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A plant-based transient expression system for the rapid production of highly immunogenic Hepatitis E virus-like particles

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Abstract

Objective

Hepatitis E virus (HEV) infection is a major cause of acute hepatitis worldwide. The aim of the study is the development of plant expression system for the production of virus-like particles formed by HEV capsid and the characterization of their immunogenicity.

Results

Open reading frame (ORF) 2 encodes the viral capsid protein and possesses candidate for vaccine production. In this study, we used truncated genotype 3 HEV ORF 2 consisting of aa residues 110 to 610. The recombinant protein was expressed in Nicotiana benthamiana plants using the self-replicating potato virus X-based vector pEff up to 10% of the soluble protein fraction. The yield of HEV 110-610 after purification was 150–200 µg per 1 g of green leaf biomass. The recombinant protein formed nanosized virus-like particles. The immunization of mice with plant-produced HEV 110-610 protein induced high levels of HEV-specific serum antibodies.

Conclusions

HEV ORF 2 (110-610 aa) can be used as candidate for the development of a plant-produced vaccine against Hepatitis E.

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Abbreviations

HEV:

Hepatitis E virus

ORF:

Open reading frame

PVX:

Potato virus X

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (Grant 18‐54‐18005), the Bulgarian National Science Fund (Grant DNTC/Russia 02-6) and the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program project PlantaSYST (SGA-CSA No. 739582 under FPA No. 664620).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Bioengineering, Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, 119071, Russia

    Eugenia S. Mardanova & Nikolai V. Ravin

  2. Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Biology, University of Plovdiv, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    Katerina H. Takova, Valentina T. Toneva & Gergana G. Zahmanova

  3. Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnologies, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    Valentina T. Toneva

  4. Center of Plant Systems Biology and Biotechnology, 4000, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    Gergana G. Zahmanova

  5. Research Institute of Influenza, Russian Ministry of Health, St. Petersburg, 197376, Russia

    Liudmila M. Tsybalova

Authors
  1. Eugenia S. Mardanova
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  2. Katerina H. Takova
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  3. Valentina T. Toneva
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  4. Gergana G. Zahmanova
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  5. Liudmila M. Tsybalova
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  6. Nikolai V. Ravin
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Correspondence to Nikolai V. Ravin.

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Mardanova, E.S., Takova, K.H., Toneva, V.T. et al. A plant-based transient expression system for the rapid production of highly immunogenic Hepatitis E virus-like particles. Biotechnol Lett 42, 2441–2446 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-020-02995-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10529-020-02995-x

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