Inventors:
Max D. Summers - Bryan TX
Christian E. G. Oker-Blom - Turku, FI
Assignee:
The Texas A & M University System - College Station TX
International Classification:
C12N 1586
Abstract:
This invention relates to specifically designing and genetically engineering recombinant baculovirus for producing, in a compatible insect system, a desired protein, virus, protein hybrid, or virus hybrid. In particular aspects, this invention relates to the use of different baculovirus promoters for the ultimate purpose of constructing a recombinant baculovirus designed for the investigator's specific need. For example, the recombinant baculovirus of this invention can be designed to produce a viral pesticide. This invention also describes the construction of a genetically engineered virus or virus hybrid (e. g. animal or human pathogen) which is not capable of replicating itself but is essentially identical to the authentic pathogen in terms of structure and antigenicity. This baculovirus is constructed such that the non-structural viral genes are truncated, mutated or both and are located 3' and directly under the control of an early baculovirus gene promoter and the structural viral genes are located 3' and directly under the control of a late baculovirus gene promoter. This genetically engineered baculovirus is therefore capable of temporal regulation and successive synthesis of non-structural and structural proteins.