Expression of the hepatitis B virus large envelope protein in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The yeast vector pPV2 has been constructed for inducible expression of non-fused proteins from the PHO5 promoter. Signals of the URA3 gene are used for transcription termination. The 226-amino-acid 'major' and the 389-amino-acid 'large' envelope protein of hepatitis B virus (HBV) have been produced in Saccharomyces cerevisiae following insertion of the S gene or of the entire pre-S region and the S gene, respectively, of HBV into pPV2. Although normally only a minor constituent of the viral envelope, the 'large' protein forms particles with cellular lipids similar to those composed of the 'major' envelope protein. Such particles carry pre-S1, pre-S2, and S-encoded epitopes and, in addition, a receptor for polymerized human serum albumin.