Semliki Forest virus as an expression vector in insect cell lines

Studies were undertaken to determine if replication-deficient Semliki Fores t virus expression vectors could be successfully used to express foreign ge ne constructs in insect cell lines. Using green fluorescent protein (GFP) a s a marker we recorded infection levers of nearly 100% in the Aedes albopic tus cell lines C6/36 and Aa23T, as well as in the Ae. aegypti cell line MOS 20. The virus was capable of infecting an Anopheles gambiae cell line MOS55 . The amount of GFP protein produced in each cell line was quantified, Nort hern analysis of viral transcription revealed the presence of novel transcr ipts in Aa23T, C6/36, and MOS55 cell lines, but not in the BHK or MOS20, Th e initial characterization of these transcripts is described.