Construction of the Porcine Endogenous Retrovirus Envelope Glycoprotein A and B Specific Antibody

ABSTRACT

Xenotransplantation using porcine organs could potentially associate with the risk of pathogenic infections, because human tropic porcine endogenous retrovirus (PERV) particles could be released from pig cells or organs. While there is no evidence of PERV transmission to human, safety issues become a paramount concern. For the prevention of this transmission, specific immunological tools must be provided for PERV transmission detection. In this study we described the expression of PERV envelope proteins and the production of a specific antibody against PERV envelope (Env) glycoprotein. The nucleotide sequence harboring the partial region of glycoprotein 70 was cloned into the pET vector and envelope protein was expressed in E. coli. Approximately 42 kDa recombinant Env protein (PERV Env-aa357) was purified by the Ni-affinity column. For antibody production, mice were immunized with the recombinant PERV Env-aa357. The generated anti-serum was tested using Western blot and immunocytochemical assay. We found that anti-PERV Env serum displayed the specificity against the PERV Envs (PERV-A and PERV-B) expressed not only in E. coli but also in mammalian cells, and PERV particles within the porcine cell lines (PK 15 and PK-1). Taken together, PERV antibody could be useful for detecting PERV infection or xenotransplantation transmission.