Japanese encephalitis virus antigenic variants with characteristic differences in neutralization resistance and mouse virulence.
Two different plaque variants of Japanese encephalitis virus were selected from a wild-type Taiwanese isolate using Vero cells. One variant was found to exhibit small plaque morphology with retarded virus replication kinetics in Vero cells, and was demonstrated to be resistant to monoclonal antibody (mAb) E3.3 neutralization. The other variant showed large plaque morphology, was sensitive to mAb E3.3 neutralization, and manifested reduced virulence in mice on both intracranial and intraperitoneal inoculations. These two variants propagated in Vero cells retained high levels of infectivity but had relatively low HA titers as compared with the parent strain. The envelope sequences of these two variants showed four amino acid differences at residues E-85 (Glu/Arg), E-306 (Glu/Gly), E-331 (Ser/Arg), and E-387 (Met/Arg). Our results indicated the neutralizing epitope of Japanese encephalitis virus did not overlap with virus virulence determinant.
Wu
S C
SC
National Institute of Preventive Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan. scwu@life.nthu.edu.tw
Lian
W C
WC
Hsu
L C
LC
Liau
M Y
MY
D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000940:Antigenic Variation / Q000276:immunology*; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D003465:Culex; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014709:Vero Cells; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014774:Virulence
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D008562:Membrane Glycoproteins; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C080628:glycoprotein E, Japanese encephalitis virus