BACKGROUND Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) is one of the main causative agents of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), and the development of a safe and effective vaccine has been a top priority among CA16 researchers. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this study, we developed a Pichia pastoris yeast system for secretory expression of the virus-like particles (VLPs) for CA16 by co-expression of the P1 and 3CD...

Norovirus is a major causative pathogen of nonbacterial acute gastroenteritis. Despite the sequence similarity among various strains, noroviruses of different genotypes show different antigenicities and different binding profiles to histo-blood group antigens (HBGAs). To reveal the relationships between the structure of the capsid and the diversity in antigenicity and the HBGA-binding profile, ...

RNA has enormous potential as a therapeutic, yet, the successful application depends on efficient delivery strategies. In this study, we demonstrate that a designed artificial viral coat protein, which self-assembles with DNA to form rod-shaped virus-like particles (VLPs), also encapsulates and protects mRNA encoding enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and luciferase, and yields cellular ...

Here we characterize virus-like particles (VLPs) by three very distinct, orthogonal, and quantitative techniques: electrospray differential mobility analysis (ES-DMA), asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation with multi-angle light scattering detection (AFFFF-MALS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). VLPs are biomolecular particles assembled from viral proteins with applications ranging...

Protein engineering provides an opportunity to generate new immunogens with desired features. Previously, we have demonstrated that hamster polyomavirus major capsid protein VP1-derived virus-like particles (VLPs) are highly immunogenic and can be employed for the insertion of foreign epitopes at certain surface-exposed positions. In the current study, we have designed pseudotype VLPs consistin...

Virus-like particles (VLPs) of chimeric porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) were generated by replacing the nuclear localization signal (NLS; at 1-39 aa) of PCV2 capsid protein (Cap) with classical swine fever virus (CSFV) T-cell epitope (1446-1460 aa), CSFV B-cell epitope (693-716 aa) and CSFV T-cell epitope conjugated with B-cell epitope. The recombinant proteins were expressed using the baculov...

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV), a member of the family Bunyaviridae, regularly accounts for large and severe outbreaks among humans and livestock in Africa and Arabia. Therefore, safe and efficient vaccines are highly needed. Here, we report the production of recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) that, in addition to their similarity to RVFV particles, are able to express the viral nucleocaps...

Electron microscopy is routinely used to identify viral infections in protozoan parasites. These viruses have been described as non-enveloped and icosahedral structures with a diameter of 30-60 nm. Most of them are classified within the non-segmented dsRNA Totiviridae family. We observed virus-like particles (VLPs) through transmission electron microscopy in the cytoplasm of Trypanosoma cruzi e...

Virus-like particles (VLPs) are known to induce strong Ab responses in the absence of adjuvants. In addition, VLPs are able to prime CTL responses in vivo. To study the efficiency of this latter process, we fused peptide p33 derived from lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus to the hepatitis B core Ag, which spontaneously assembles into VLPs (p33-VLPs). These p33-VLPs were efficiently processed in...

Recombinant virus-like particles (VLPs) represent a promising tool for protein engineering. Recently, trichodysplasia spinulosa-associated polyomavirus (TSPyV) viral protein 1 (VP1) was efficiently produced in yeast expression system and shown to self-assemble to VLPs. In the current study, TSPyV VP1 protein was exploited as a carrier for construction of chimeric VLPs harboring selected B and T...