Chicken astrovirus capsid proteins produced by recombinant baculoviruses: potential use for diagnosis and vaccination.

Chicken astrovirus capsid proteins produced by recombinant baculoviruses: potential use for diagnosis and vaccination. Avian Pathol. 2013 Oct;42(5):434-42 Authors: Lee A, Wylie M, Smyth VJ, Skibinska A, Patterson IA, Forster F, Welsh MD, Todd D Abstract Chicken astroviruses (CAstVs) have been characterized recently. Due to their relatively poor growth in cell culture, virus-specific antigens are not readily available for the development of diagnostic reagents and vaccines. For this purpose two capsid protein antigens, specified by the 11672 isolate of CAstV, were produced in insect cells following infection with recombinant baculoviruses. The GST-11672 capsid protein, a fusion protein comprising the capsid protein and glutathione-S-transferase (GST) as an N-terminal affinity tag, and the 11672 capsid protein alone were detected by western blotting as proteins of ~100 and 70 kDa, respectively. Immunization with the affinity-purified GST-11672 capsid protein produced a polyclonal rabbit antiserum, which reacted by indirect immunofluorescence with Group B CAstVs but which showed no reactivity with the Group A CAstV isolate, 612. When used as part of an immunoperoxidase-based immunohistochemical procedure, this rabbit antiserum facilitated the detection of CAstV antigen in formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded kidney tissue at the sites of histopathology characteristic of nephritis. Although further evaluation with sera from commercial chickens is req...
Source: Avian Pathology - Category: Pathology Authors: Tags: Avian Pathol Source Type: research