by Thera Mulvania, PhD, Brooks Hayes, and David Hedin
Volume 3, Issue 3 (May/June 2004)
Recombinant protein expression using the Baculovirus Expression Vector System (BEVS) is a powerful tool for the production of therapeutics, diagnostics, and reagents. To maximize efficiency of protein production, and thereby reduce costs, it is important to optimize the production parameters. A crucial step in optimization is determining the best multiplicity of infection (MOI) for the system in use. Factors that can affect the MOI include the recombinant baculovirus itself as well as cell line type and media composition. Typically the titer of a viral stock is determined in a standard manner, and then that titer is applied to each and every parameter tested; for instance, titering the virus on a Spodoptera cell line in a serum-containing media, and then using those data to determine the MOI used to infect Trichoplusia cells in a serum-free media formulation. The results may suggest that either the Trichoplusia cell line or the media formulation is inadequate for protein expression when, in fact, the MOI was incorrect for that particular combination…
Citation:
Mulvania T, Hayes B, Hedin D. A Flow Cytometric Assay for Rapid, Accurate Determination of Baculovirus Titers. BioProcess J, 2004; 3(3): 47-53.