Hepatitis C is a disease of liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV), which is transmitted through the blood of an infected person. Globally, an estimated 58 million people are infected with the hepatitis C virus, with around 1.5 million new patients each year. Chronic hepatitis C infects an estimated 3.2 million young people and can cause both acute and chronic hepatitis which may include a mild illness and a serious, lifelong illness such as liver cirrhosis and cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma and lymphomas). Differing from hepatitis A and B, there is currently no vaccine for the hepatitis C virus.
Being a small, enveloped, positive-sense single-stranded RNA (ssRNA) virus belonging to the family Flaviviridae, the hepatitis C virus particle comprises a lipid membrane envelope that is 55 to 65 nm in diameter.
The genome of HCV is made up of an open single reading frame whose length is 9600 nucleotide bases; the structural proteins of HCV are the core protein, envelope proteins E1 and E2, and the non-structural proteins contain NS2, NS3, NS4A, NS4B, NS5A, and NS5B. The proteins of the virus are managed in the following order along the genome: N terminal- core antigen (HCVcAg)-E1–E2–p7- NS2–NS3–NS4A–NS4B–NS5A–NS5B–C terminal.
HCV Core Antigen (HCVcAg)
Being a structural phosphoprotein of the HCV capsid, the HCV core antigen (HCVcAg) consists of the first 191 amino acids of the viral polyprotein. The Hepatitis C virus core antigen is highly preserved across HCV genotypes. They are present throughout the virus and in RNA-free core protein constructs.
Envelope Proteins (E1 and E2)
E1 and E2 are two viral envelope glycoproteins embedded in the lipid envelope. Both of them are responsible for viral attachment and cell entry. Inside the envelope is an icosahedral core with diameters of 33-40 nm.
Nonstructural Proteins
As a 63 amino acid membrane-spanning protein, NS1 (p7) protein plays an important role in virus morphogenesis. NS2 is a transmembrane protein with protease activity and NS3 is a 67 kDa protein with serine protease activity at the N-terminal and constitutes a heterodimeric complex with NS4A, which serves as a proteinase cofactor. NS4B is essential for the recruitment of other viral proteins. NS5A, as a hydrophilic phosphoprotein, is crucial for viral replication, modulation of cell signaling pathways, and the interferon response. The NS5B protein is RNA-dependent RNA polymerase.
Application of HCV Antigens
There are HCV antigens to be applied in anti-HCV antibody tests for detecting antibodies against the HCV in blood. Testing for anti-HCV antibodies with a serological test identifies patients infected with the virus. The Anti-HCV assay is designed to detect human donors such as volunteer donors of whole blood and blood components, and other living donors for the presence of anti-HCV.
PRISM HCV Reagent Kit
The ABBOTT PRISM HCV assay is used for qualitative detection of antibodies to Hepatitis C Virus (anti-HCV) in human serum and plasma samples being an in vitro chemiluminescent immunoassay (ChLIA). The kit contains recombinant antigens, including core protein and nonstructural proteins (NS3, NS4 and NS5), and can therefore be applied to detect antibodies against these antigens.
The HCr43 protein is a fusion protein consisting of HCV core protein and HCV nonstructural region 3 (NS3) expressed in Escherichia coli (E. coli).
The c100-3 protein is expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) as a fusion protein of NS3, NS4, and superoxide dismutase (SOD).
The NS5-SOD fusion protein is also expressed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Alinity s Anti-HCV Reagent Kit
As another kit for anti-HCV test on the Alinity s System, Alinity s Anti-HCV assay consists of recombinant HCV-derived antigens (c100-3, HCr43) manufactured in E. coli and yeast. Alinity s Anti-HCV assay is intended for detecting antibodies against the core protein, NS3 and NS4 regions of the HCV genome.
Yaohai Bio-Pharma Offers One-Stop CDMO Solution for HCV Antigen
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