Abstract
Despite the long availability of a traditional prophylactic vaccine containing the HBV surface antigen (HBsAg) and aluminum adjuvant, nearly 10% of the population remains unable to generate an effective immune response. Previous studies have indicated that hepatitis B virus (HBV) PreS2-S is abundant in T/B cell epitopes, which induces a stronger immune response than HBsAg, particularly in terms of cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) reaction. In the current study, the HBV PreS2-S gene encoding an extra 26 amino acids (PreS2 C-terminus) located at the N-terminus of HBsAg was cloned into the pVCH1300 expression vector. PreS2-S expressed in the methylotrophic yeast, Hansenula polymorpha, was produced at a yield of up to 250 mg/L. Subsequent purification steps involved hydrophobic adsorption to colloidal silica, ion-exchange chromatography and density ultracentrifugation. The final product was obtained with a total yield of ∼15% and purity of ∼99%. In keeping with previous studies, ∼22 nm viruslike particles were detected using electron microscopy. The generated PreS2-S antigen will be further studied for efficacy and safty in animals.
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Xu, X., Ren, S., Chen, X. et al. Generation of hepatitis B virus PreS2-S antigen in Hansenula polymorpha . Virol. Sin. 29, 403–409 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12250-014-3508-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12250-014-3508-9