Patent ID: 8663951

Claim:
A method for producing a capsid protein complex of a picornavirus or a virus-like particle of a picornavirus, said method comprising: providing an E. coli strain containing a plurality of nucleotide sequences, each of which is operably linked to a promoter and contains a first fragment encoding a Smt3 protein and a second fragment encoding a capsid protein of a picornavirus, the first fragment being upstream to the second fragment, wherein the second fragments in all of the nucleotide sequences, taken together, encode all of the capsid proteins for a virus-like particle of the picornavirus, wherein, in at least one of the nucleotide sequences, the first and second fragments are linked via an SfoI restriction site, culturing the E. coli strain to allow expression of fusion proteins, each containing Smt3 and one of the capsid proteins, and subsequent formation of capsid protein complexes, wherein each complex is composed of the fusion proteins; and collecting the cells of the E. coli strain for isolation of the capsid protein complexes.