Patent ID: 8216590

Claim:
A polynucleotide comprising a coding sequence encoding an HCV fusion polypeptide consisting of a polypeptide selected from the group of polypeptides consisting of: (1) in an amino terminal to carboxy terminal direction, numbered relative to HCV-1, a methionine, amino acids 384 to 715 of E2, amino acids 1018 to 1026 of NS2, amino acids 1027 to 1657 of NS3, amino acids 1658 to 1972 of NS4, amino acids 1973 to 2990 of NS5 and amino acids 1 to 121 of core, wherein the serine at position 1165 of the NS3 sequence is replaced with an alanine, amino acid 9 of the core sequence is arginine and amino acid 11 of the core sequence is threonine; (2) in an amino terminal to carboxy terminal direction, numbered relative to HCV-1, a methionine, amino acids 384 to 715 of E2, amino acids 1018 to 1026 of NS2, amino acids 1027 to 1657 of NS3, amino acids 1658 to 1972 of NS4, amino acids 1973 to 3011 of NS5 and amino acids 1 to 121 of core, wherein the serine at position 1165 of the NS3 sequence is replaced with an alanine, amino acid 9 of the core sequence is a arginine and amino acid 11 of the core sequence is threonine; (3) in an amino terminal to carboxy terminal direction, numbered relative to HCV-1, amino acids 1018 to 1026 of NS2, amino acids 1027 to 1657 of NS3, amino acids 1658 to 1972 of NS4, amino acids 1973 to 2990 of NS5 and amino acids 1 to 121 of core, wherein the serine at position 1165 of the NS3 sequence is replaced with an alanine, amino acid 9 of the core sequence is a arginine and amino acid 11 of the core sequence is threonine; and (4) in an amino terminal to carboxy terminal direction, numbered relative to HCV-1, amino acids 1018 to 1026 of NS2, amino acids 1027 to 1657 of NS3, amino acids 1658 to 1972 of NS4, amino acids 1973 to 3011 of NS5 and amino acids 1 to 121 of core, wherein the serine at position 1165 of the NS3 sequence is replaced with an alanine, amino acid 9 of the core sequence is a arginine and amino acid 11 of the core sequence is threonine.