Expression of recombinant West Nile virus prM protein fused to an affinity tag for use as a diagnostic antigen

Previous studies have concluded that the Flavivirus prM protein is a suitable viral antigen to distinguish serologically between infections with closely related Flaviviruses (Cardosa et al., 2002). To express the recombinant West Nile virus (WNV) prM antigen fused to a suitable affinity tag for purification, a series of prM-His-tag and prM-V5-tag fusion proteins were generated. Analysis of the prM-His-tag fusion proteins revealed that either prM epitopes were disrupted or the His-tag was not presented properly depending on the location of the His tag and the presence of the prM transmembrane domains in these constructs. This identified domains critical for proper folding of prM, and arrangements that allowed the correct presentation of the His-tag. However, the inclusion of the V5 epitope tag fused to the C terminus of prM allowed formation of the authentic antigenic structure of prM and the proper presentation of the V5 epitope. Capture of tagged recombinant WNV_NY99 prM antigen to the solid phase with anti-V5 antibody in ELISA enabled the detection of prM-specific antibodies in WNV_NY99-immune horse serum, confirming its potential as a useful diagnostic reagent.