Marker system, in particular for baculovirus-expressed subunit antigens

A recombinant baculovirus, wherein said baculovirus comprises a DNA sequence encoding a protein comprising or consisting of:

• a. an amino acid sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of:
• i. SEQ ID NOs:
• 1 to 6;
• and/or
• ii. a protein comprising or consisting of an amino acid sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with the sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8;
• and/or
• b. wherein said baculovirus comprises a DNA sequence comprising or consisting of:
• i. a sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:
• 9 to 14, and/or
• ii. a sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with the sequence of SEQ ID NO:15 or SEQ ID NO:16.

A vector, in particular a transfer vector, which contains a DNA sequence encoding a protein comprising or consisting of:

• a. an amino acid sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:
• 1 to:
• 6;
• and/or
• b. a protein comprising or consisting of:
• i. an amino acid sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with the sequence of SEQ ID NO:7 or SEQ ID NO:8;
• and/or
• c. which contains a DNA sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with a sequence selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NOs:
• 9 to 14;
• and/or a DNA sequence having at least 70% sequence identity with the sequence of SEQ ID NO:
• 15 or SEQ ID NO:16.

A kit for determining whether an individual has received an immunogenic composition comprising a recombinant protein produced by a baculovirus expression system in cultured insect cells, wherein said kit contains one or more capture reagents immobilized to a solid support, wherein the one or more immobilized capture reagents are capable of binding of one or more markers selected from the group consisting of:

• a. antibodies specific for one or more antigens from a virus which is an RNA virus capable of infecting insect cells;
• b. one or more antigens from a virus which is an RNA virus capable of infecting insect cells;
• and
• c. one or more nucleic acid molecules specific for an RNA virus capable of infecting insect cells.

A composition comprising a capture reagent,

• wherein said capture reagent comprises or consists of viral particles and/or virus like particles of an RNA virus capable of infecting insect cells, and wherein said composition or said capture reagent is obtainable by a method comprising the steps of
• i) obtaining supernatant from a culture of insect cells infected with an RNA virus capable of infecting insect cells, wherein said supernatant comprises viral particles and/or virus like particles of the RNA virus, and wherein said insect cells infected with an RNA virus capable of infecting insect cells are preferably not infected with a baculovirus and/or are preferably not transfected with a plasmid,
• ii) separating cell debris from said viral particles and/or virus like particles via a separation step including a micro filtration through at least one filter, preferably two filters, wherein the at least one filter preferably having a pore size larger than said viral particles and/or virus like particles, in particular having a pore size of about 0.1 μm to about 4 μm, preferably of about 0.2 μm to about 2 μm,
• iii) and optionally subjecting the filtrate of ii) which contains said viral particles and/or virus like particles to size exclusion chromatography, wherein the presence of protein in the eluent is measured by measuring the absorbance of light at 260 nm or 280 nm (A260 or A280), and wherein preferably the eluent exhibiting the first A260 or A280 peak is collected.