Produção da proteína P26 do vírus da anemia infecciosa eqüina em levedura Pichia pastoris

Abstract

Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) is an important lentivirose in horses, characterized by a chronic and degenerative profile, causing many economic losses. It is considered that animals exposed to the virus and underwent serological evidence, when considered positive, remain so throughout life, which justifies the great concern and disease surveillance. The aim of this study was to use Pichia pastoris yeast cells for protein production of p26 gag region of Equine Infectious Anemia Virus (EIAV) for diagnostic purposes. The p26 gene of EIAV was optimized through the codon usage strategy to be expressed in cells of the Pichia pastoris yeast. The insert was cloned into pPICZαA expression vector after appropriate enzymatic digestion. P. pastoris transformed with the construction pPICZαAp26 were induced to express the p26 recombinant protein under the regulation of AOX1 promoter by adding methanol to the culture medium. The p26 recombinant protein was identified by RT-PCR and Dot blotting assay using anti-His antibody. Further studies are needed to optimize bioprocesses involved in this system in order to obtain a stable, purified and useful antigen for diagnostic purposes.