Recombinant proteins of a Pakistani strain of hepatitis E and their use in diagnostic methods and vaccines
AssigneeThe United States of America as represented by the Department of Health and Human Services
InventorsSergei A. Tsarev, Suzanne U. Emerson, Robert H. Purcell
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Abstract
A strain of hepatitis E virus from Pakistan (SAR-55) implicated in an epidemic of enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis, now called hepatitis E, is disclosed. The invention relates to the expression of the whole structural region of SAR-55, designated open reading frame 2 (ORF-2), in a eukaryotic expression system. The expressed protein is capable of forming HEV virus-like particles which can serve as an antigen in diagnostic immunoassays and as an immunogen or vaccine to protect against infection by hepatitis E.
Claims8
A purified and isolated hepatitis E virus open reading frame 2 protein that has a molecular weight greater than 46.3 kilodaltons as determined by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and is immunoreactive with antibodies to hepatitis E virus, said protein consisting of an amino acid sequence of a protein fragment expressed in insect cells infected with a recombinant baculovirus comprising a complete ORF2 sequence.
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