Cloning and Expression of Influenza H1N1 virus M2 protein in BL21 (DE3) E.coli

Aim and Influenza A is a major cause of mortality in a year. There has been an efficient vaccine available against it since 1960. Antigenic variation is a preventive agent for yearly vaccine production. Now researchers focus on the constant antigens of viruses. M2 protein makes an ionic channel in the coat of influenza, a virus that is effective on infection by virus. This protein is conserved and it is considered as a proper candidate vaccine for influenza infection. Due to limitations for influenza virus culture at the lab, the sequence of influenza virus H1N1 strain of Iran was synthesized. It was sub-cloned into pET22b vector recombinant protein and expressed in BL21 E.coli and confirmed with specific antibody by SDS-PAGE and western blot techniques. The concentration of recombinant M2 protein was 300μg/ml confirmed by specific antibody. Influenza M2 protein could be expressed in BL21 E.coli host.