Overcoming mutations in fp25k baculovirus gene on the way to continuous biopesticide production in insect cell culture

AGRO 61

Lopamudra Giri, lgiri@engineering.uiowa.edu, Department of Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, University of Iowa, 4133 Seamans Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, David W Murhammer, murham@engineering.uiowa.edu, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering, The University of Iowa, 4133, Seamans Center, Iowa City, IA 52242, Bryony Bonning, BBonning@iastate.edu, Department of Entomology, Iowa State University, 401 Science II, Ames, IA 50011, and Mike Feiss, michael-feiss@uiowa.edu, Department of Microbiology, University of Iowa, 51 Newton Rd., 3-352 Bowen Science Bldg, Iowa City, IA 52242.
Bio-pesticides are useful in overcoming the significant disadvantages of chemical pesticides, such as detrimental effects on non-target organisms, higher animals and soil fertility. However, the current production cost of a potential bio-pesticide, such as the baculovirus (which kills only targeted insects and is environmentally benign), is significantly higher than that of chemical pesticides. In particular, a potentially low-cost plant-scale production through continuous insect cell culture is hindered by undesirable mutations. In this context, our primary goal is to overcome few polyhedra (FP) mutation, resulting, generally, from the insertion of host cell DNA sequence, known as transposons, into the baculovirus fp25k gene. In addition, we shall examine whether FP mutants are a necessary precursor of another type of deletion mutants, namely, defective interfering particle (DIP) mutants.

 

New Developments and Issues in Agrochemical Sciences
8:00 AM-11:00 AM, Monday, August 20, 2007 BCEC -- Exhibit Hall - B2, Poster

Division of Agrochemicals

The 234th ACS National Meeting, Boston, MA, August 19-23, 2007