Expression in E. coli and purification of a chimeric p22‐NS3 recombinant antigen of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)

Abstract

A recombinant antigen (p22-NS3), possessing putative HCV nucleocapsid protein (~22) and non-structural protein 3 (NS3) epitopes, was heavily expressed m E. co11 and purified. The p22-NS3 purified recombmant antigen strongly reacts with sera containing human antibodies directed against p22 and NS3 providing a starting point for the design of an HCV single all-encompassmg antigen for a blood screening assay.