title: Membrane penetrating peptides greatly enhance baculovirus transduction efficiency into mammalian cells.
abstract: The baculovirus group of insect viruses is widely used for foreign gene introduction into mammalian cells for gene expression and protein production; however, the efficiency of baculovirus entry into mammalian cells is in general still low. In this study, two recombinant baculoviruses were engineered and their ability to improve viral entry was examined: (1) cytoplasmic transduction peptide (CTP) was fused with baculovirus envelope protein, GP64, to produce a cytoplasmic membrane penetrating baculovirus (vE-CTP); and (2) the protein transduction domain (PTD) of HIV TAT protein was fused with the baculovirus capsid protein VP39 to form a nuclear membrane penetrating baculovirus (vE-PTD). Transduction experiments showed that both viruses had better transduction efficiency than vE, a control virus that only expresses EGFP in mammalian cells. Interestingly, vE-CTP and vE-PTD were also able to improve the transduction efficiency of a co-transduced baculovirus, resulting in higher levels of gene expression. Our results have described new routes to further enhance the development of baculovirus as a tool for gene delivery into mammalian cells.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biotechnology, National Cheng Kung University, No. 1, University Road, Tainan 701, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Hong-Zhang
authors.initials: HZ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Carol P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Yu-Chan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.forename: Catherine Yen-Yen
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Liu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016367:Baculoviridae / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D001483:Base Sequence; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000378:metabolism; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D005822:Genetic Vectors / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D014161:Transduction, Genetic / Q000379:methods*; D014709:Vero Cells; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D053586:Virus Internalization
chemical_list: D010455:Peptides; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins