ABSTRACT
Objective To design a complex hepatitis C vires(HCV)=E1 antigen,and to search its application in HCV vaccine and diagnosis test.Methods Through consulting the database and widely comparison of sequences from HCV E1 of different genotype,the representative immunodominant epitope sequences were selected from all the six genotypes.Their genes were deduced according to the preference codon in E.coli and three fragments were designed to contain the six epitopes.They were chemically synthesized and cloned into pBVIL1 vector separately.The cloned fragments were conjugated together profiting from pBVIL1's property,and then a doubled pan-DR helper T cell epitopes(PADRE)gene was inserted to form a complex expression plasmid.The transformed E.coli cells with this plasmid were cultured and induced to express recombinant protein and the antigenic activity of the product was tested.Results An expressing plasmid containing 8 epitopes from HCV genotype 1a,1b,2a,3a,4a,6a and a doubled PADRE sequences was constructed successfully and the engineering E.coli transformed with this plasmid highly expressed after inducing culture at 42℃ in an inclusion manner.The immunological activity of the purified recombinsnt multi-epitope antigen shows that:(1)It can react with a great part of sera from HCV positive patients by indirect ELISA.(2)It can induce notable specific humoral immunity in injected mice.Conclusion The novel constructed expressing plasmid and its product may be useful in study of a newly HCV vaccine as well as an antigen for HCV immunoassays.