BacMam / stability of baculoviral stocks

[Robert Kuhelj]

High-titer stock  of Novagen's BacMam-B-gal baculovirus was generated that
had an initial titer of about 3x10(8) pfu/mL. I was able to successfully
infect HepG2 cell line with these viruses and got about 50 % of the cells
turn blue. However, when I used the same stock after 4 months, there were no
blue cells at all. I haven't had the titer rechecked but i guess it must
have dropped significantly. Does anybody have any experience with BacMam
technology and the long-term stability of BacMam stocks? What is the
stability of baculoviral stocks in general? I kept my stock at 4oC and had
it wrapped in Alu-foil... Is presence of serum crucial for stability? I know
that serum-free media are very popular...

I'd appreciate any help/comment.

Robert

rkuhelj at att.net