Expression Of Rotavirus VP4 From Field Strain Selected In Beijing, China And Construction Of Virus-Like Particles (VP2/4/6) In Insect Cells

Rotaviruses, a genus within the family Reoviridae, include at least seven groups (from A to G). Groups A, B and C have been found in human infections, while viruses in other groups only in animals from different species. Rotavirus is the single most important etiological agent of severe diarrhea illness in infants and young children worldwide. A series of studies indicate that protections from active and/or passive immunization are highly effective to prevent children or infant animals against severe diarrhea caused by rotavirus. The genome of rotavirus consists of 11 segments of double-strand RNA, encoding 6 structural and 5 non-structural proteins. Being one of the major outer capsid proteins from rotavirus, VP4 is associated with many biological activities of the virus, but comprises only 1.5% of the protein mass of the virion. Expression of VP4, alone or in conjunction with other viral proteins, will promote the analysis of the antigenic, functional, and molecular properties of rotavirus VP4. Moreover, the availability of large amounts of immunogenic VP4 will facilitate etiologic studies and the preparation of protective antibodies. Baculovirus expression system is a promising eukaryotic expression system, in which thousands of gene products have been...