title: A monoclonal inhibition enzyme immunoassay for detection of antibodies against hepatitis B core antigen: confirmation of an immunodominant epitope.
abstract: Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) were raised against hepatitis B virus core produced by a recombinant clone of Escherichia coli (rHBc). The three mAbs recognized rHBc by Western blot, suggesting that they reacted with non-conformational epitopes. Competition experiments between mAbs and human anti-HBc sera confirmed the existence of an immunodominant HBc epitope within the viral antigen. A monoclonal competition enzyme immunoassay using an IgM mAb conjugated to biotin and streptavidin-peroxidase as the detection system yielded 99% sensitivity and 100% specificity, when compared to other commercial assays.
authors.affiliation: Laboratorio de Biología de Virus, CMBC, IVIC, Caracas, Venezuela.
authors.forename: F H
authors.initials: FH
authors.lastname: Pujol
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bertolotti
authors.forename: H A
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Fields
authors.forename: Y E
authors.initials: YE
authors.lastname: Khudyakov
authors.forename: T I
authors.initials: TI
authors.lastname: Kalinina
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Liprandi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001667:Binding, Competitive / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D007124:Immunoenzyme Techniques; D007075:Immunoglobulin M / Q000276:immunology; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006512:Hepatitis B Core Antigens; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D007075:Immunoglobulin M