Occlusion body-incorporated SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD via cypovirus polyhedrin-derived peptide: a novel insect cell-expressed antigen for high-accuracy COVID-19 diagnosis, and humoral immune response and hybrid immunity evaluation.

ABSTRACT: Accurate serological assays are critical for monitoring antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 and for assessing vaccine efficacy. In this study, we engineered a recombinant baculovirus to express the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) fused to an N-terminal peptide of cypovirus polyhedrin (S-RBD-POLH), thereby enabling its potential encapsulation within occlusion bodies. The construct was expressed in insect cells and employed to establish an in-house enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA-S) for COVID-19 diagnosis and evaluation of the humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2. We compared the performance of ELISA-S with a commercial lateral flow immunoassay (LFIA), a chemiluminescence immunoassay (CLIA), and an in-house ELISA targeting Escherichia coli-produced nucleocapsid (N) prot

SUBMITTER: Barros-Silveira M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12919303 | biostudies-literature | 2026

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature