title: Humoral and cellular immune responses to the GB virus C/hepatitis G virus envelope 2 protein.
abstract: Immune responses to two recombinant envelope 2 (E2) proteins, representing genotypes 1 and 2 of the GB virus C, or the hepatitis G virus (GBV-C/HGV), were studied in mice and in 48 individuals with, or without, chronic, or past GBV-C/HGV infection. Immunised mice developed E2-specific antibodies (mean titres, 1:1,167 to 1:9,360), recognising linear antigenic regions and proliferative and IL-2, IL-6 and gammaIFN cytokine responses regardless of the viral genotype. Individuals with past GBV-C infection had E2 antibody titres from 1:1,500 to 1:7,500 that did not recognise the E. coli derived E2 protein or linear antigenic regions. Proliferative E2-specific responses were detected in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 6/22 (27%) persons with, and in none without GBV-C markers (P<0.05). Thus, E2-specific immune responses are mainly crossreactive between different variants of GBV-C/HGV, although proliferative responses appear to be rare.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Virology, Karolinska Institutet at Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden.
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Lazdina
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hultgren
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Fischler
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Weiland
authors.forename: I K
authors.initials: IK
authors.lastname: Mushahwar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sällberg
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000956:Antigens, Viral / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016207:Cytokines / Q000032:analysis; D004306:Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; D018067:Flaviviridae / Q000276:immunology*; D005838:Genotype; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006525:Hepatitis, Viral, Human / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007111:Immunity, Cellular; D007114:Immunization; D007963:Leukocytes, Mononuclear / Q000276:immunology; D008213:Lymphocyte Activation; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000956:Antigens, Viral; D016207:Cytokines; D006508:Hepatitis Antibodies; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C107619:glycoprotein E2, GB virus C