Varicella-zoster virus cDNA and Antigen

The varicella-zoster virus (VZV) antigen is a protein found in the VZV virus. It is present in both the live virus form and as a component of the viral particles. The antigen binds to specific antibodies and can be used to identify an active VZV infection. It is typically used in a laboratory test to detect the presence of VZV antibodies in the blood.

The Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) genome is a double-stranded, linear DNA molecule approximately 125,000 base pairs in length. It contains at least 75 genes, including those encoding for the viral structural and nonstructural proteins, as well as those involved in viral replication and transcription. The VZV genome is divided into two distinct regions: the unique long (UL) region, which contains two copies of the viral genes, and the unique short (US) region, which contains fewer copies of the viral genes.

The UL region is located at the 5′ end of the genome and contains genes encoding for the major capsid proteins, glycoproteins, the thymidine kinase enzyme, and the replication enzymes. The US region is located at the 3′ end of the genome and contains genes encoding for the minor capsid proteins, the immediate-early proteins, and the transcription and replication enzymes.

The envelope glycoproteins of VZV, including B, H, I, and L, are involved in virus entry and fusion with host cells. These glycoproteins are essential for virus attachment and fusion, allowing the virus to enter host cells and initiate infection.

Transcriptional repressor IE61 is a viral protein that regulates the expression of other viral genes, including genes involved in virus replication and pathogenesis. This protein interacts with other viral and cellular proteins to repress the expression of specific genes during the early phase of infection.

Envelope protein 65 is a structural protein that is present on the surface of the virus and is involved in virus attachment and entry. It interacts with host cell receptors to facilitate virus entry into host cells.

Tegument protein VP16 homolog is a viral protein that is present in the tegument, the layer between the virus envelope and the nucleocapsid. This protein is involved in virus transcription and replication and plays a critical role in the initiation of the virus replication cycle.

Understanding the functions and roles of these key proteins is crucial for developing effective vaccines and antiviral therapies against VZV. In addition, insights into the molecular mechanisms of VZV infection may lead to the development of new treatments for chickenpox and shingles.

The use of recombinant proteins/cDNA in academic research and therapeutic applications has skyrocketed. However, in heterologous expression systems, successful recombinant protein expression is dependent on a variety of factors, including codon preference, RNA secondary structure, and GC content. When compared to pre-optimization, more and more experimental results demonstrated that the expression level was dramatically increased, ranging from two to hundred times depending on the gene. Bioclone has created a proprietary technology platform that has resulted in the creation of over 6,000 artificially synthesized codon-optimized cDNA clones (cloned in E. coli expression Vector), which are ready for production of the recombinant proteins.