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trans-Packaged West Nile virus-like particles: infectious properties in vitro and in infected mosquito vectors.

A trans-packaging system for West Nile virus (WNV) subgenomic replicon RNAs (repRNAs), deleted for the structural coding region, was developed. WNV repRNAs were efficiently encapsidated by the WNV C/prM/E structural proteins expressed in trans from replication-competent, noncytopathic Sindbis virus-derived RNAs. Infectious virus-like particles (VLPs) were produced in titers of up to 10(9) infectious units/ml. WNV VLPs established a single round of infection in a variety of different cell lines without production of progeny virions. The infectious properties of WNV and VLPs were indistinguishable when efficiencies of infection of a number of different cell lines and inhibition of infection by neutralizing antibodies were determined. To investigate the usefulness of VLPs to address biological questions in vivo, Culex pipiens quinquefasciatus mosquitoes were orally and parenterally infected with VLPs, and dissected tissues were analyzed for WNV antigen expression. Antigen-positive cells in midguts of orally infected mosquitoes were detected as early as 2 days postinfection and as late as 8 days. Intrathoracic inoculation of VLPs into mosquitoes demonstrated a dose-dependent pattern of infection of secondary tissues and identified fat body, salivary glands, tracheal cells, and midgut muscle as susceptible WNV VLP infection targets. These results demonstrate that VLPs can serve as a valuable tool for the investigation of tissue tropism during the early stages of infection, where virus spread and the need for biosafety level 3 containment complicate the use of wild-type virus.

Animals↗

Proteins induced by Boolarra virus in Drosophila melanogaster line 1 cells.

In Boolarra virus infected Drosophila line 1 cells five virus-induced proteins were readily detected 20 h postinfection. These were A (103,500), alpha (46,000), beta (40,000), B (9,600), and gamma (6,600) and are similar in molecular weight to those induced in vivo by other nodaviruses. The addition of actinomycin D for the 1st h before the labeling period resulted in the production of all five proteins; but when actinomycin D was introduced for the entire labeling period, the synthesis of the products of RNA1 was greatly reduced. Host functions inhibited by actinomycin D may play a major role in the replication of this virus.

Animals↗

[Derivation of a transplantable cell line from oak silkworm ovarian tissue].

A continuous cell line (M. S. A. p.-1) was obtained from the ovaries of diapausing pupae of the oak silkmoth Antheraea pernyi. Active multiplication of cells was observed two months after preparing a primary culture from partly trypsinized tissues. Subcultures derived at this time were transmitted with 10 day intervals and endure over 30 passages. The cells are susceptible to the nuclear polyhedrosis viruses of Mamestra brassicae, Galleria mellonella, Malacosoma neustria and Bombyx mori.

Animals↗

Time reduction and process optimization of the baculovirus expression system for more efficient recombinant protein production in insect cells.

Rapid expression of recombinant proteins for structure determination is one of the major challenges in pharmaceutical and academic research, since the number of potential drug targets has increased significantly in the last decade. Despite the fact that the baculovirus expression vector system is widely used for this purpose, the system is hampered by three very slow and tedious procedures, namely generation of high titer baculovirus stock, determination of the virus titer and discovery of the best conditions for protein expression. We herein describe the development of the ultraBac system to address and overcome these issues for protein expression in insect cells. We have established a new baculovirus expression technology for insect cells that is based on co-expression of GFP with target genes, a new regime for cell culturing and a highly efficient purification and enrichment procedure for recombinant baculovirus particles. Co-expression of GFP is used to monitor the infection of insect cells, to simplify titer determination and to optimize expression conditions. The new regime for cell culturing with increased viability of non-infected insect cells and its combination with the massive enrichment of virus particles via high-speed centrifugation enables the production of large amounts of recombinant virus in a very short period of time. By combining these techniques and by using the bicistronic vector pUltraBac-1, we have been able to cut the time-lines for protein expression in insect cells by half, approaching those for protein production in Escherichia coli. This new expression system is a significant step forward towards industrialized protein production in both, industry and academia.

Animals↗

The specificity of Helicoverpa armigera stunt virus infectivity.

Helicoverpa armigera stunt virus (HaSV) is a member of the Tetraviridae family of RNA viruses whose replication and expression strategies are not well understood due to the absence of an in vitro cell culture system. We set out to find such a system for HaSV by screening an array of 13 insect and 1 mammalian cell culture lines with both virus particle infection and genomic RNA transfection. No cell line was found to be permissive for replication, although entry of genomic RNA was verified. The apparent specificity of this virus for its in vivo midgut target site was strongly corroborated by studies involving Northern blots of RNA extracted from infected insects. Only larval midgut RNA showed the presence of virus after hosts were infected per os or by injection which exposed other host cell types to the virus. The absence of replication in cell culture was due to a lack, or presence, of host factors important to replicase activity and also the likely absence of virus particle binding and entry. We thus provide both in vitro- and in vivo-based evidence demonstrating that this virus is extremely specific in the type of cells in which it will initiate an infection.

