Enhanced production of Chikungunya virus-like particles using a high-pH adapted spodoptera frugiperda insect cell line.

ABSTRACT: Chikungunya virus-like particles (VLPs) have potential to be used as a prophylactic vaccine based on testing in multiple animal models and are currently being evaluated for human use in a Phase I clinical trial. The current method for producing these enveloped alphavirus VLPs by transient gene expression in mammalian cells presents challenges for scalable and robust industrial manufacturing, so the insect cell baculovirus expression vector system was evaluated as an alternative expression technology. Subsequent to recombinant baculovirus infection of Sf21 cells in standard culture media (pH 6.2-6.4), properly processed Chikungunya structural proteins were detected and assembled capsids were observed. However, an increase in culture pH to 6.6-6.8 was necessary to produce detectable concentr

SUBMITTER: Wagner JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3979839 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature