Varicella was purified by proprietary chromatographic technique.
Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), also known as Human Herpesvirus 3 (HHV-3), is a member of the genus Varicellovirus in the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily of the Herpesviridae family . VZV is the causative agent of chickenpox (varicella) in children and shingles (zoster) in adults. After the primary infection, the virus establishes latency in the sensory ganglia and can reactivate later in life to cause shingles .
The VZV genome is approximately 125 kilobases (kb) of linear double-stranded DNA containing around 71 open reading frames (ORFs) . The viral structure is similar to other alphaherpesviruses, consisting of two unique regions, unique long (UL) and unique short (US), each flanked by inverted repeats . The genome organization includes terminal repeat long (TRL) and internal repeat long (IRL) bordering the UL region, and terminal repeat short (TRS) and internal repeat short (IRS) bordering the US region .
Recombinant VZV ORF26 protein is produced by expressing the ORF26 gene in a bacterial system, such as Escherichia coli (E. coli), and purifying the protein using chromatographic techniques . The recombinant protein typically contains the immunodominant regions of the ORF26 protein, specifically amino acids 9-33 and 184-208 . This recombinant protein is used in various research and diagnostic applications, including the generation of antibodies that specifically target the ORF26 protein .
The recombinant VZV ORF26 protein is valuable in several areas of research and diagnostics: