Expression of NS3/NS4A Proteins of Hepatitis C Virus in Huh7 Cells Following Engineering Its Eukaryotic Expression Vector

Cloning, expression, and functional identification of aquaporin genes from Eimeria tenella

Avian coccidiosis, caused by Eimeria spp., is one of the major parasitic diseases in chicken. Aquaporins (AQP) are essential mediators of water regulation and nutritional intake in parasites, and it may be a suitable molecule for chemotherapeutic target and vaccine candidate. We identified two aquaporin genes in Eimeria tenella (EtAQP1 and EtAQP2) with their full sequence, and the expression profiles were analyzed across different stages of E. tenella life cycle. The expression of EtAQP1 and EtAQP2 in Xenopus oocytes renders them highly permeable for both water and glycerol. Sugar alcohols up to five carbons and urea pass the pore. The immunohistochemical analysis confirms the restriction of antiserum staining to the surface of transfected Xenopus oocytes. Like other AQP family, EtAQPs are transmembrane proteins that are likely important molecules that facilitate solute uptake for parasite intracellular growth and therapeutic targets.

The Distinct Role of Small Heat Shock Protein 20 on HCV NS3 Expression in HEK-293T Cell Line

BACKGROUND

Hepatitis C (HCV) is known as a serious blood-borne disease that infects millions of people globally. NS3 is a conserved non-structural sequence of hepatitis C virus which has a major role in activating specific CTL responses. As known, there is no effective vaccine against HCV infection, thus it is required to design a specific regimen of vaccination. Recently, the strong immunological properties of Heat shock proteins (Hsps) led to their use as immunomodulators and an antigen carrier for subunit vaccine candidates. In the current study, the role of Hsp20 was evaluated as a HCV NS3 gene carrier in mammalian cell line.

METHODS

At first, the recombinant plasmids of pEGFP-Hsp20, pEGFP-NS3, and pEGFP-Hsp20-NS3 were constructed and their accuracy was confirmed by digestion and sequencing. Then, all recombinant plasmids were transfected into HEK293T cells by Lipofectamine and TurboFect gene delivery systems. Finally, the expression of proteins was assessed by fluorescent microscopy, western blotting, and flow cytometry.

RESULTS

In western blotting, the 47, 59, and 79 kDa bands were detected for pEGFP-Hsp20, pEGFP-NS3, and pEGFP-Hsp20-NS3, respectively. The percentage of NS3-Hsp20-GFP protein expression was ∼67% by TurboFect and ∼50% by Lipofectamine indicating high potency of TurboFect delivery system. Furthermore, the expression of Hsp20 (∼83%) was higher than NS3 (∼58%) in the cells transfected by TurboFect using flow cytometry analysis. This result was confirmed in the expression of Hsp20-NS3 fusion (∼67%) in which Hsp20 increased the delivery of HCV NS3 in vitro. The same data were obtained by Lipofectamine transfection reagent.

CONCLUSION

Briefly, our data confirmed the role of Hsp20 as a suitable antigen carrier for DNA vaccine design.