Conserved immunogenic region of a major core protein (p24) of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses.
A murine monoclonal antibody (MoAb), VAK 4, has been known to specifically react with a major core protein (p24) as well as with its precursor (p55-57) and intermediate precursor (p40) of human immunodeficiency virus strain IIIB (HTLV-IIIB). Radioimmunoprecipitation assays revealed that VAK 4 MoAb precipitated a major core protein and its precursors from a variety of strains of HIV and also from simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), although the molecular weights of the precursor proteins in each viral strain were slightly different. A protein synthesized by transfected Escherichia coli containing amino acid sequences corresponding to residues 121-436 of the HTLV-IIIB gag gene was reactive with VAK 4 MoAb, but the protein carrying only residues 121-309 was not reactive, suggesting that the epitope recognized by VAK 4 MoAb resides at the carboxyl terminus of p24 protein. A competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay showed that patient sera containing anticore protein antibody inhibited the binding of VAK 4 to HTLV-IIIB. These findings suggested that VAK 4 MoAb recognized an immunogenic and conserved epitope belonging to a major core protein of HIV-related viruses.
Koito
A
A
Second Department of Internal Medicine, Kumamoto University Medical School, Japan.
Hattori
T
T
Matsushita
S
S
Maeda
Y
Y
Nozaki
C
C
Sagawa
K
K
Takatsuki
K
K
D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D001667:Binding, Competitive; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D005814:Genes, Viral; D006678:HIV / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007120:Immunochemistry; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015302:Simian Immunodeficiency Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D013045:Species Specificity
D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D015488:HIV Antigens; D016655:HIV Core Protein p24; D012191:Retroviridae Proteins