title: Variabilities in the antigenic structure of persisting tick-borne encephalitis virus strains.
abstract: Antigenic variants in the E protein from persisting tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) virus strains were analyzed using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) to an analogous protein of the reference Sofyin strain. MAbs to sequential epitopes demonstrated their ability to differentiate persisting TBE virus strains from Sofyin and from each other. Two MAbs (2H3 and 13D6) showed a higher neutralizing activity in the interaction with persisting TBE virus variants as compared to the Sofyin strain. Based on the obtained data, a comparison was made of topologically identical epitopes from the E protein of reference and persisting virus strains. The possibility of increasing the neutralizing activity of MAbs through alterations in the primary structure of sequential antigenic sites is discussed.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry, Siberian Division of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk.
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Pressman
authors.forename: G V
authors.initials: GV
authors.lastname: Malenko
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Pogodina
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000940:Antigenic Variation; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D006224:Cricetinae; D004669:Encephalitis Viruses, Tick-Borne / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D004675:Encephalitis, Tick-Borne / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D013045:Species Specificity; D014774:Virulence / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes