Two independent pathways of expression lead to self-assembly of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus capsid protein.

The rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus capsid protein was expressed in insect cells either as an individual protein species, from a mRNA analogous to the viral subgenomic RNA, or as part of a polyprotein that included the viral 3C-like protease and the RNA polymerase. Both pathways of expression led to the assembly of viruslike particles morphologically and antigenically similar to purified virus.