title: Localization of type-specific epitopes of herpes simplex virus type 2 glycoprotein G recognized by human and mouse antibodies.
abstract: Glycoprotein G is a major target for the humoral immune response against herpes simplex virus (HSV) and a prototype antigen for type-specific serodiagnosis discriminating HSV-1 and HSV-2 infections. The mature part of HSV-2 glycoprotein G-2 (gG-2) contains a unique stretch suspected to mediate type specificity, and in addition a region homologous to HSV-1 glycoprotein G-1 (gG-1). Antigenic determinants of the mature gG-2 were mapped by testing the reactivity of mouse anti-gG-2 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and purified human anti-gG-2 antibodies with synthetic peptides coupled to cellulose membranes. The anti-gG-2 MAbs bound to four epitopes localized in a narrow cluster within a gG-2 segment delimited by amino acids (aa) 552 and 611. This cluster was located between the predicted O-glycan-rich region and the transmembrane anchor sequence. The epitopes of the human anti-gG-2 antibodies were localized within three stretches of amino acids, two of which were overlapping with those recognized by anti-gG-2 MAbs. One of these stretches, delimited by aa 552 and 574, showed reactivity to all human HSV-2 sera tested, but not to HSV-1 sera or to purified anti-gG-1 antibodies. Neither the anti-gG-2 MAbs nor the purified human anti-gG-2 antibodies were cross-reactive to gG-1 peptides or HSV-1 antigen, although most of the epitopes were localized within the part of gG-2 which was homologous to gG-1. The findings concerning HSV-2 type-specific human antibody response to a defined stretch within gG-2 may be of importance for the further development of type-discriminating serodiagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Virology, Göteborg University, Sweden. liljeja@clavicula.mednet.gu.se
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Liljeqvist
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Trybala
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Svennerholm
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jeansson
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sjögren-Jansson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bergström
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology*; D016466:CHO Cells; D002460:Cell Line; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D006224:Cricetinae; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay / Q000379:methods; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D006558:Herpes Genitalis / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C045464:glycoprotein G, herpes simplex virus type 2