Animals↗

Wound tumor virus polypeptide synthesis in productive noncytopathic infection of cultured insect vector cells.

Inoculation of the leafhopper cell line AC-20 with wound tumor virus resulted in a productive noncytopathic infection with no detectable alteration of cellular protein synthesis. Virus-specific polypeptide synthesis, detectable by 8 h postinoculation, increased in a linear fashion, reaching a peak (approximately 10 to 15% of total protein synthesis) by 48 h postinoculation. The rate of viral protein synthesis continued at this level for several days but declined, relative to cellular protein synthesis, as infected cells were passaged. By passage 10, the synthesis of viral polypeptides was reduced to a level approximately 5% of that observed at 48 h postinoculation. Viral protein synthesis was not stimulated by superinfection. Viral antigens and infectious virus persisted in the majority (greater than 90%) of cells in an infected culture even after more than 100 passages. The synthesis of wound tumor virus polypeptides in infected insect vector cells appears to be regulated in a coordinated and selective manner.

Animals↗

Growth of an ovarian cell line of Galleria mellonella and its response to immune-inducing factors.

Antibacterial proteins are produced in the reproductive tracts of some insect species. The advent of a pupal ovarian cell line of the lepidopteran Galleria mellonella offered an opportunity for exploring the use of ovarian tissue culture to induce antimicrobial proteins in lieu of the larvae. The ovarian cell growth rates and cell yields were maximized by adjusting Grace's medium to pH 6.5, adding 15% (v/v) qualified heat-inactivated fetal calf serum, and lowering the sucrose concentration to 9.3 g/L. Five cell forms and biochemical profiles of the collective cell types were analyzed throughout the culture growth cycle. The final modified culture medium did not affect morphogenesis, whereas it increased the culture growth rate by 50% and the final cell yield threefold. The molting and immunoprotein-inducing hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone, increased culture growth rate and altered the levels of cell types A and D. Neither 20-hydroxyecdysone nor the larval immunizing agents, apolipophorin-III or Bacillus subtilis, in combination or alone, induced antibacterial activity. The bacterium did induce immunity in both larval and adult stages.

Animals↗

Attachment and entry of recombinant Norwalk virus capsids to cultured human and animal cell lines.

Norwalk virus (NV) is the prototype strain of a group of noncultivable human caliciviruses responsible for epidemic outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis. While these viruses do not grow in tissue culture cells or animal models, expression of the capsid protein in insect cells results in the self-assembly of recombinant Norwalk virus-like particles (rNV VLPs) that are morphologically and antigenically similar to native NV. We have used these rNV VLPs to examine virus-cell interactions. Binding and internalization of VLPs to cultured human and animal cell lines were studied in an attempt to identify potentially susceptible cell lines for virus propagation in vitro and to determine if early events in the replication cycle were responsible for the narrow host range and restriction of virus growth in cell culture. Radiolabeled VLPs specifically bound to a saturable number of binding molecules on the cell surface of 13 cell lines from different origins, including human intestine (differentiated and undifferentiated Caco-2) and insect (Spodoptera frugiperda 9) ovary. Differentiated Caco-2 cells bound significantly more rNV VLPs than the other cell lines. Variations in the amount of bound VLPs among the different cell lines did not correlate with the tissue or species of origin. VLP binding was specific, as determined by competition experiments with unlabeled rNV VLPs; however, only 1.4 to 6.8% of the specifically prebound radiolabeled VLPs became internalized into cells. Blocking experiments using polygonal and monoclonal anti-rNV sera and specific antipeptide sera were performed to map the domains on rNV VLPs involved in binding to cells. One monoclonal antibody (NV8812) blocked binding of rNV VLPs to human and animal cell lines. The binding site of monoclonal antibody NV8812 was localized to the C-terminal 300 to 384 residues of the capsid protein by immunoprecipitation with truncated and cleaved forms of the capsid protein. These data suggest that the C-terminal region of the capsid protein is involved in specific binding of rNV VLPs to cells.

Animals↗

Detection and distribution patterns of telomerase activity in insects.

