Epitope mapping of antibodies directed against hypervariable region 1 in acute self-limiting and chronic infections due to hepatitis C virus.
Epitopes of hypervariable region 1 (HVR1) were mapped by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using follow-up sera of patients, all of whom were infected with the same isolate of hepatitis C virus (HCV). Our results suggest that (i) an early appearance (up to month 13 postinfection) of antibodies directed to the N terminus of HVR1 is associated with acute self-limiting infections of HCV and (ii) isolate-independent antibodies which are mainly directed to the C terminus of HVR1 seem to persist in chronically infected patients. The relevance of HVR1-specific antibodies for neutralization was evaluated by characterization of a rabbit serum.
Zibert
A
A
Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Essen, Germany.
Kraas
W
W
Meisel
H
H
Jung
G
G
Roggendorf
M
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010446:Peptide Fragments / Q000276:immunology*; D011817:Rabbits; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D010446:Peptide Fragments; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C091015:glycoprotein E2, Hepatitis C virus