Novel recombinant multiepitope proteins for the detection of anti-Cryptococcus antibodies.

Aim: To produce and test recombinant multiepitope proteins as an alternative assay for the serological diagnosis of cryptococcosis. Materials & methods: Previously, synthetic peptides were used to detect anti-Cryptococcus antibodies, and in silico analyses showed that the union of peptides would improve the results. Here, the coding sequences of these peptides were assembled into synthetic genes. Four genes have been cloned and expressed in Escherichia coil, producing recombinant multiepitope proteins: proteins A, B, C and D. Results: All constructs yielded good results; however, protein D showed the best results, with a sensitivity of 88.57% and specificity of 100%. Conclusion: The multiepitope proteins were shown to be potential antigens for the diagnosis of cryptococcosis in an attempt to detect anti-Cryptococcus antibodies.