We previously established the first Bombyx mori macula-like virus (BmMLV)-free cell line (BmVF cells) from a B. mori embryo. In this study, we evaluated the expression of recombinant proteins in BmVF cells using a B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV)-derived expression vector. Our results showed that BmVF cells are susceptible to BmNPV, and both the promoter activity of the polyhedrin gene and the post-translated modifications of a recombinant protein are equivalent between BmMLV-negative BmVF and -positive BmN4 cells. These findings indicate that persistent infection with BmMLV has no discernible effect on BmNPV-mediated protein production in B. mori cells.
Keywords: BEVS; Baculovirus; BmMLV; BmNPV; Maculavirus; Nucleopolyhedrovirus.
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