Expression of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 in insect cells from a baculovirus vector.

The open reading frame encoding the Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen 2 (EBNA-2) has been expressed in a recombinant baculovirus vector. The resulting product migrates with the same apparent molecular weight as EBNA-2 from latently infected or converted B cell lines. Rabbit antisera derived from the innoculation of this material immunoprecipitated EBNA-2 from cell extracts of EBV-containing cells. The high level of protein expression obtained in insect cells stands in sharp contrast to that seen in a number of mammalian cell lines using a variety of promoters including the endogenous EBNA-2 promoter, the Moloney MuLV LTR, the murine immunoglobulin heavy chain promoter, the human cytomegalovirus immediate early promoter, and the adenovirus major late promoter.