Infectious hepacivirus pseudo-particles containing functional e1, e2 envelope proteins

A method for producing infectious hepacivirus-like particles ex vivo comprising the steps of:

• providing a first nucleic acid sequence comprising a packaging competent retroviral-derived genome;
• providing a second nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding core proteins from said retrovirus;
• providing a third nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding a polyprotein comprising successively a signal peptide from a type I membrane protein, and a hepacivirus E1 protein and/or a hepacivirus E2 protein;
• transfecting host cells with said nucleic acid sequences and maintaining the transfected cells in culture for sufficient time to allow expression of the cDNAs to produce structural proteins from hepacivirus and retrovirus;
• and allowing the structural proteins to form virus-like particles.

A method for producing hepacivirus-like particles ex vivo comprising the steps of:

• providing a first nucleic acid sequence comprising a packaging competent retrovirus-derived genome;
• providing a second nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding the core proteins from said retrovirus;
• providing a third nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding a polyprotein comprising successively a signal peptide from a type I membrane protein, preferably a hepacivirus core protein, and a hepacivirus E1 protein and/or a hepacivirus E2 protein;
• transfecting host cells with said nucleic acid sequences and maintaining the transfected cells in culture for sufficient time to allow expression of the cDNAs to produce structural proteins from hepacivirus and retrovirus;
• and allowing the structural proteins to form virus-like particles.

A method for producing hepacivirus-like particles in vivo, which method comprises the steps of:

• providing a first nucleic acid sequence comprising a packaging competent retrovirus-derived genome;
• providing a second nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding the core proteins from said retrovirus;
• providing a third nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding a polyprotein comprising successively a signal peptide from a type I membrane protein, preferably a hepacivirus core protein, and a hepacivirus E1 protein and/or a hepacivirus E2 protein;
• transfecting cells of a subject in vivo with said nucleic acid sequences, to allow expression of the cDNAs to produce structural proteins from hepacivirus and retrovirus;
• and to allow the structural proteins to form virus-like particles.

A transformed host cell that contains:

• a first nucleic acid sequence comprising a packaging competent retrovirus-derived genome;
• a second nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding the core proteins from said retrovirus;
• and
• a third nucleic acid sequence comprising a cDNA encoding a polyprotein comprising successively a signal peptide from a type I membrane protein, and a hepacivirus E1 protein and/or a hepacivirus E2 protein.