[Preparation of a suspension of isolated hepatocytes using the Soviet drug collalitin].

Isolation of individual hepatocytes suspension from rats was carried out using trypsin, collagenase and collalytine; maximal yield of the viable hepatocytes was obtained when 0.05% solution of collagenase was used. Trypsin was ineffective in production of viable cells, while collalytine from pig pancreas exhibited the satisfactory results at concentration of 0.

[Genetically engineered mutants of the envelope protein of the RNA-containing bacteriophage].

Expression of the coat protein gene of RNA bacteriophage fr in Escherichia coli cells leads to the formation of capsid-like structures of ca. 25 nm in diameter, which are immunologically indistinguishable from the native phage fr capsids. The modification strategy of the coat protein gene by gene engineering technique was developed in order to localize coat protein regions, which are exposed on the capsid surface and are capable to include foreign amino acid inserts without an appreciable effect on the capsid self-assembly.

[Structure and expression of human hepatitis B virus surface antigen].

In view of the growing occurrence rate of the virus-induced hepatitis B and also of the special role played by this particular virus (HBV) in the application of recombinant genetic techniques to the study of complex biological systems, an attempt was made to survey the available evidence concerning the widely investigated and practically the most important part of the viral genome, viz. the gene coding for the surface antigen (HBsAg) and the protein itself. The possible antigenic structure of the protein was investigated using data on the primary structure of 11 cloned HBsAg gene variants and on the synthesis of peptides simulating its immunological properties.