The pe38 gene of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus represents one of the major early transcripts after viral infection. The function of the pe38 protein, which contains a C3HC4 zinc finger motif, is still not understood. We have raised polyclonal antiserum against the pe38 protein, PE38, produced in bacteria to investigate pe38 expression in the course of infection. A approximat...

We have developed a baculovirus-based display system for identifying antigen mimotopes for MHC class I-specific T cells. The mouse MHC class I molecule, Dd, was displayed on baculovirus-infected insect cells with a library of 9- and 10-mer peptides tethered via a flexible linker to the N terminus of beta2 microglobulin. As a test case, the library was screened by flow cytometry by using a multi...

Some of the most spectacular interactions between hosts and parasites occur when parasites manipulate their hosts’ behaviour. Acanthocephalan worms that infect gammarid shrimps induce host behaviours that elevate predation vulnerability when they need to transmit to their final vertebrate host [1]. Ophiocordyceps fungi similarly increase transmission by forcing ants to clamp their jaws around l...

The cDNA encoding rat liver carnitine palmitoyltransferase II (CPT-II) was heterologously expressed using a recombinant baculovirus/insect cell system. Unlike Escherichia coli, the baculovirus-infected insect cells expressed mostly soluble active recombinant CPT-II (rCPT-II). CPT activity from crude lysates of recombinant baculovirus-infected insect cells was maximal between 50 and 72 h post-in...

Genetically-modified baculoviruses have potential uses as bio-pesticides in forestry. However, the baculoviral occlusion bodies (OBs) may release genetically-modified DNA into the forest environment. In this research, outdoor aquatic microcosms, spiked with 673 microg of genomic DNA (4.4 x 10(12) target copies) from the genetically modified baculovirus Choristoneura fumiferana MNPVegt-/lacZ+, w...

The ubiquitin-proteasome system plays a central role in the degradation of intracellular proteins and is often required for efficient virus infection. Homologues of ubiquitin are found in all group I nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs), but their roles in NPV infection are still unclear. This study found that the specific proteasome inhibitor MG-132 markedly reduced budded virus (BV) production and p...

Calpain I is a heterodimeric protein that is part of a family of calcium-activated intracellular cysteine proteases presumed to play a role in mediating signals transduced by calcium. Expression of bioactive recombinant human calpain I has been achieved using the baculovirus expression system, by either co-infection with two viruses, each expressing one of the subunits, or infection with a sing...

Over the past two decades, baculoviruses have become workhorse research tools for transient transgene expression. Although they have not yet been used directly as a gene therapy vector in the clinical setting, numerous preclinical studies have suggested the highly promising potential of baculovirus as a delivery vector for a variety of therapeutic applications including vaccination, tissue engi...

Bacillus thuringiensis strains produce insect-specific Bt toxins. Bt CryIA(a) toxin binds to a 175-kDa glycoprotein (BtR175) on the microvillus membranes of columnar cells in the Bombyx mori midgut and causes lysis of the cells. BtR175 was purified, and its cDNA was cloned. The cDNA encodes a newly identified 193.3-kDa preproprotein form of BtR175 that includes nine extracellular cadherin repea...

ORFs 10 and 14 from Bombyx mori multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmMNPV) were amplified, cloned and sequenced. Nucleotide analysis of these genes and those of other baculoviruses showed that these genes are highly conserved. The p10 protein from BmMNPV ORF10 has 70 amino acid residues similar to that of the four other known BmNPV strains. The BmMNPV ORF14 alignment showed a higher identity with t...