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Viruses Jul 2023Baculovirology has been studied on the African continent for the development of insect virus-based biopesticides and, to a much lesser extent, vaccine production and... (Review)
Review
Baculovirology has been studied on the African continent for the development of insect virus-based biopesticides and, to a much lesser extent, vaccine production and delivery, since the 1960s. In this review, we focus only on baculoviruses as biopesticides for agricultural pests in Africa. At least 11 species of baculovirus have been discovered or studied on the African continent, some with several distinct isolates, with the objective in most cases being the development of a biopesticide. These include the nucleopolyhedroviruses of , , , , , and , as well as the granuloviruses of , , () , , and . Eleven different baculovirus-based biopesticides are recorded as being registered and commercially available on the African continent. Baculoviruses are recorded to have been isolated, researched, utilised in field trials, and/or commercially deployed as biopesticides in at least 13 different African countries. Baculovirus research is ongoing in Africa, and researchers are confident that further novel species and isolates will be discovered, to the benefit of environmentally responsible agricultural pest management, not only in Africa but also elsewhere.
Topics: Animals; Biological Control Agents; Baculoviridae; Moths; Nucleopolyhedroviruses; Africa; Spodoptera
PubMed: 37515205
DOI: 10.3390/v15071519 -
Viruses Jul 2019The baculovirus nucleocapsid is formed through a rod-like capsid encapsulating a genomic DNA molecule of 80~180 kbp. The viral capsid is a large oligomer composed of... (Review)
Review
The baculovirus nucleocapsid is formed through a rod-like capsid encapsulating a genomic DNA molecule of 80~180 kbp. The viral capsid is a large oligomer composed of many copies of various protein subunits. The assembly of viral capsids is a complex oligomerization process. The timing of expression of nucleocapsid-related proteins, transport pathways, and their interactions can affect the assembly process of preformed capsids. In addition, the selection of viral DNA and the injection of the viral genome into empty capsids are the critical steps in nucleocapsid assembly. This paper reviews the replication and recombination of baculovirus DNA, expression and transport of capsid proteins, formation of preformed capsids, DNA encapsulation, and nucleocapsid formation. This review will provide a basis for further study of the nucleocapsid assembly mechanism of baculovirus.
Topics: Baculoviridae; DNA, Viral; Genome, Viral; Nucleocapsid; Virus Assembly
PubMed: 31266177
DOI: 10.3390/v11070595 -
Virology Jan 2006Although the Baculoviridae are a large and diverse family of viruses, they are united by a number of shared features that form the basis for their unique life cycle.... (Review)
Review
Although the Baculoviridae are a large and diverse family of viruses, they are united by a number of shared features that form the basis for their unique life cycle. These include the mechanism of cell entry, genome replication and processing, and late and very late gene transcription. In this review, the molecular systems that are conserved within the Baculoviridae and that are responsible these processes are described.
Topics: Animals; Baculoviridae; DNA, Viral; Genes, Viral; Nucleocapsid; Transcription, Genetic; Viral Proteins; Virus Replication
PubMed: 16364739
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2005.09.019 -
Trends in Microbiology May 2017Increasing evidence indicates that viruses do not simply propagate as independent virions among cells, organs, and hosts. Instead, viral spread is often mediated by... (Review)
Review
Increasing evidence indicates that viruses do not simply propagate as independent virions among cells, organs, and hosts. Instead, viral spread is often mediated by structures that simultaneously transport groups of viral genomes, such as polyploid virions, aggregates of virions, virion-containing proteinaceous structures, secreted lipid vesicles, and virus-induced cell-cell contacts. These structures increase the multiplicity of infection, independently of viral population density and transmission bottlenecks. Collective infectious units may contribute to the maintenance of viral genetic diversity, and could have implications for the evolution of social-like virus-virus interactions. These may include various forms of cooperation such as immunity evasion, genetic complementation, division of labor, and relaxation of fitness trade-offs, but also noncooperative interactions such as negative dominance and interference, potentially leading to conflict.
