Characterization of the antibody response to the latent infection terminal proteins of Epstein-Barr virus in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma.
Human sera were tested for antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection terminal proteins (TPs). Anti-TP IgG and IgA antibodies were detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay of insect cells expressing a recombinant TP1. Out of 301 human sera of patients with EBV-related and EBV-unrelated disorders, only sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) (32/83; 38%) showed anti-TP antibodies. Studies on serial sera from German and Hong Kong NPC patients revealed a decline of anti-TP antibodies during tumour therapy, and none of these antibodies were identified in patients with early tumour stages or in remission. Comparative studies of TP1-specific polyclonal rabbit antisera and human TP-positive sera showed clear differences in the TP epitopes recognized by each. Human antisera contained antibodies only to native epitopes in exons 2 to 7 of TP1 whereas rabbit antisera reacted only with epitopes located in the first exon and, additionally, exhibited EBV strain specificities.
Abteilung Virologie, Universitätskliniken des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
B
B
Frech
U
U
Zimber-Strobl
T T
TT
Yip
W H
WH
Lau
N
N
Mueller-Lantzsch
D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D002144:Callithrix; D002460:Cell Line; D004854:Herpesvirus 4, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology; D009303:Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology* / Q000382:microbiology; D011233:Precipitin Tests; D011817:Rabbits; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins