Ra. Robinson et al., STRUCTURAL CHARACTERIZATION OF RECOMBINANT HEPATITIS-E VIRUS ORF2 PROTEINS IN BACULOVIRUS-INFECTED INSECT CELLS, Protein expression and purification, 12(1), 1998, pp. 75-84
Citations number
22
Categorie Soggetti
Biochemical Research Methods",Biology,"Biothechnology & Applied Migrobiology
The hepatitis E virus (HEV) capsid antigen has been proposed as a cand
idate subunit vaccine for the prevention of hepatitis E. The full-leng
th HEV ORF2 protein product is predicted to contain 660 amino acids an
d to weigh 72,000 daltons. Expression of the HEV ORF2 capsid gene from
recombinant baculoviruses in insect cells produced multiple immunorea
ctive proteins ranging in size from 30 to 100 kDa. The most abundant H
EV proteins had molecular weights of 72, 63, 56, and 53 kDa. Temporal
expression kinetics of these viral polypeptides indicated that the 72-
and 63-kDa polypeptides were produced abundantly within the initial 3
6 h. postinfection but were replaced by 56- and 53-kDa polypeptides in
the cell and medium, respectively, by 48 h postinfection. The 53-kDa
protein was secreted as early as 24 h. postinfection, and accumulation
in the medium peaked by 72 h postinfection. Purification of the 53-,
56-, and 63-kDa viral polypeptides was accomplished by anion-exchange
and subsequent gel filtration chromatography. Sequence analysis of the
53-, 56-, and 63-kDa HEV polypeptides indicated that the amino termin
us was amino acid residue 112 of the predicted full-length protein pro
duct. The results of carboxy terminal amino acid sequencing indicated
that the carboxy terminus of the 53-, 56-, and 63-kDa HEV proteins was
located at amino acid residues 578, 607, and 660, respectively. The m
olecular masses of the 53- and 56-kDa HEV polypeptides were 53,872 and
56,144 as determined by mass spectroscopy. (C) 1998 Academic Press.