A baculovirus expression vector system for simultaneous protein expression in insect and mammalian cells

Area of Science:

• Biotechnology
• Molecular Biology
• Drug Discovery

Background:

• Increased identification of drug targets necessitates efficient recombinant protein production for pharmaceutical research.
• The baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) is a common method for producing milligram-scale recombinant proteins, but expression can fail in insect cells, requiring mammalian systems.
• Achieving proper post-translational processing is crucial for protein function and often necessitates mammalian expression systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a modified BEVS for simultaneous testing of target protein expression in both insect and mammalian cells.
• To reduce the time and effort required for identifying optimal expression conditions across different host systems.
• To eliminate the need for additional cloning steps into separate mammalian expression vectors.

Main Methods:

• A modified baculovirus expression vector system (BEVS) was developed.
• The modified BEVS was used to infect both insect and mammalian cells simultaneously.
• Expression yields and feasibility were assessed in both host systems using the same viral construct.

Main Results:

• Insect cell expression yields were comparable to state-of-the-art baculovirus vectors.
• Mammalian cells were efficiently transduced, allowing rapid assessment of expression feasibility and optimization.
• The method eliminated the need for separate cloning into mammalian expression vectors, saving time and resources.

Conclusions:

• The modified BEVS is a valuable tool for simultaneously evaluating protein expression in insect and mammalian cells.
• This streamlined approach accelerates the process of finding optimal expression conditions for recombinant proteins.
• The system facilitates faster and more efficient drug discovery by simplifying protein production workflows.