Expression Of Hcv Genotype-4 Core Antigen In Prokaryotic E. Coli System For Diagnosis Of Hcv Infection In Egypt

Background: Egypt has a high prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection with 92.5% of genotype-4.Aim: This study aimed to clone and express the core gene of HCV genotype-4 for using it to develop a highly sensitive, specific, and cost-effective diagnostic assay for detecting HCV infection.Methods: Using synthetic HCV genotype-4 core gene, pET15b as E. coli expression vector, and 1 mM lactose as inducer, the HCV core protein (MW 17 kDa) was expressed in the form of inclusion bodies (IBs) that was purified and solubilized using 8 M guanidinium HCl. The recombinant core protein was in vitro refolded by a rapid dilution method for further purification using weak cation exchange liquid chromatography. The immunogenicity of the purified protein was tested by ELISA using 129 serum samples.Results: The recombinant core protein was successfully expressed and purified. The results also showed that the in-house anti-HCV core assay is accurate, specific (similar to 96.6%), and highly sensitive (similar to 100%) in accordance with the commercial ELISA kit.Conclusion: The sensitivity, specificity, and reproducibility of the developed assay were high and promising to be used as a screening assay for detecting HCV infection.