Baculoviruses are viral pathogens that infect different species of Lepidoptera, Diptera, and Hymenoptera, with a global distribution. Due to their biological characteristics and the biotechnological applications derived from these entities, the Baculoviridae family is an important subject of study and manipulation in the natural sciences. With the advent of RNA interference mechanisms, the presence of baculoviral genes that do not code for proteins but instead generate transcripts similar to microRNAs (miRNAs) has been described. These miRNAs are functionally associated with the regulation of gene expression, both in viral and host sequences. This article provides a comprehensive review of miRNA biogenesis, function, and characterization in general, with a specific focus on those identified in baculoviruses. Furthermore, it delves into the specific roles of baculoviral miRNAs in regulating viral and host genes and presents structural and thermodynamic stability studies that are useful for detecting shared characteristics with predictive utility. This review aims to expand our understanding of the baculoviral miRNAome, contributing to improvements in the production of baculovirus-based biopesticides, management of resistance phenomena in pests, enhancement of recombinant protein production systems, and development of diverse and improved BacMam vectors to meet biomedical demands.

Due to its antimicrobial properties and low toxicity, human lysozyme (hLYZ) has broad application in the medical field and as a preservative used by the food industry. However, limited availability hinders its widespread use. Hence, we constructed a recombinant avian adeno-associated virus (rAAAV) that would specifically express hLYZ in the chicken oviduct and harvested hLYZ from the egg whites of laying hens. The oviduct-specific human lysozyme expression cassette flanked by avian adeno-associated virus (AAAV) inverted terminal repeats (ITRs) was subcloned into the modified baculovirus transfer vector pFBX, and then the recombinant baculovirus rBac-ITRLYZ was generated. The recombinant avian adeno-associated virus was produced by co-infecting Sf9 cells with rBac-ITRLYZ and the other 2 baculoviruses containing AAAV functional genes and structural genes, respectively. Electron microscopy and real-time PCR revealed that the recombinant viral particles were generated successfully with a typical AAAV morphology and a high titer. After one intravenous injection of each laying hen with 2 × 1011 viral particles, oviduct-specific expression of recombinant human lysozyme (rhLYZ) was detected by reverse transcription-PCR. The expression level of rhLYZ in the first wk increased to 258 ± 11.5 μg/mL, reached a maximum of 683 ± 16.4 μg/mL at the fifth wk, and then progressively declined during the succeeding 7 wk of the study. Western blotting indicated that the oviduct-expressed rhLYZ had the same molecular weight as the natural enzyme. These results indicate that an efficient and convenient oviduct bioreactor mediated by rAAAV has been established, and it is useful for production of other recombinant proteins.

Apoptosis is a physiological program of cell suicide conserved in invertebrates and vertebrates. Apoptosis is crucial to the normal development of organisms and in tissue homeostasis by promoting elimination of unwanted cells, including damaged or virus-infected cells. Due to the importance of programmed cell death for the survival of the organism, a tight regulation is exerted at various activation levels of the cell-death machinery. The utilization of the baculovirus Autographa californica multiple nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) to identify genes that inhibit the apoptotic process will be described using a transfection-based approach, illustrated by identification of the p49 gene.

BACKGROUND: Baculovirus expression system is one of the most attractive and powerful eukaryotic expression systems for the production of recombinant proteins. The presence of a biomarker is required to monitor transfection efficiency or protein expression levels in insect cells.
METHODS: The aim of this study was to construct a baculovirus expression vector encoding a copepod super green fluorescent protein (copGFP). In this light, the resultant vector was constructed and used for transfection of Spodoptera frugiperda cells.
RESULTS: Expression of the copGFP protein in insect cells was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy and Western-blot analysis.
CONCLUSIONS: The application of copGFP control bacmid can be considered as an appropriate control for insect cell transfection.