title: Use of recombinant gp135 to study epitope-specific antibody responses to maedi visna virus.
abstract: The envelope glycoprotein gp135 of the ovine lentivirus maedi visna virus (MVV) is the main target for neutralising antibody in vivo, however little is known about the specific regions of gp135 which elicit this neutralising response. We have used the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) to generate overlapping fragments of the gp135 gene which have been expressed as fusion proteins in the yeast Ty-VLP system. These fusion proteins have been used to analyse the antibody response to gp135 in MVV infected sheep and we are able to identify at least three distinct regions of gp135 to which antibodies are directed. The approach described in this paper provides a rapid and simple method of generating overlapping fusion proteins with which to carry out epitope mapping studies.
authors.affiliation: Department of Veterinary Pathology, University of Edinburgh, Summerhall, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carey
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Roy
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Dalziel
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002460:Cell Line; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D005814:Genes, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D007181:Inclusion Bodies, Viral / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012441:Saccharomyces cerevisiae / Q000235:genetics; D012756:Sheep; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014790:Visna-maedi virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins