title: Identification of polypeptide components of the Epstein-Barr virus early antigen complex with monoclonal antibodies.
abstract: Three monoclonal antibodies were produced against the Epstein-Barr virus-induced early antigen complex. These antibodies were shown to be specific for the early antigen complex by the fact that they only reacted with cells supporting a permissive or abortive Epstein-Barr virus infection and their synthesis was not affected by inhibitors of viral DNA synthesis. One monoclonal antibody, designated R3, was directed against a diffuse component of the early antigen complex since it reacted by immunofluorescence with cells fixed in acetone or methanol. The other two monoclonal antibodies, designated K8 and K9, reacted with a methanol-sensitive restricted component of this complex. The appearance of the R3 antigen in P3HR-1 superinfected Raji cells occurred approximately 4 h earlier than the antigen detected by K8. By both sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and radioimmunoelectrophoresis, it was determined that the R3 monoclonal antibody recognized two major polypeptides with molecular weights of approximately 50,000 to 52,000, whereas K8 and K9 precipitated a protein of approximately 85,000. The R3 monoclonal antibody also immunoprecipitated an in vitro primary translation product. It was, therefore, possible to map this product to the Epstein-Barr virus DNA BamH1 M fragment. These in vitro products were slightly smaller than the in vivo proteins, suggesting that these proteins probably undergo posttranslational modification during the virus replication cycle.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex / Q000032:analysis*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D007122:Immunoelectrophoresis; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*; D014779:Virus Replication
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000936:Antigen-Antibody Complex; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D004279:DNA, Viral; D010455:Peptides