Stable transformation of insect cells to coexpress a rapidly selectable marker gene and an inhibitor of apoptosis.

We have constructed several plasmid expression vectors to express foreign genes in stably transformed insect cells. Unlike baculovirus-based expression vectors by which genes of interest are expressed transiently before lysis of the virus-infected cells, genes can be expressed continuously over many passages in a stable cell line. Furthermore, the function of a gene or genes expressed in a stable cell line from an insect-specific promoter that is constitutively expressed can be studied in the absence of virus infection and viral gene expression. In this study, we have expressed a novel, selectable marker gene, puromycin acetyltransferase, under the control of the Drosophila melanogaster hsp 70 promoter or under the control of the AcMNPV ie-1 promoter which is active in Spodoptera frugiperda cells in the absence of virus infection. In addition, we have constructed expression vectors which coexpress two genes from separate promoters, the pac gene which confers resistance to puromycin and a baculovirus gene which inhibits apoptosis, derived from Orygia pseudotsugata nuclear polyhedrosis virus. Both genes were expressed in stable populations of S. frugiperda cells in the absence of continuous drug selection.