glycoprotein expressed from recombinant vaccinia virus

The gplI glycoprotein of variceUa-zoster virus (VZV) was produced in CV1 cells via vaccinia virus recom-binants. Two different DNA constructs were expressed: the first one encodes the complete gplI protein (gplI s+a +) and the second a truncated species lacking the membrane anchorage domain (gplI s+a). To achieve expression both coding sequences had to be engineered at the 5 ' end by substituting the unusually short (24 bp) natural signal sequence by a more conventional one encoding 29 amino acids. Recombinant gplI proteins were detected in vaccinia virus-infected cells by ELISA and immunoprecipitation. Both forms of recombinant gplI proteins were produced as glycosylated single-chain molecules of respectively l l0K and 90K. Upon reduction these were only partially converted int