Antigen production and development of an indirect ELISA based on the nucleocapsid protein to detect human SARS-CoV-2 seroconversion

Serological assays are important tools to identify previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2, helping to track COVID-19 cases and determine the level of humoral response to SARS-CoV-2 infections and/or immunization to future vaccines. Here, the SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein was expressed in Escherichia coli and purified to homogeneity and high yield using a single chromatography step. The purified SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein was used to develop an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for the identification of human SARS-CoV-2 seroconverts. The assay sensitivity and specificity were determined analyzing sera from 140 RT-qPCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases and 210 pre-pandemic controls. The assay operated with 90% sensitivity and 98% specificity; identical accuracies were obtained in head-to-head comparison with a commercial ELISA kit. Antigen-coated plates were stable for up to 3 months at 4 °C. The ELISA method described is ready for mass production and will be an additional tool to track COVID-19 cases.