Epitope mapping of the NS4 and NS5 gene products of hepatitis C virus and the use of a chimeric NS4-NS5 synthetic peptide for serodiagnosis.
Specific domains of the NS4 and NS5 gene products of hepatitis C virus have been identified using hydrophilicity profiles for the prediction of potential immunogenic regions, and epitope scanning techniques. Peptides synthesised on the basis of such data show excellent reactivity in the ELISA format. Introduction of a glycine-glycine spacer between two peptides (NS4-12 and NS5-44) to give a single chimeric peptides does not appear to impair immunoreactivity. An ELISA based on the chimeric peptide and a Core-NS3 recombinant protein correctly diagnoses a cohort of haemodialysed patients, three commercial HCV panels and the sera of a negative control population.
Sorin Biomedica, R&D Diagnostic Division, Saluggia (VC), Italy.
C
C
Rosa
S
S
Osborne
F
F
Garetto
S
S
Griva
A
A
Rivella
G
G
Calabresi
R
R
Guaschino
F
F
Bonelli
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D001483:Base Sequence; D002240:Carbohydrate Sequence; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000276:immunology; D012698:Serologic Tests; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C084422:NS3 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases; D043583:Nucleoside-Triphosphatase; D053487:DEAD-box RNA Helicases; D000085242:Viral Proteases; C093542:NS4 protein, hepatitis C virus; C087036:NS-5 protein, hepatitis C virus; D012324:RNA-Dependent RNA Polymerase