Baculovirus-mediated trans-epithelial transport of proteins in infected caterpillars.

Abstract

Baculovirus-mediated abnormal protein trafficking was studied in infected caterpillars by using heterologous proteins. The gene for human complement C1r was expressed in larvae of Mamestra brassicae by a recombinant Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) vector. By following the time-course of recombinant C1r distribution among various tissues, cell types and cell organelles, we concluded that the dominant site of recombinant protein synthesis was the fat body, although some production in the haemocytes and midgut was also observed. Only about 4 % of the cells of the infected organs expressed recombinant C1r, which was then secreted into the haemolymph. The tracheal and integumental cuticle was rich in recombinant protein from the fourth day after infection although epidermal cells did not syn-