular recombinant HAs. Both the HA and hemadsorption activities were inhibited by reference polyclonal anti-H5 sera. Significant expression of the recombinant protein was observed on the surface of infected insect cells by using immunofluorescence. SDS-PAGE analysis of the expressed protein revealed the presence of a visually distinguishable band of ~63 kDa in size, which was absent in the non-infected cell control. Western blot analysis confirmed that the distinct 63 kDa band corresponded to the recombinant HA glycoprotein of H5N1 AIV. This study reports the successful expression of the HA protein of H5N1 AIV. The expressed protein was displayed on the plasma membrane of infected insect cells under the control of whispovirus ie-1 promoter by using the baculovirus expression vector system.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2004

Rotavirus virus-like particle (VLP) composed of VP2, VP6, and VP7 was expressed in the Baculovirus Expression Vector System (BEVS). Sf9 cell, a host of the baculovirus, was cultured from a 0.5-1 spinner flask to the 50-1 bioreactor system. Sf9 cell was maintained at cell density between 3.0E＋05 and 3.0E＋06 cells/ml and grew up to 1.12E＋07 cells/ml in the bioreactor. Growth kinetics was compared under different culture systems and showed similar growth kinetics with 20.1-25.2 h of doubling time. Early exponentially growing cell culture was infected with three recombinant baculoviruses expressing VP2, VP6, and VP7 protein at 1.0, 2.0, and 0.2 moi, respectively. The expression of rotavirus proteins was confirmed by Western blot analysis and its three-layered virus-like structure was observed under an electron microscope. Rotavirus VLP was semipurified and immunized in ICR mice intramuscularly. Rotavirus-specific serum antibody was detected from 2 weeks after the immunization and lasted at least 21 weeks of the post-immunization, indicating its possible use as a vaccine candidate.

• Molecules and Cells
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.19-24
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• 2009

The goal of this study was to create a novel baculovirus expression system that does not require recombinant virus purification steps. Transfection of insect cells with transfer vectors containing barnase under control of the Cotesia plutellae bracovirus (CpBV) promoters ORF3004 or ORF3005 reduced cell growth. Co-transfection with bApGOZA DNA yielded no recombinant viruses and nonrecombinant backgrounds. To further investigate the detrimental effects of barnase on insect cells, two recombinant bacmids harboring the barnase gene under control of the CpBV promoters, namely bAcFast-3004ProBarnase and bAcFast-3005ProBarnase, were constructed. While no viral replication was observed when only the recombinant bacmids were transfected, recombinant viruses were generated when the bacmids were co-transfected with the transfer vector, pAcUWPolh, through substitution of the barnase gene with the native polyhedrin gene by homologous recombination. Moreover, no non-recombinant backgrounds were detected from unpurified recombinant stocks using PCR analysis. These results indicate that CpBV promoters can be used to improve baculovirus expression vectors by means of lethal gene expression under the control of these promoters.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.2 s.82
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• pp.179-184
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• 2007

PTK6, an intracellular protein tyrosine kinase, is significantly overexpressed in a majority of breast cancers and has a role in promoting the proliferation of the cancer cells, but not of normal cells. Here, we report high-level production of the catalytic unit of PTK6 fused with Drosophila peptidoglycan recognition protein (PGRT)-LB, in the baculovirus system. We first found that the PGRP-LB was potentially useful as a fusion partner to increase the yield of heterologous protein in the baculovirus system. The purified recombinant protein exhibited a 1.5-fold activity with much higher yield than the bacterially-expressed protein. The protein expressed in the baculovirus system will be useful for the crystallization to determine its crystal structure helping understand the molecular mechanism of PTK6 and design its inhibitors.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.1 s.81
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• pp.18-23
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• 2007

Fe65, a neuron-specific adaptor protein, has two phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domains. The second PTB (PTB2) domain interacts with intracellular domain fragment (AICD) of amyloid beta precursor protein (APP). Recent studies suggested that tile complex is composed of AICD and Fe65 transactivates genes that are responsible for neuronal cell death in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Therefore, a compound inhibiting the interaction between Fe65 and AICD can be a drug candidate to treat AD. However, it remains unclear how Fe65 recognizes AICD at a molecular level. Here, we report high-level production of the PTB2 domain of Fe65 in the baculovirus system. We found that the baculovirus system is an efficient method to obtain the Fe65 PTB2 domain, compared with the bacterial and mammalian expression systems. The purified recombinant protein was used for crystallization to determine its crystal structure helping to understand the molecular mechanism of Fe65-dependent signaling and to design its inhibitors.

