Development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analytical platform for refolding yield determination of recombinant hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein

We report the development of a novel ELISA platform to quantitate hepatitis B virus X (HBx) protein refolding yields, which is critical for rational design and scaleup of aHBx bioprocess. HBx refolding yields were measured by determining the amount of HBx bound to immobilized GST-p53 on a "reduced glutathione"-functionalized maleimide surface. Refolding yields were distinguished from soluble yields, which were determined by measuring total HBx protein bound to a maleimide surface under reducing conditions. This platform is amenable to scaleup, and will expedite HBx production for structural and clinical studies, leading to the development of HBx-based therapy for liver cancer. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.