Modifying the insect cell N-glycosylation pathway with immediate early baculovirus expression vectors

The baculovirus-insect cell expression system is well-suited for recombinant glycoprotein production because baculovirus vectors can provide high levels of expression and insect cells can modify newly synthesized proteins in eucaryotic fashion. However, the N-glycosylation pathway of baculovirus-infected insect cells differs from the pathway found in higher eucaryotes, as indicated by the fact that glycoproteins produced in the baculovirus system typically lack complex biantennary N-linked oligosaccharide side chains containing penultimate galactose and terminal sialic acid residues. We recently developed a new type of baculovirus vector that can express foreign genes immediately after infection under the control of the viral ie1 promoter. These immediate early baculovirus expression vectors can be used to modify the insect cell N-glycosylation pathway and produce a foreign glycoprotein with more extensively processed N-linked oligosaccharides. These vectors can also be used to study the influence of the late steps in N-linked oligosaccharide processing on glycoprotein function. Further development could lead to baculovirus-insect cell expression systems that can produce recombinant glycoproteins with complex biantennary N-linked oligosaccharides structurally identical to those produced by higher eucaryotes.