Production of baculoviruses and expression of green fluorescent protein in immobilised Sf21 insect cell cultivation

Abstract Spodoptera frugiperda (Sf21) insect cells were grown in the microspheres that were prepared using sodium-cellulosesulfate (NaCS) and poly-diallyldimethylammoniumchloride (PDADMAC). The highest Sf21 cell density was 1 × 10 8  cells/ml in the microshperes. The immobilised Sf21 cells were infected with Autograpa californica multiple nuclear polyhedrosis virus (AcMNPV) at a “theoretical” MOI of 1.0 and a TOI of 3.9 × 10 7  cells/ml in the microspheres. The AcMNPV polyhedral inclusion bodies (PIBs) titer reached was 1.76 × 10 10  PIBs/ml in the microspheres, which was 58 times higher than that (2.75 × 10 7  PIBs/ml) in a suspension condition. The immobilised Sf21 cells were infected with a recombinant baculovirus, Ac-omega-GFP baculovirus, and the highest concentration of green fluorescent protein (GFP) produced was 0.0048 mg/ml in suspension culture and 0.159 mg/ml in the microspheres.