Capsid protein of two positive stranded RNA viruses, Hepatitis E virus (HEV) and Chikungunya virus (ChikV), were investigated. HEV was detected in swine serum collected in Germany. An infectious system for HEV was established and was used to check its egress. The requirement of various amino acid sequences for the autoproteolytic cleavage of ChikV capsid protease was investigated. I was also able to show that ChikV capsid is recognized by karyopherins and its export is mediated by CRM1 dependent nuclear export signal.
