title: Mapping of linear antigenic determinants on glycoprotein C of herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2 recognized by human serum immunoglobulin G antibodies.
abstract: Using membrane-based dekapeptides, the reactivity of human serum antibodies with linear antigenic determinants of herpes simplex virus (HSV) type 1 and type 2 glycoprotein C (gC-1, gC-2) was studied by pep scan and immunodot assay. The entire coding sequences of gC-1 and gC-2 were screened for the presence of linear epitopes by pep scan. Peptides recognized in an HSV-1 type-specific manner were mainly identified within the N-terminal third and at the C-terminus of gC-1, whereas most type-common antibodies were directed against colinear peptides within the central parts of gC-1 and gC-2. The type-specific reaction of human sera with gC-2 peptides in pep scan was poor. Eight peptides identified as immunoreactive by pep scan were further tested in immunodot assay for their reactivity with a human serum panel. None of the eight HSV-negative sera gave positive results by immunodot assay. Positive reactions with gC peptides were found to be strongly age-dependent, i.e., the rate of positive reactions was significantly higher in HSV-positive adults than in HSV-positive children. Antibody reactivity with two type-common gC peptides was demonstrated in 17 out of 28 HSV-positive sera. A putative type-specific gC-2 peptide employed in immunodot assay was inconsistently recognized by human sera. Twenty HSV-positive sera reacted with at least 1 of 5 type-specific gC-1 peptides. Nine sera showing no reactivity with glycoprotein G of HSV-1 (gG-1) by immunobloting recognized type-specific gC-1 peptides in immunodot assay. Thus, gC-1 peptides might allow the detection of HSV-1-specific antibodies in individuals showing no reactivity with commonly employed HSV-1-specific diagnostic antigenes, i.e., purified or recombinant gG-1.
authors.affiliation: Institut für Virologie, Universität Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ackermann
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Eggers
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Wieland
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Kühn
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology; D018259:Herpesvirus 1, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D018258:Herpesvirus 2, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D007074:Immunoglobulin G / Q000276:immunology*; D008297:Male; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000956:Antigens, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D007074:Immunoglobulin G; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C048232:glycoprotein C, herpes simplex virus type 2; C038535:glycoprotein gC, herpes simplex virus type 1