Occlusion-derived baculovirus: interaction with human cells and evaluation of the envelope protein P74 as a surface display platform.

To develop complementary baculovirus-based tools for gene delivery and display technologies, the interaction of occlusion-derived baculovirus (ODV) with human cells, and the functionality of the P74 ODV envelope protein for display of the IgG-binding Z domains (ZZP74) were evaluated. The cellular binding of ODV was concentration-dependent and saturable. Only minority of the bound virions were internalized at both 37 and 4 degrees C, suggesting usage of direct membrane fusion as the entry mode. The intracellular transport of ODV was confined in vesicular structures peripheral to the plasma membrane, impeding subsequent nuclear entry and transgene expression. Transduction of ODV was not rescu…