Expression of a full-length nonstructural protein NS1 of bluetongue virus serotype 17 in Escherichia coli.

The relative abundance of the nonstructural protein NS1 in bluetongue virus (BTV)-infected cells, the existence of NS1 in the BTV particles and the highly conserved NS1 gene among BTV serotypes indicate the diagnostic potential of using NS1 in detecting BTV infections. In this study a NS1 gene was expressed with the T7 RNA polymerase expression system to produce a full-length NS1 protein. Sheep anti-NS1 antibodies were raised with the E. coli-produced NS1 and used to show that the NS1 proteins of the five BTV serotypes in the Unites States were immunologically indistinguishable.