title: Establishment and characterization of Japanese B encephalitis virus persistent infection in the Sf9 insect cell line.
abstract: The Sf9 cell line, commonly used for gene expression by recombinant baculoviruses, can be productively infected by Japanese B encephalitis virus (JEV). Two wild-type JEV strains (P3 and SA14) caused a cytopathic effect (CPE) in the Sf9 cells, while no apparent CPE was caused by an attenuated strain (SA14-14-2). The JEV viral antigens were expressed in the infected Sf9 cells and intracellular virus particles were found by electron microscopy as a result of infection with all three strains. Titres of cell-associated and cell-free supernatant virus remained stable for relatively long periods of cultivation, suggesting that both wild-type and attenuated JEV strains established productive and persistent infections of Sf9 cells. The JEV produced by the Sf9 cells could be neutralized by anti-JEV reference serum, but relatively smaller plaques were formed in BHK21 cells infected with JEV that had been cultivated long term in Sf9 cells. This system for virus propagation has a number of potentially important uses for enhancing progress in JEV study and control.
authors.affiliation: Division of Virology, National Vaccine and Serum Institute, Beijing, China.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Fu
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D002460:Cell Line; D006224:Cricetinae; D003588:Cytopathogenic Effect, Viral; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000502:physiology*; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D018411:Spodoptera / Q000166:cytology; D010948:Viral Plaque Assay; D014771:Virion; D017735:Virus Latency
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral