WOODCHUCK HEPATITIS-VIRUS SURFACE-ANTIGEN PRODUCED IN-VITRO FAILS TO BIND POLYMERIZED WOODCHUCK SERUM-ALBUMIN

Using a plasmid (pSWS) similar to one that has been successfully used for large-scale production of hepatitis B virus (HBV) envelope protein particles (pSVS) but containing the corresponding woodchuck hepatitis virus (WHV) envelope gene sequences, we have stably transformed the r odent dihydrofolate reductase-deficient cell line CHO dhfr(-). Althoug h production of WHV envelope particles in CHO/pSWS cell lines was low, it was sufficient to test whether these particles could bind to polym erized serum albumin. Whereas binding of HBV particles produced in CHO /pSVS cells to polymerized human serum albumin could readily be detect ed, we found no evidence that the WHV envelope protein particles produ ced in vitro bind to either human or woodchuck polymerized serum album in.