Obtaining a high titer of polyclonal antibodies from rats to the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein and its N- and C-terminal domains for diagnostic test development

J Immunol Methods. 2023 Sep 11:113558. doi: 10.1016/j.jim.2023.113558. Online ahead of print.ABSTRACTSevere Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an enveloped, plus-stranded RNA virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Patients infected with COVID-19 may be asymptomatic or have symptoms ranging from mild manifestations to severe cases of the disease that could lead to death. The SARS-CoV-2 genome encodes 4 structural proteins, including the Spike protein (S), the Nucleocapsid protein (N), membrane protein (M) and, the envelope (E). The N protein forms a major component of the ribonucleoprotein complex within the virus particle and play a vital role in its transcription and replication. Nevertheless, the S protein was the most important protein in the development of vaccines against COVID-19. However, the decrease in number of registered immunizations against the disease and the rapid drop in neutralizing antibody titers together with looser preventive measures for virus transmission, favored the rapid appearance of new variants of concerns (VOCs) that primarily show mutations in the S protein. This fact makes the N protein a good candidate for the development of diagnostic tests, due to its stability, amino acid conservation, high immunogenicity, and the smaller likelihood of mutation. With the aim of developing a new diagnostic kit based on the N protein, we evaluated the humoral response in female Wistar rats against this target. Thr...
Source: Journal of Immunological Methods - Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Source Type: research