The entomopoxvirus from Amsacta moorei (AmEPV) contains none of the commonly recognized vertebrate poxvirus apoptotic suppressor genes. However, AmEPV carries a single inhibitor of apoptosis (iap) gene (AMViap) not present in vertebrate poxviruses. The AMViap gene was active when coexpressed with the Drosophila proapoptotic gene hid in Ld652 cells and can rescue cells from apoptosis as shown by...

This research is linked to the FET funded iCHEM project (session 76 Talking with Chemicals: Challenges of Biomimetic Infochemical Communication). In this communication we describe the development of a heterologous expression system, expressing insect olfactory receptors in Sf9 cells, which will be implemented in a surface acoustic wave (SAW) biomimetic sensor.

The receptor-like protein tyrosine phosphatase, PTPmu, displays structural similarity to cell-cell adhesion molecules of the immunoglobulin superfamily. We have investigated the ability of human PTPmu to function in such a capacity. Expression of PTPmu, with or without the PTPase domains, by recombinant baculovirus infection of Sf9 cells induced their aggregation. However, neither a chimeric fo...

An Hyposoter didymator ichnovirus (HdIV) gene was stably maintained and efficiently transcribed in lepidopteran cell lines more than 3 years after HdIV infection. This K-gene had two introns and the fully spliced cDNA, named K19, comprised a short open reading frame and a long 3'-untranslated region with 13 imperfectly repeated sequences (44 to 102 nt). Transcripts related to the K-gene were de...

Methoxyfenozide and methoprene are two insecticides that mimic the action of the main hormones involved in the control of insect growth and development, 20-hydroxyecdysone and juvenile hormone. We investigated their effect on the Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cell line. Methoxyfenozide was more toxic than methoprene in cell viability tests and more potent in the inhibition of cellular proliferation...

Neurons extend two types of processes with distinct morphologies and patterns of microtubule polarity orientation. Axons are thin cylindrical processes containing microtubules that are uniformly oriented with their plus-ends-distal to the cell body while dendrites are stout tapering processes that contain nonuniformly oriented microtubules. We have proposed that these distinct microtubule patte...

A cAMP-specific phosphodiesterase, HSPDE4B2B, was found to be phosphorylated when expressed in Sf9 cells or yeast. Deletion of amino acids 81-151 and 529-564 had no effect on the phosphorylation of HSPDE4B2B. Mass spectrometric analysis of purified HSPDE4B2B(1-564). HSPDE4B2B(81-564) and HSPDE4B2B(152-528) showed that phosphorylation occurred predominantly on Ser487 and Ser489. The stoicheiomet...

The baculovirus expression system is suitable for functional expression of gastric H+,K(+)-ATPase. Expression of functional H+,K(+)-ATPase in Sf9 cells is accompanied by synthesis of large amounts of non-functional subunits. When H+,K(+)-ATPase is synthesised in the presence of 150-250 mM ethanol in the culture medium, two to threefold higher levels of functional H+,K(+)-ATPase are produced due...

Fortilin plays an important role in anti-apoptotic mechanisms and cell proliferation in many eukaryotic organisms. This work confirmed previous reports that Sf9 can support the replication of white spot syndrome virus (WSSV) genomic material by using immunohistochemistry with a specific antibody to detect the immediate early gene 1 (ie1) and by amplification of WSSV DNA and mRNA products. Using...