Delineation of immunodominant epitopes of human T-lymphotropic virus types I and II and their usefulness in developing serologic assays for detection of antibodies to HTLV-I and HTLV-II.
Several immunodominant B-cell epitopes have been mapped in the structural (gag, env) and regulatory (tax, rex) proteins of human T-lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) and HTLV-II. Identification of these immunogenic epitopes not only has allowed the development of sensitive and specific serologic assays, but also has provided a tool to study correlates of host pathogenesis, viral transmission, and protection. The major immunogenic epitopes for HTLV-I are located at the C terminus of p19gag, the central and carboxyl terminus of gp46env, the central region of transmembrane envelope glycoprotein (p21e), and the carboxyl terminus of p40tax. Similarly, HTLV-II epitopes are located at the amino terminus and central region of gp46env, the central region of p21e, and the carboxyl terminus of p40tax. The transmembrane epitopes of HTLV-I and HTLV-II share extensive homologies and represent a highly cross-reactive region, while the remaining regions represent HTLV type-specific epitopes. The transmembrane epitope has been commonly used for detecting antibodies in both HTLV-I and HTLV-II-infected persons, whereas central envelope epitopes have been exploited for serologic differentiation between HTLV-I and HTLV-II. This detailed analysis at the epitope level has resulted in the development of highly sensitive and specific screening and confirmation assays for detection of antibodies to HTLVs.
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Retrovirus Diseases Branch, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA. RBL3@LIDDASI.EM.CDC.GOV
D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D003429:Cross Reactions / Q000276:immunology; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies / Q000032:analysis*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D015686:Gene Products, env / Q000276:immunology; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000276:immunology; D016356:Gene Products, tax / Q000276:immunology; D015368:Human T-lymphotropic virus 1 / Q000276:immunology*; D015367:Human T-lymphotropic virus 2 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic / Q000276:immunology; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic / Q000276:immunology; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D015480:Deltaretrovirus Antibodies; D015686:Gene Products, env; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D016356:Gene Products, tax; D016056:Immunodominant Epitopes; D015682:Retroviridae Proteins, Oncogenic; D054299:env Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C055265:gp21 protein, Human T-lymphotropic virus 1; C055266:gp46 protein, Human T-cell leukemia virus type I