Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39660966›Full record

ArticleProtein science : a publication of the Protein Society2025

A novel method for recombinant mammalian-expressed S-HBsAg virus-like particle production for assembly status analysis and improved anti-HBs serology.

Michael Lehky, Tashveen Moonian, Tanja Michel, Daniel Junker, Mathias Müsken, Julia Strömpl, Patrick Nübling, Franziska Neumann, Andi Krumbholz, Gérard Krause and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Michael LehkyDepartment of Structure and Function of Proteins, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Tashveen MoonianDepartment of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Tanja MichelDepartment of Multiplex Immunoassays, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany.
Daniel JunkerDepartment of Multiplex Immunoassays, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany.
Mathias MüskenCentral Facility for Microscopy, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Julia StrömplDepartment of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Patrick NüblingDepartment of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Franziska NeumannLaboratory Dr. Krause and Colleagues MVZ GmbH, Kiel, Germany.
Andi KrumbholzLaboratory Dr. Krause and Colleagues MVZ GmbH, Kiel, Germany.
Gérard KrauseDepartment of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Nicole Schneiderhan-MarraDepartment of Multiplex Immunoassays, NMI Natural and Medical Sciences Institute at the University of Tübingen, Reutlingen, Germany.
Joop van den HeuvelDepartment of Structure and Function of Proteins, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.
Monika StrengertDepartment of Epidemiology, Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research, Braunschweig, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1001-8020

Funding

Helmholtz-GemeinschaftState Ministry of Baden-Württemberg for Economic Affairs, Labour and Tourism
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) as the only lipid-associated envelope protein of the Hepatitis B virus (HBV) acts as cellular attachment and entry mediator of HBV making it the main target of neutralizing antibodies to provide HBV immunity after infection or vaccination. Despite its central role in inducing protective immunity, there is however a surprising lack of comparative studies examining different HBsAgs and their ability to detect anti-HBs antibodies. On the contrary, various time-consuming complex HBsAg production protocols have been established, which result in structurally and functionally insufficiently characterized HBsAg. Here, we present an easy-to-perform, streamlined and robust method for recombinant S-HBsAg virus-like particle (VLP) production by transient expression in mammalian cells and purification from the cell lysate with the aim of displaying uniform antigenic epitopes on the surface to improve serological detection of anti-HBs antibodies. We not only compare assembly status and particle composition by transmission electron microscopy and mass photometry of our S-HBsAg and of commonly used HBsAg reference samples, but also assess their antigenic quality and functional suitability for anti-HBs antibody detection to identify the best performing sample for serological screenings. While we found that serum-isolated and recombinant HBsAg VLPs are assembled differently, our S-HBsAg VLPs detected anti-HBs antibodies with the highest sensitivity and specificity in multiplex serology when compared to yeast or serum HBsAg making it the most suitable antigen for analysis of HBV immunity through anti-HBs serostatus.

Indexed as

Hepatitis B AntibodiesHepatitis B Surface AntigensHepatitis B virusRecombinant ProteinsAnimalsGene ExpressionHEK293 CellsHumansVaccines, Virus-Like ParticleHepatitis B AntibodiesHepatitis B Surface AntigensRecombinant ProteinsVaccines, Virus-Like Particleanti‐HBs antibodiesHepatitis B surface antigenin vitro maturationmass photometrymultiplex serologyprotective immunitytransmission electron microscopyvirus‐like particlesVLP assembly

Identifiers

PMID39660966
PMCPMC11633054

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.