Synthesis of mumps virus nucleocapsid protein in yeast Pichia pastoris

• Published in: Journal of biotechnology 2003-06, Vol.103 (1), p.43-49
• Main Authors: Slibinskas, Rimantas, Zvirbliene, Aurelija, Gedvilaite, Alma, Samuel, Dhanraj, Jin, Li, Beard, Stuart, Staniulis, Juozas, Sasnauskas, Kestutis
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Biological and medical sciences; Cloning, Molecular; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gene Expression Regulation, Fungal - physiology; Immunoassay - methods; Mice; Mumps; Mumps virus - chemistry; Mumps virus - metabolism; Nucleocapsid-like particles; Pichia - chemistry; Pichia - genetics; Pichia - metabolism; Pichia pastoris; Protein Conformation; Protein Engineering - methods; Recombinant Proteins - biosynthesis; Recombinant Proteins - chemistry; Recombinant Proteins - genetics; Viral Fusion Proteins - biosynthesis; Viral Fusion Proteins - chemistry; Viral Fusion Proteins - immunology
• ISSN: 0168-1656; 1873-4863
• DOI: 10.1016/S0168-1656(03)00068-3

The expression of mumps virus nucleocapsid protein in yeast Pichia pastoris was investigated. Viral nucleocapsid proteins usually elicit a strong long-term humoral immune response in patients and experimental animals. Therefore, the detection of antibodies specific to mumps virus nucleoprotein can play an important role in immunoassays for mumps diagnosis. For producing a high-level of recombinant mumps virus nucleoprotein the expression system of yeast P. pastoris was employed. The recombinant nucleocapsid protein was purified by cesium chloride ultracentrifugation of yeast lysates. Electron microscopy of the purified recombinant nucleocapsid protein revealed a herring-bone structure similar to the one discovered in mammalian cells infected with mumps virus. The yield of purified nucleocapsid-like particles from P. pastoris constituted 2.1 mg per 1 g of wet biomass and was considerably higher in comparison to the other expression systems.