Topics: Animals; Baculoviridae; Biological Evolution; Genetic Variation; Virion; Virus Diseases
PubMed: 28262512
DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2017.02.003 -
Nature Communications Nov 2023Baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) has been widely used as a bioinsecticide and a protein expression vector. Despite their...
Baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) has been widely used as a bioinsecticide and a protein expression vector. Despite their importance, very little is known about the structure of most baculovirus proteins. Here, we show a 3.2 Å resolution structure of helical cylindrical body of the AcMNPV nucleocapsid, composed of VP39, as well as 4.3 Å resolution structures of both the head and the base of the nucleocapsid composed of over 100 protein subunits. AcMNPV VP39 demonstrates some features of the HK97-like fold and utilizes disulfide-bonds and a set of interactions at its C-termini to mediate nucleocapsid assembly and stability. At both ends of the nucleocapsid, the VP39 cylinder is constricted by an outer shell ring composed of proteins AC104, AC142 and AC109. AC101(BV/ODV-C42) and AC144(ODV-EC27) form a C14 symmetric inner layer at both capsid head and base. In the base, these proteins interact with a 7-fold symmetric capsid plug, while a portal-like structure is seen in the central portion of head. Additionally, we propose an application of AlphaFold2 for model building in intermediate resolution density.
Topics: Animals; Baculoviridae; Cryoelectron Microscopy; Spodoptera; Nucleocapsid; Capsid Proteins
PubMed: 37980340
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43284-1 -
Biotechnology Journal Jan 2019To stop the spread of future epidemics and meet infant vaccination demands in low- and middle-income countries, flexible, rapid and low-cost vaccine development and... (Review)
Review
To stop the spread of future epidemics and meet infant vaccination demands in low- and middle-income countries, flexible, rapid and low-cost vaccine development and manufacturing technologies are required. Vaccine development platform technologies that can produce a wide range of vaccines are emerging, including: a) humanized, high-yield yeast recombinant protein vaccines; b) insect cell-baculovirus ADDomer vaccines; c) Generalized Modules for Membrane Antigens (GMMA) vaccines; d) RNA vaccines. Herein, existing and future platforms are assessed in terms of addressing challenges of scale, cost, and responsiveness. To assess the risk and feasibility of the four emerging platforms, the following six metrics are applied: 1) technology readiness; 2) technological complexity; 3) ease of scale-up; 4) flexibility for the manufacturing of a wide range of vaccines; 5) thermostability of the vaccine product at tropical ambient temperatures; and 6) speed of response from threat identification to vaccine deployment. The assessment indicated that technologies in the order of increasing feasibility and decreasing risk are the yeast platform, ADDomer platform, followed by RNA and GMMA platforms. The comparative strengths and weaknesses of each technology are discussed in detail, illustrating the associated development and manufacturing needs and priorities.
Topics: Baculoviridae; Biotechnology; Humans; Technology, Pharmaceutical; Vaccination; Vaccines
PubMed: 30537361
DOI: 10.1002/biot.201800376 -
Bioengineered 2013The baculovirus/insect cell system has proven to be a powerful tool for the expression of eukaryotic proteins. Therapeutics, especially in the field of vaccinology, are... (Review)
Review
The baculovirus/insect cell system has proven to be a powerful tool for the expression of eukaryotic proteins. Therapeutics, especially in the field of vaccinology, are often composed of several different protein subunits. Conventional baculoviral expression schemes largely lack efficient strategies for simultaneous multi-gene expression. The MultiBac technology which is based on an engineered genome of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus in combination with specially designed transfer vectors is an elegant way for flexible generation of multi-subunit proteins in insect cells. Yet, the glycosylation pattern of insect cell-derived products is not favorable for many applications. Therefore, a modified version of MultiBac, SweetBac, was generated allowing for a flexible glycosylation of target proteins in insect cells. Beyond the SweetBac technology MultiBac can further be designed for bridging the gap between cell engineering and transient modulation of host genes for improved and product tailored expression of recombinant proteins.
