The full-length of cDNA of the VP4 of the human rotavirus K8 strain and the porcine rotavirus Gottfried strain were cloned into the pGEMEX system and expressed in E. coli (JM 109) by induction with IPTG. The VP4 outer capsid protein of each of these strains was expressed at a high level in E. coli. In addition, both the VP5 and VP8 subunits of VP4 derived from the K8 and Gottfried strains were expressed in E. coli. The yields of the expressed VP5 and VP8 subunits were much higher than that of expressed VP4. Expression of the full-length of VP4, VP5, and VP8 in E. coli provides an efficient source for these proteins and should facilitate research on molecular characterization of the VP4 outer capsid protein.
