Mannosamine supplementation extends the N-acetylglucosaminylation of recombinant human secreted alkaline phosphatase produced in Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper) insect cell cultures.

A major limitation of the insect cell-baculovirus expression vector system is its poor capacity to perform complex glycosylation, since the glycoproteins produced are usually only of the high-mannose and paucimannose types. Nonetheless, recent evidence indicates that, under various conditions, some insect cell lines are capable of producing complex-type glycans. In the present study, we assessed the effects of supplementation with ManN (mannosamine) ManNAc (N-acetylmannosamine) and Cyt (cytidine) on the glycosylation of recombinant human secreted alkaline phosphatase produced by suspension cultures of Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper) BTI-Tn5B1-4 cells.