Locations of herpes simplex virus type 2 glycoprotein B epitopes recognized by human serum immunoglobulin G antibodies.
Herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) glycoprotein B (gB-2) gene segments were expressed as recombinant proteins in Escherichia coli. gB-2 recombinant proteins were reacted with human serum immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies in Western immunoblot assays. Initially, samples were tested for the presence of HSV-1-specific antibodies and HSV-2-specific antibodies by using HSV-infected cell lysates as antigen targets in Western blot assays. Serum samples that contained HSV-2-specific IgG (n = 58), HSV-1-specific IgG (n = 33), or no detectable HSV antibodies (n = 31) were tested for reactivities with the gB-2 recombinant proteins. In 58 of 58 samples that contained HSV-2-specific IgG, antibodies were present that reacted strongly with a gB-2 amino-proximal segment between amino acids (aa) 18 and 75. Three of 33 serum samples that contained HSV-1- and not HSV-2-specific IgG (as defined by the HSV lysate Western blot assay) reacted with this segment. Both HSV-2 antibodies and HSV-1 antibodies reacted strongly with a carboxy-terminal gB-2 segment between aa 819 and 904; a second minor cross-reactive region was mapped to a gB-2 segment between aa 564 and 626. The gB-2 segment from aa 18 to 75 may constitute a useful reagent for the virus type-specific serodiagnosis of HSV-2 infections. Further studies will be required to determine the relative sensitivities and specificities of the assay for gB-2 aa 18 to 75, HSV gG assays, and HSV lysate Western blot assays for detecting virus type-specific antibody responses in acute and chronic HSV-2 infections.
Goade
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DE
Department of Medicine, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, Albuquerque 87131-5271, USA.
Bell
R
R
Yamada
T
T
Mertz
G J
GJ
Jenison
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S
D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D000937:Antigen-Antibody Reactions; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D000939:Epitopes / Q000032:analysis; D004926:Escherichia coli; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000097:blood*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014765:Viral Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D011994:Recombinant Proteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; D014765:Viral Vaccines; C044525:glycoprotein B, herpes simplex virus type 2