Hepatitis E Virus Capsid Protein (ORF2), Recombinant, His-Tag

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a small, partially double-stranded DNA virus that belongs to the genus Orthohepadnaviruses of the Hepadnaviridae family of viruses. Currently, eight genotypes of HBV are recognised, designated A-H, with each genotype having a distinct geographical distribution. HBV is a retrovirus that replicates by reverse transcription of an RNA intermediate. The HBV genome encodes several structural and non-structural proteins including preCore, core, pol, X(HBx), and envelope proteins L, M and S (Liang ,TJ). Hepatitis B virus (HBV) expresses two structural forms of the nucleoprotein, the intracellular nucleocapsid (hepatitis core antigen, HBcAg) and the secreted nonparticulate form (hepatitis e antigen). The presence of HBeAg in the serum of infected patients is an indicator of active viral replication and disease progression (Tong, S et al).||HBV is a bloodborne virus that is transmitted through contact with infected blood or bodily fluids. HBV infection may occur through various routes including the sharing of needles for injecting drugs, the use of inadequately sterilized medical equipment infected with HBV and the transfusion of unscreened blood and blood products. In endemic areas, perinatal transmission of HBV from mother to child is common.||HBV infection causes liver disease which can vary from acute, or chronic hepatitis to cirrhosis of the liver and potentially hepatocellular carcinoma. The incubation of HBV infection can vary from 1–6 months. During the period of acute infection, most individuals remain asymptomatic. However, some patients develop acute illness presenting with clinical symptoms that include jaundice, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and extreme fatigue. Acute liver failure may occur in 1% of patients, which can be fatal. HBV infected patients may also develop chronic lifelong disease, which can progress to cirrhosis or hepatocellular carcinoma in 20-30% of adult cases (WHO).||The asymptomatic nature of HBV infection, and the similarity of clinical symptoms to other types of hepatitis virus infection makes clinical diagnosis difficult. Therefore, laboratory diagnosis is undertaken using serological and molecular methods to detect HBsAg and specific IgM antibodies recognizing core antigen HbcAg.||Source:|Recombinant protein corresponding to HEV ORF2, aa1-660, fused to a 15 amino acid glycine-serine linker followed by a 6x His-Tag at C-terminal, expressed in HEK293 cells. ||Storage and Stability:|Aliquot to avoid repeated freezing and thawing and store at -70°C. Aliquots are stable for 6 months after receipt. For maximum recovery of product, centrifuge the original vial after thawing and prior to removing the cap.