• International Journal of Industrial Entomology and Biomaterials
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.119-123
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• 2013

The insect baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is useful for producing biologically active recombinant proteins. However, the overexpression of heterologous proteins using this system often results in misfolded proteins and the formation of protein aggregates. To overcome this limitation, we developed a versatile baculovirus expression and secretion system using Bombyx mori protein disulfide isomerase (bPDI) as a fusion partner. bPDI gene fusion was found to improve the secretions and antibacterial activities of recombinant nuecin and enbocin proteins. Thus, we conclude that bPDI gene fusion is a useful addition to BEVS for the large-scale production of bioactive recombinant proteins.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.119-122
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• 2008

The baculovirus/insect cell expression system is of great value in the study of structure-function relationships in mammalian glucose-transport proteins by site-directed mutagenesis and for the large-scale production of these proteins for mechanistic and biochemical studies. In order to exploit this, the effects of substitution at the highly conserved residue glutamine 282 of the human erythrocyte-type glucose transporter have been examined by in vitro site-directed mutagenesis. The modified human transport protein has been expressed in Spodoptera frugiperda 21 cells by using the recombinant baculovirus AcNPV-GTL. To assess the functional integrity of the expressed transporter, measurements of the transport inhibitor cytochalasin B binding were performed, involving the membranes prepared from 4 days post infection with no virus, with wild-type virus or AcNPV-GTL virus. Data obtained showed that there was little or no D-glucose-inhibitable binding in cells infected with the wild type or no virus. Only the recombinant virus infected cells exhibited specific binding, which is inhibitable by D- but not by L-glucose. However, there was a notable reduction in the affinity for the potent inhibitor cytochalasin B when binding measurements of AcNPV-GTL were compared with those of AcNPV-GT, which has no substitution. It is thus suggested that although the modified and unmodified human transporters differed slightly in their affinity for cytochalasin B, the glutamine substitution did not interfere the heterologous expression of the human transporter in the insect cells.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.25 no.11
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• pp.1960-1965
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• 2015

Rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV) is highly contagious and often causes fatal disease that affects both wild and domestic rabbits of the species Oryctolagus cuniculus. A highly pathogenic RHDV variant (RHDVa) has been circulation in the Korean rabbit population since 2007 and has a devastating effect on the rabbit industry in Korea. A highly pathogenic RHDVa was isolated from naturally infected rabbits, and the gene encoding the VP60 protein was cloned into a baculovirus transfer vector and expressed in insect cells. The hemagglutination titer of the Sf-9 cell lysate infected with recombinant VP60 baculovirus was 131,072 units/50 μl and of the supernatant 4,096 units/50 μl. Guinea pigs immunized twice intramuscularly with a trial inactivated RHDVa vaccine containing recombinant VP60 contained 2,152 hemagglutination inhibition (HI) geometric mean titers. The 8-week-old white rabbits inoculated with one vaccine dose were challenged with a lethal RHDVa 21 days later and showed 100% survival rates. The recombinant VP60 protein expressed in a baculovirus system induced high HI titers in guinea pigs and rendered complete protection, which led to the development of a novel inactivated RHDVa vaccine.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.361-368
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• 1998

The E2 protein of HCV (hepatitis C virus) is thought to have a potential role in the development of subunit vaccines and diagnostics. To express it by the insect cell/baculovirus expression (Bacu) system, we constructed a recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcIL3E2), determined the most appropriate expression conditions in terms of host cell line and culture medium, and characterized the expressed HCV E2 protein. A culture system using Trichoplusia ni BTI-TN5Bl-4 cells and SF 900IISFM medium expressed a relatively high level of HCV E2 protein. It was revealed that its glycosylation properties and subcellular localization were almost the same as the ones in the mammalian cell expression system previously reported, suggesting the recombinant HCV E2 protein derived from our Bacu system can be utilized for development of a subunit vaccine and diagnostics. Interestingly, HCV E2 protein was not degraded at all even at 43 h post-heat shock in the heat shock-induced necrotic cells, probably due to its integration into the microsomal membrane, indicating that heat shock can be employed to purify HCV E2 protein.