| abstract |
A nucleic acid encoding a mosaic hepatitis E virus (HEV) polypeptide, consisting of the nucleotide sequence defined in the Sequence Listing as SEQ ID NO:1 is provided. A nucleic acid encoding epitopes 5, 6, 22, 23, 24, 28 and 29 of hepatitis E virus and substantially lacking the nucleic acids intervening the epitope-coding nucleic acids in the native hepatitis E virus is also provided. An isolated nucleic acid that selectively hybridizes under stringent conditions with the mosaic polypeptide-encoding nucleic acid and has at least 70 % sequence identity with SEQ ID NO: 1 is provided. Also provided are such nucleic acids having at least 80 %, 90 % and 95 % sequence identity. A polypeptide consisting essentially of the amino acid sequence defined in the Sequence Listing as SEQ ID NO:2 is provided. Polypeptides encoded by the present selectively hybridizing nucleic acids, and nucleic acids encoding epitopes 5, 6, 22, 23, 24, 28 and 29 of HEV and substantially lacking the nucleic acids intervening the epitope-coding nucleic acids are also provided. |