BACULOVIRUS EXPRESSION OF THE NUCLEOCAPSID PROTEIN OF A PUUMALA SEROTYPE HANTAVIRUS

Recombinant baculoviruses were generated harboring the entire coding r egion of the S segment cDNA of Hantavirus strain CG 18-20 that belongs to the Puumala serotype. The recombinant nucleocapsid protein was exp ressed in Sf9 cells and shown to be antigenically identical with the a uthentic viral nucleocapsid protein by means of immunoblot analysis. A cute-phase and convalescent sera from European HERS patients recognize d the recombinant nucleocapsid protein in Western blots and the recomb inant Baculovirus in indirect immunofluorescence assays. Insect cells infected with the recombinant Baculoviruses proved to be a suitable no ninfectious substitute for Hantavirus-infected Vero E6 cells as an ant igen source for immunodiagnostic assays allowing the detection of anti bodies in HFRS patients.