Synthesis in Escherichia coli of the major glycoprotein of human rotavirus: analysis of the antigenic regions.

Various regions of the gene encoding the major neutralization antigen, VP7, of human rotavirus have been expressed in Escherichia coli, as N-terminal fusions to beta-galactosidase under the control of the lac promoter. We have determined that the fusion products of two clones containing regions AB (aa 69-158) and ABC (aa 69-319) were antigenic, reacting with antibodies raised against whole virus. When guinea pigs were immunized with fusion protein purified by monoclonal antibody affinity columns, no neutralizing or virus-binding antibodies were detected, but antibodies binding to denatured VP7 were present.