Expression of a hepatitis E virus (HEV)-trpE fusion protein containing epitopes recognized by antibodies in sera from human cases and experimentally infected primates.
A 1700 base cDNA fragment coding for the putative structural gene(s) of hepatitis E virus (HEV) was inserted into the pATH 10 expression vector. The fusion protein (C2) expressed by this plasmid was found to contain epitopes recognized by anti-HEV antibodies. C2 protein was used in a Western blot format to examine its usefulness in detecting anti-HEV antibodies in well documented human cases of HEV and non-human primates infected with HEV. Both IgM and IgG anti-HEV could be detected in our Western blot assay. This Western blot assay was found not to detect antibodies from acute-phase sera from patients with either HAV or HBV. The C2 protein contains broadly cross-reactive epitopes, and the Western blot assay was able to detect anti-HEV antibodies in patient sera from Asia, Africa, and North America. The optimum serum dilution for the detection of both IgM and IgG was 1:25.
Hepatitis Branch, Centers for Disease Control, Atlanta, Georgia.
M A
MA
Purdy
K A
KA
McCaustland
K
K
Krawczynski
A
A
Tam
M J
MJ
Beach
N C
NC
Tassopoulos
G R
GR
Reyes
D W
DW
Bradley
D000818:Animals; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D016751:Hepatitis E / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D016752:Hepatitis E virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008252:Macaca fascicularis; D002679:Pan troglodytes; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins