Large scale purification of rubella virus and the isolation of native viral core protein

A number of structural analyses of viruses are dependent on the availability of purified virus and of pure viral components in milligram amounts. In order to allow such analyses of the Rubella togavirus we have identified a virus-cell-system which produces large amounts of Rubella virus in tissue culture and we have developed a rapid and efficient procedure of Rubella virus purification which involves adsorption and elution of virus to fixed erythrocytes. Furthermore, we describe a procedure which allows the extraction of native core protein from viral cores and its chromatographic purification.