[Synthesis and antigenic activity of peptides from the ORF3 protein sequence of hepatitis E virus]

The hepatitis E virus (HEV) is an infection agent (detected recently) responsible for an enterically transmitted non-A, non-B hepatitis [1,2]. Hepatitis E is a big problem in many developing countries, including the Central Asian areas of the former Soviet Union [2]. By cloning followed by sequence analysis of the HEV genome, three open reading frames (ORF) have been identified, among them ORF3 encoding a protein containing 123 amino acid residues, the function of this protein being unknown. Recently [3], one of the immunodominant regions of ORF3 protein was revealed between the 91st and 123rd amino acid residue. The purpose of the present study was a more precise localization of epitopes in the C-terminal portion of HEV ORF3 protein by using synthetic peptides.