Telomeres of most insects consist of pentanucleotide (TTAGG)n repeats, although the repeats are absent in Diptera and some other insect species, where the telomere regions are perhaps maintained without telomerase. To understand various and unusual telomere formation in insects, we have studied the characteristic features of a putative insect telomerase that has not been previously described. Using a modified telomeric repeat amplification protocol (TRAP), we first detected the telomerase activity in crickets, cockroaches and two Lepidopteran insects. The telomerase from crickets and cockroaches required dATP, dGTP and dTTP but not dCTP as a substrate and sequence analyses of the products of TRAP revealed that the (TTAGG)n repeats are synthesized by telomerase. The cockroach telomerase was detected both in somatic (fat body, muscle and neural tissues) and germ line (testis) cells, suggesting that expression of this enzyme is not regulated in a tissue-specific manner at an adult stage. While we detected high levels of telomerase activity in crickets and cockroaches, we could not detect activity in all tissues and cell cultures of the silkworm, Bombyx mori and in two Drosophila and one Sarcophaga cell lines. This supports the theory that Dipteran insects maintain their telomeres without telomerase.

Animals↗

Apoptotic activity of a novel synthetic cantharidin analogue on hepatoma cell lines.

Cantharidin isolated from Mylabris caraganae and other insects is used traditionally as an anti-cancer drug. However, its toxicity on the renal system and suppression effect on bone marrow limits its clinical usage. Recently, we have synthesized two cantharidin analogues, CAN 029 (compound 2) and CAN 030 (compound 3). Although both showed an apoptotic induction ability on cancer cells, they were still relatively toxic towards non-malignant haematological disordered bone marrow. Based on the principle structure of cantharidin, we have further chemically synthesized another analogue, CAN 032. The cytotoxic activity of this analogue was screened on both Hep3B hepatocellular carcinoma and SK-Hep-1 liver adenocarcinoma cell lines by [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium] (MTS) assay. Morphological changes of hepatoma cell lines were recorded under an inverted microscope. The possible tolerance of these analogues was further investigated using non-malignant haematological bone marrow primary culture. CAN 032 showed a significant cytotoxic response on both hepatoma cell lines in which the potencies were comparable to that of cantharidin. Further screening on the bone marrow tolerance revealed that compound CAN 032 showed a relatively less toxic effect. Phase contrast microscopy demonstrated that cell shrinkage, rounding, loss of adherent property and loss of colony-formation ability were induced. The dose-dependence of the response of CAN 032 on Hep3B was further assayed by DNA fragmentation gel electrophoresis. The G1 peak of Hep3B cells was reduced. Chemically synthesized CAN 032 may provide an improved therapeutic advantage over traditional cantharidin.

Adult↗

Characterization of cultured insect cells selected by Bacillus thuringiensis crystal toxin.

Selection for resistance against Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1Ac10 in the Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) cell line BTI-TN-5B1-4 (TnH5) was tested, and the development of resistance in the selected cells was like a S-form curve. Monitoring at the Cry1Ac10 50th challenge, the resistance ratio was 1,294-fold as many as that of initial cells. But the resistance to Cry1Ac10 declined gradually when the selection was relaxed. The resistance declined rapidly at the low level of resistance and slowly at the high level of resistance. This resistant cell had high resistance to all the tested solubilized trypsin-treated mixture of crystal multitoxins of B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai GC-91, an engineering bacterium of Bt, B. thuringiensis subsp. aizawai HD-133 and B. thuringiensis subsp. kurstaki HD-1, and low cross-resistance (19.7-fold) to activated Cry1C. Both N-acetyl-D-galactosamine (GalNAc) and tunicamycin did not inhibit the toxicity of Cry1Ac10 to the susceptible TnH5 cells. Comparison of the total proteins of the selected resistant cells with that of the nonselected susceptible cells by two-dimensional electrophoresis analysis showed that were obvious differences among the 11 protein expressions. These results strongly suggest that there exists an unknown mechanism of resistance in the cell line that was different from the reported mechanisms in insects.

Acetylgalactosamine↗

Establishment of a cell line from lepidopteran wing imaginal discs: Induction of newly synthesized proteins by 20-hydroxyecdysone.

A cell line has been developed from the imaginal wing discs of the lepidopteran insect Trichoplusia ni (Hübner). The cells grow in suspension as fluid-filled, multicellular vesicles. The cell line has been designated IAL-TND1. Two-dimensional electrophoresis (isoelectric focusing and sodium dodecyl sulfate/polyacrylamide gels) of [(35)S]methionine-labeled proteins revealed similar patterns for IAL-TND1 cells and whole T. ni wing imaginal discs. Additionally, exposure to the insect steroid hormone 20-hydroxyecdysone stimulated the synthesis of the same new proteins in both whole wing discs and IAL-TND1 cell vesicles.

