3. Strengths and weaknesses of the baculovirus/insect cell system

3.1 Production levels

In most cases, the baculovirus/insect cell system can produce soluble, functionally active proteins at levels of up to 50% of total cellular proteins. However, as with any other system, the yields obtained are highly variable and depend strongly on the nature of the protein, its complexity and localization. Intracellular proteins, which are naturally soluble, are generally well produced with yields of several hundred mg/L under standard culture conditions (density at 10 ⁶ cells/mL on average). Conversely, membrane proteins and receptors are generally only produced at very low levels (of the order of mg/L).

For proteins secreted into the environment, production levels can also vary considerably....