BACULOVIRAL DISPLAY OF THE GREEN FLUORESCENT PROTEIN AND RUBELLA-VIRUS ENVELOPE PROTEINS

The ability to display heterologous proteins and peptides on the surfa ce of different types of bacteriophage has proven extremely useful in protein structure/function studies. To display such proteins in a euca ryotic environment, we have produced a vector allowing for fusion of p roteins to the amino-terminus of the Autographa californica nuclear po lyhedrosis virus (AcNPV) major envelope glycoprotein, gp64. Such fusio n proteins incorporate into the baculoviral virion and display the FLA G epitope tag. We have further produced recombinant baculoviruses disp laying the green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the rubella virus envel ope proteins, E1 and E2. The incorporation of the GFPgp64, E1gp64, and E2gp64 fusion proteins into the baculovirus particle was demonstrated by western blot analysis of purified budded virus. This is the first report of the display of the GFP protein or the individual rubella vir us spike proteins on the surface of an enveloped virus. Such a eucaryo tic viral display system may be useful for the display of proteins dep endent on glycosylation for activity and for targeting of recombinant baculoviruses to novel host cell types as a gene transfer vehicle. (C) 1997 Academic Press.