title: Identification of a gag protein epitope conserved among all four groups of primate immunodeficiency viruses by using monoclonal antibodies.
abstract: Five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were raised against the gag proteins of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) from African green monkey (SIVagmTYO-7). Two MAbs reacted with the matrix protein p17 and the other three with the core protein p24. Studies on the cross-reactivity of the MAbs revealed that the anti-p24 MAbs detected an epitope shared by the viruses belonging to the human immunodeficiency virus type 2 (HIV-2)/SIVmac group and SIVagmTYO-7 and SIVagmTYO-5. The anti-p17 MAbs recognized an epitope present on all these viruses and on SIVagmTYO-1, HIV-1 and SIVmnd. This finding demonstrates for the first time that the matrix protein, p17 or p18, respectively, of all nine HIV and SIV isolates tested in this study expresses at least one conserved immunogenic epitope recognized serologically. By using synthetic peptides, this epitope was identified at the N terminus of p17. Furthermore, this epitope was analysed by multiple sequence alignments of the peptide with homologous sequences of HIV and SIV p17.
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Virologie und Immunologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum, Göttingen, Germany.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Otteken
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nick
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bergter
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Voss
authors.forename: A C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Faisst
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stahl-Hennig
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hunsmann
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000276:immunology; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000145:classification / Q000276:immunology*; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; D014763:Viral Matrix Proteins; C077410:simian immunodeficiency virus matrix protein p17