RECOMBINANT HUMAN-ANTIBODIES SPECIFIC FOR HEPATITIS-C VIRUS PROTEINS

Human antibodies to hepatitis C virus core, NS4A and NS3 were cloned i n a prokaryotic vector and expressed as soluble Fab fragments and as p hage-displayed Fabs. The recombinant Fabs were shown to be a suitable tool for immunohistochemistry, since they recognize the cognate antige n expressed in mammalian cells. The nucleotide sequence of the cDNA fo r the variable domains of these antibodies was determined and the V-ge ne usage was derived. On the basis of the deduced amino acid sequence, a structural model of the V domains of the Fabs was constructed.