title: Lentivirus cross-reactive determinants present in the capsid protein of equine infectious anaemia virus.
abstract: In this study we used immune sera from equine infectious anaemia virus (EIAV)-infected horses which uniquely display broad reactivity with different lentivirus capsid proteins (CA) to characterize the cross-reactive determinants of lentivirus CA proteins. In particular, the role of the major homology region (MHR) of lentivirus CA proteins in this serological cross-reactivity was evaluated using both equine immune serum and murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) directed against the MHR segment of different lentiviruses. The results of our studies indicate that about 80% of sera from long-term experimentally infected ponies or naturally infected horses react with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 CA in Western immunoblot assays. In addition, the cross-reactive determinants on the EIAV CA were localized within the immunodominant carboxyl terminus of the protein (residues 277 to 367). However, the cross-reactive determinants recognized by the equine sera do not appear to correlate with linear peptides from the carboxyl terminus of the EIAV CA, including the MHR. These results suggest cross-reactivity between more distant lentiviruses is associated with non-linear determinants. In contrast, MHR-specific MAbs did react with linear peptides by ELISA and distinguished the primate lentiviruses from EIAV and feline immunodeficiency virus. These data support the concept of a highly conserved structural and antigenic organization among the CA proteins of lentiviruses from different species.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Biochemistry, School of Medicine, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261.
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Grund
authors.forename: E R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Lechman
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Issel
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Montelaro
authors.forename: K E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Rushlow
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D002213:Capsid / Q000276:immunology*; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D004859:Equine Infectious Anemia / Q000276:immunology; D006736:Horses; D004860:Infectious Anemia Virus, Equine / Q000276:immunology*; D016086:Lentivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D015995:Prevalence; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes