CLONING AND EXPRESSION OF THE NUCLEOPROTEIN OF PESTE DES PETITS RUMINANTS VIRUS IN BACULOVIRUS FOR USE IN SEROLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a viral disease of goats and sheep characterized by erosive stomatitis, enteritis, and pneumonia. The vi rus is a member of the family Paramyxoviridae and the genus Morbillivi rus. The disease has high morbidity and mortality rates and has a subs tantial economic impact in developing countries. We have cloned and se quenced the cDNA of the nucleocapsid (N) gene of the Nigeria 75/1 stra in of PPR virus (PPRV). A comparison of its nucleotide and deduced ami no acid sequence with those of the N gene of the tissue culture-attenu ated strain of PPRV was performed. A divergence of 8.9 and 5.0% was fo und at the nucleotide and amino acid level, respectively. A recombinan t baculovirus that expresses the N protein in insect cells and larvae (Spodoptera frugiperda) was generated. The recombinant protein, charac terized by Western blot analysis, was shown to have a molecular weight of 58 kDa and was recognized by anti-PPRV antibodies. The recombinant protein was used successfully as a coating antigen in an enzyme-linke d immunosorbent assay for the serological diagnosis of PPRV. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.