title: Cloning and analysis of a recombinant antigen containing an epitope specific for human T-cell lymphotropic virus type II.
abstract: An immunodominant HTLV-I-specific epitope in the HTLV-I envelope glycoprotein (GP) 46 has been described. To determine if the analogous region of HTLV-II contains a similarly immunogenic and specific epitope, the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to amplify HTLV-II DNA fragments encoding various portions of the putative epitope. The synthesized DNAs were cloned into lambda-phage gt11 and screened for production of immunoreactive fusion protein using sera from HTLV-II- or HTLV-I-infected individuals. Antisera from HTLV-II-infected individuals identified three of four recombinant clones when tested in a plaque immunoassay. Fusion protein from one of the clones, GH2-K15, was purified and analyzed by Western blot against a panel of HTLV-I and HTLV-II antisera. Twenty-one of 22 HTLV-II-infected sera were reactive with the GH2-K15 epitope. Sera from HTLV-I-infected and HTLV-I-uninfected individuals did not cross-react with GH2-K15. Western blot analysis of recombinant proteins encoding portions of the HTLV-II sequences in the Gh2-K15 antigen localized the HTLV-II-specific epitope to a 17-amino acid sequence. Recombinant antigens containing this epitope should be useful for type-specific serologic diagnosis of HTLV-II infection.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Virology, Genelabs, Inc, Redwood City, CA 94063.
authors.forename: K G
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Hadlock
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lipka
authors.forename: T P
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Foung
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Reyes
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D001483:Base Sequence; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003001:Cloning, Molecular / Q000379:methods; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics*; D004926:Escherichia coli / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000235:genetics; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000235:genetics*; D007106:Immune Sera; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis; D012689:Sequence Homology, Nucleic Acid; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D007106:Immune Sera; D009838:Oligodeoxyribonucleotides; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins