An Introduction to Insect Cell Culture
When it comes to heterologous protein expression, insect cell culture is often the preferred choice. Whether for basic research or large-scale production, insect cells have the capability of expressing large numbers of proteins that possess intricate post-translational changes. Insect cell cultures are used extensively for studies involving microbial pathology, developmental biology, and cell physiology. At Cell Culture Company, we promote medical research advancements in antibody production which support the creation of treatments that meet various patient health needs.
Insect Cell Lines
The study of insect viruses utilizes the essential tool of insect cell culture. The initial cell cultures were started around 1960 from insects. From that time, over 600 insect cell lines have stemmed from more than 100 species of insects – most of these having come from dipteran (flies and mosquitoes) and lepidopteran (moths) insects.
The most extensively used among these are the Trichoplusia ni High Five, Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9, and Drosophila S2 cell lines. The first two are vulnerable to certain viruses that are utilized for the expression of foreign genes. An example of this is for vaccine production to generate proteins for crystallography or functional analysis and to generate gene delivery vectors for mammalian cells.
Recombinant Protein Production With Insect Cell Lines
The system of insect cell culture-based protein expression is easy to scale up and inexpensive. Since they are eukaryotic, insect cells enable proper folding and post-translational modification. This purified protein can even have therapeutic uses. The easy purification process allows for a high level of purity, specifically during the secretion of recombinant protein in the cell culture medium.
Insect cell lines functioning as production hosts are a new and developing technology for the development of biopharmaceuticals. Currently, there are over 100 of these cell lines accessible for the production of recombinant protein, originating from various moth and worm species being particularly noteworthy.
To learn about cell culture and antibody production services we offer at Cell Culture Company, give us a call today at 763.786.0302 or reach us through our contact form.
