title: Large-scale production of porcine mature interleukin-18 (IL-18) in silkworms using a hybrid baculovirus expression system.
abstract: In this report, a hybrid baculovirus expression system, which means a hybrid virus of the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus and the Bombyx mori nuclear polyhedrosis virus, was used for the large-scale production of porcine mature interleukin-18 (IL-18) in silkworms. Two recombinant hybrid baculoviruses containing cDNA of the porcine precursor IL-18 and the porcine caspase-1 were constructed and were used to infect silkworm larvae. After the co-infection of the two viruses, porcine mature IL-18 was efficiently produced in the haemolymph. The concentration of IL-18 in the haemolymph was 80-100 microg/ml, as determined by porcine IL-18 specific ELISA. This yield was twenty-times more than that of the insect cell expression system described previously. The porcine mature IL-18 produced by the silkworms strongly induced interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) production from porcine PBMC. An insect factory system for the large-scale production of useful cytokines for livestock animals will be available in the near future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, National Institute of Animal Health, Tsukuba, Japan.
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Muneta
authors.forename: Hong Kun
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Shigeki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Inumaru
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mori
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods; D012831:Bombyx / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D015870:Gene Expression; D006458:Hemolymph / Q000737:chemistry; D020382:Interleukin-18 / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics*; D007814:Larva / Q000378:metabolism / Q000821:virology; D008297:Male; D017924:Nucleopolyhedroviruses / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics; D013552:Swine / Q000235:genetics*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D020382:Interleukin-18; D011994:Recombinant Proteins