The present invention relates to nucleic acids encoding the novel parvoviralprotein "assembly activating protein"(AAP), the encoded polypeptides, methods of producing the polypeptides,antibodies specific for AAP, the use of the nucleicacids for the preparation of the polypeptides, the use of the nucleic acids orthe polypeptides for the preparation of the parvoviralparticle and methods of producing parvoviral particles essentially consistingof VP3 by providing in addition to the coding sequenceof the parvoviral structural protein VP3 a sequence fragment Z/a nucleic acidencoding AAP in the cell and expressingVP3 and fragment Z under control of a rep- independent promoter. Furthermore,the present invention relates to parvoviral particlesessentially consisting of VP3 and/or obtainable by the above method as well asexpression cassettes comprising (i) a heterologouspromoter and (ii) VP3 coding sequence and/or fragment Z. The present inventionfurther relates to a medicament, particularlya vaccine, comprising the parvoviral particles or expression cassettes andtheir use.
