Expression and purification of polioviral proteins in E. coli, and production of antisera as reagents for immunological assays.

Poliomyelitis, caused by poliovirus, is on the verge of eradication, and the world is preparing to shift from live to inactivated polio vaccine. In view of the requirement of non-infectious reagents, especially protein antigens, for surveillance during the final phase of poliovirus eradication, we have attempted to generate reagents that may be of use for the development of diagnostic tests. Polioviral proteins VP0, VP3, VP1, and 3AB were expressed in Escherichia coli using the autoinduction system, purified, and the proteins were used to raise antisera in rabbits. All antisera detected all three serotypes of PV from infected cell lysates in enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescence and western blotting.