<![CDATA[The spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 is crucial for initiating infections by binding to host cells and mediating membrane fusion. In this study, HEK-293T cells were transfected with plasmids encoding three structural proteins of SARS-CoV-2, i.e., Spike (S), Membrane (M), and Envelope (E). This transfection enabled the formation of SARS-CoV-2 Virus-Like Particles (VLPs), which allows for safer studies of the virus and its proteins. To serve as a marker for expression, an enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) was fused to the spike protein, resulting in a Spike-EGFP (S-EGFP) fusion protein. The characteristics of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein expression in the transfected HEK-293T cells were then investigated using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and flow cytometry. The PCR analysis revealed non-specific DNA band smearing, which did not provide conclusive confirmation of spike protein expression. However, flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that approximately 30% of the transfected cells exhibited green fluorescence, indicating the expression of the Spike-EGFP fusion protein. These findings, obtained through flow cytometry, confirmed the successful spike protein expression in transfected HEK-293T cells. Â ]]>
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