title: Production and characterization of a mouse monoclonal antibody against the Gag p26 protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 2: identification of a new antigenic epitope.
abstract: One anticapsid (p26) mouse monoclonal antibody was developed after immunization with recombinant p26 Gag protein and was tested for reactivity with different HIV-1 and HIV-2 isolates by ELISA and Western blot analysis. This antibody, named R26.1, reacted with all HIV-2 isolates tested and with recombinant p26 proteins, but no HIV-1 isolates. The epitope of antibody R26.1 was mapped to residues 50-71 in the N-terminal domain of the capsid protein, a highly conserved region in all HIV-2 isolates sequenced to date. This monoclonal antibody may be useful for the detection of HIV-2, and for the discrimination between HIV-1 and HIV-2 infections. Likewise, the identified epitope may be useful for the detection of p26 antibodies in HIV-2-infected individuals.
authors.affiliation: INETI, Departamento de Biotecnologia, UTPAM, Lisbon, Portugal.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Marcelino
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Novo
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Pereira
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Picotez
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Clemente
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Taveira
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015683:Gene Products, gag / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015483:HIV Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D015488:HIV Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000276:immunology; D015498:HIV-2 / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D015683:Gene Products, gag; D015483:HIV Antibodies; D015488:HIV Antigens; D054301:gag Gene Products, Human Immunodeficiency Virus; C065558:gag protein p26, Human immunodeficiency virus