Long-term adaptation of the Bombyx mori BmN4 cell line to grow in serum-free culture.

Bombyx mori ovary-derived BmN4 cells have been successfully adapted to a commercial serum-free medium (SFM; SF900-II) by gradually reducing the serum-containing TC-100 medium content from 100 to 0% (v/v). The BmN4 cells adapted to the SFM (BmN-SFM) adhered strongly to the culture flask and showed altered cell morphology. The BmN-SFM was subcultured 200 times, and the population doubling time was 4.70 d. Infection studies showed that BmN-SFM cells were easily susceptible to B. mori nucleopolyhedrovirus (BmNPV), and both the multiplication of budded virus and the promoter activity of the polyhedrin gene in BmN-SFM cells were almost the same as those in BmN4 cells before adaptation. Additionally, mouse interleukin-3 expressed by a recombinant BmNPV was normally secreted and modified with N-linked glycans in BmN-SFM cells. These findings indicate that BmN-SFM is particularly useful for a BmNPV-based baculovirus expression vector system with serum-free conditions.