title: Major polypeptide of duck hepatitis B surface antigen particles.
abstract: The 40- to 50-nm pleomorphic particles found in the sera of domestic Pekin ducks infected with duck hepatitis B virus were purified by rate zonal and isopycnic centrifugation. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoretic polypeptide analysis of these particles, called duck hepatitis B surface antigen particles, revealed the major component to be a single 17,500-dalton polypeptide. This result is in contrast to polypeptide analyses of the surface antigens of related mammalian viruses, including hepatitis B, in which a major doublet of polypeptides is seen with molecular weights ranging from 23,000 to 29,000. Tryptic maps of 17,500-dalton polypeptide resembled that of the major non-glycosylated polypeptide of the adw subtype of hepatitis B surface antigen. A serological assay for antibody to the purified duck virus particles is also described.
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006515:Hepatitis B virus; D051379:Mice; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008970:Molecular Weight; D010455:Peptides / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D010455:Peptides