Topics: Animals; Baculoviridae; Bioengineering; Genetic Vectors; Glycosylation; Insecta; Proteins
PubMed: 23018636
DOI: 10.4161/bioe.22327 -
Virology Feb 2015Negatively-supercoiled-ds DNA molecules, including the genomes of baculoviruses, spontaneously wrap around cores of histones to form nucleosomes when present within... (Review)
Review
Negatively-supercoiled-ds DNA molecules, including the genomes of baculoviruses, spontaneously wrap around cores of histones to form nucleosomes when present within eukaryotic nuclei. Hence, nucleosome management should be essential for baculovirus genome replication and temporal regulation of transcription, but this has not been documented. Nucleosome mobilization is the dominion of ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling complexes. SWI/SNF and INO80, two of the best-studied complexes, as well as chromatin modifier TIP60, all contain actin as a subunit. Retrospective analysis of results of AcMNPV time course experiments wherein actin polymerization was blocked by cytochalasin D drug treatment implicate actin-containing chromatin modifying complexes in decatenating baculovirus genomes, shutting down host transcription, and regulating late and very late phases of viral transcription. Moreover, virus-mediated nuclear localization of actin early during infection may contribute to nucleosome management.
Topics: Animals; Baculoviridae; Genome, Viral; Insect Proteins; Insecta; Nucleosomes; Virus Replication
PubMed: 25569454
DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2014.12.022 -
Viruses Feb 2023We aimed to assess the potential of baculoviral vectors (BV) for brain cancer gene therapy. We compared them with adenoviral vectors (AdV), which are used in...
We aimed to assess the potential of baculoviral vectors (BV) for brain cancer gene therapy. We compared them with adenoviral vectors (AdV), which are used in neuro-oncology, but for which there is pre-existing immunity. We constructed BVs and AdVs encoding fluorescent reporter proteins and evaluated their transduction efficiency in glioma cells and astrocytes. Naïve and glioma-bearing mice were intracranially injected with BVs to assess transduction and neuropathology. Transgene expression was also assessed in the brain of BV-preimmunized mice. While the expression of BVs was weaker than AdVs in murine and human glioma cell lines, BV-mediated transgene expression in patient-derived glioma cells was similar to AdV-mediated transduction and showed strong correlation with clathrin expression, a protein that interacts with the baculovirus glycoprotein GP64, mediating BV endocytosis. BVs efficiently transduced normal and neoplastic astrocytes in vivo, without apparent neurotoxicity. BV-mediated transgene expression was stable for at least 21 days in the brain of naïve mice, but it was significantly reduced after 7 days in mice systemically preimmunized with BVs. Our findings indicate that BVs efficiently transduce glioma cells and astrocytes without apparent neurotoxicity. Since humans do not present pre-existing immunity against BVs, these vectors may constitute a valuable tool for the delivery of therapeutic genes into the brain.
Topics: Genetic Therapy; Baculoviridae; Genetic Vectors; Brain Neoplasms; Glioma; Animals; Mice; Cell Line, Tumor; Humans; Rats; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Male; Transduction, Genetic; Astrocytes; Transgenes
PubMed: 36992317
DOI: 10.3390/v15030608 -
Viruses Feb 2023Baculoviridae is a large family of arthropod-infective viruses. Recombinant baculoviruses have many applications, the best known is as a system for large scale protein... (Review)
Review
Baculoviridae is a large family of arthropod-infective viruses. Recombinant baculoviruses have many applications, the best known is as a system for large scale protein production in combination with insect cell cultures. More recently recombinant baculoviruses have been utilized for the display of proteins of interest with applications in medicine. In the present review we analyze the different strategies for the display of proteins and peptides on the surface of recombinant baculoviruses and provide some examples of the different proteins displayed. We analyze briefly the commercially available systems for recombinant baculovirus production and display and discuss the future of this emerging and powerful technology.
Topics: Animals; Baculoviridae; Peptides; Arthropods; Cell Culture Techniques
PubMed: 36851625
DOI: 10.3390/v15020411