Journal Article↗

Analysis and functional annotation of expressed sequence tags from the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the genome sequences of lepidopteran insects, although this group of insects has been studied extensively in the fields of endocrinology, development, immunity, and pathogen-host interactions. In addition, cell lines derived from Spodoptera frugiperda and other lepidopteran insects are routinely used for baculovirus foreign gene expression. This study reports the results of an expressed sequence tag (EST) sequencing project in cells from the lepidopteran insect S. frugiperda, the fall armyworm. RESULTS: We have constructed an EST database using two cDNA libraries from the S. frugiperda-derived cell line, SF-21. The database consists of 2,367 ESTs which were assembled into 244 contigs and 951 singlets for a total of 1,195 unique sequences. CONCLUSION: S. frugiperda is an agriculturally important pest insect and genomic information will be instrumental for establishing initial transcriptional profiling and gene function studies, and for obtaining information about genes manipulated during infections by insect pathogens such as baculoviruses.

Animals↗

Adhesion of insect cells expressing the feline herpesvirus type 1 hemagglutinin (gD) to feline cell lines.

Feline herpesvirus type 1 (FHV-1) gD-expressing Sf9 cells adhered to two feline cell lines, but not to the porcine, bovine, or canine cell lines tested. In addition, this adhesion activity was inhibited by a monoclonal antibody against FHV-1 gD. These results showed that the FHV-1 gD might bind to a specific-molecule(s) on the surface of feline cell lines. We discussed a possible importance of the FHV-1 gD in host cell restriction to FHV-1 infection.

Alphaherpesvirinae↗

Localization of sequences required for size-specific splicing of a small Drosophila intron in vitro.

Many introns in Drosophila and other invertebrates are less than 80 nucleotides in length, too small to be recognized by the vertebrate splicing machinery. Comparison of nuclear splicing extracts from human HeLa and Drosophila Kc cells has revealed species-specificity, consistent with the observed size differences. Here we present additional results with the 68 nucleotide fifth intron of the Drosophila myosin heavy chain gene. As observed with the 74 nucleotide second intron of the Drosophila white gene, the wild-type myosin intron is accurately spliced in a homologous extract, and increasing the size by 16 nucleotides both eliminates splicing in the Drosophila extract and allows accurate splicing in the human extract. In contrast to previous results, however, an upstream cryptic 5' splice site is activated when the wild-type myosin intron is tested in a human HeLa cell nuclear extract, resulting in the removal of a 98 nucleotide intron. The size dependence of splicing in Drosophila extracts is also intron-specific; we noted that a naturally larger (150 nucleotide) intron from the ftz gene is efficiently spliced in Kc cell extracts that do not splice enlarged introns (of 84, 90, 150 or 350 nucleotides) derived from the 74 nucleotide white intron. Here, we have exploited that observation, using a series of hybrid introns to show that a region of 46 nucleotides at the 3' end of the white intron is sufficient to confer the species-specific size effect. At least two sequence elements within this region, yet distinct from previously described branchpoint and pyrimidine tract signals, are required for efficient splicing of small hybrid introns in vitro.

Animals↗

The cellular substrate: a very important requirement for baculovirus in vitro replication.

We established more than 200 primary cell lines of Cydia pomonella (coding moth). 81 of them were selected and screened for replication of two baculoviruses (from two different subgroups): the Choristoneura murinana NPV and the Cydia pomonella GV. Although all these cell lines had been derived from the same insect species, they varied largely in their response to challenge with the NPV. Most of them showed CPE or produced different amounts of polyhedra. Interestingly, we also found a few cell lines that were permissive for GV replication. To our knowledge this is the first time that GV replication in cell lines has been obtained. Our results show that cell line properties are most important for baculovirus in vitro replication.

Animals↗

Morphological changes of BM-N4 cells induced by bombyxin, an insulin-related peptide of Bombyx mori.

Bombyxin is a brain secretory peptide of the silkmoth Bombyx mori whose amino acid sequence shows considerable sequence homology with vertebrate insulin-family peptides. We found that a Bombyx cell line, named BM-N4, showed morphological changes when bombyxin was added to the culture medium at doses as low as 10(-10) M. Bombyxin-treated cells displayed a series of morphological modifications: 1 to 2 weeks after introduction of bombyxin, the cells increased in size, then they trended to aggregate, or took a spindle shape. These changes of the cells were bombyxin specific, not induced by other vertebrate insulin-family peptides. To prove that these modifications of the cells are mediated by receptors on the cell surface of the cells, we performed a receptor binding assay using 125I-labeled bombyxin. Scatchard analysis of the binding assay indicated that this cell line has a single class of receptors for bombyxin with a Kd = 2.36 +/- 0.56 nM and each cell has 15,800 +/- 1400 binding sites on the cell surface.

Animals↗