title: Infectious mononucleosis patients temporarily recognize a unique, cross-reactive epitope of Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1.
abstract: The spectrum of antibodies against Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1) in patients with a recent history of infectious mononucleosis and nonaffected EBV-positive individuals has been characterized by epitope mapping. Sera were evaluated for antibodies to all unique maximally overlapping octapeptides of EBNA-1. Both normal controls and patients with infectious mononucleosis produce IgG antibodies that recognize the glycine-alanine-rich portion of EBNA-1, as previously described. All EBNA-1 IgG-positive infectious mononucleosis patients tested, however, consistently produce IgG specific for an additional epitope (aa 398-412 PPPGRRPFFHPVGEA) near the middle of the EBNA-1 protein. This region was not found to be antigenic in healthy EBV-seropositive individuals. This region does, however, cross-react with the sequence PPPGMRPP from the common lupus spliceosomal autoantigen Sm B' in several infectious mononucleosis patient sera. Patients with recent clinical infectious mononucleosis temporarily recognize a unique cross-reactive epitope of EBNA-1 not bound by antibodies from non-infectious mononucleosis EBV-positive sera or those with a distant history of IM.
authors.affiliation: Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73104, USA. micah-mcclain@ouhsc.edu
authors.forename: Micah T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: McClain
authors.forename: Erin C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Rapp
authors.forename: John B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Harley
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: James
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood*; D001324:Autoantigens / Q000276:immunology; D003429:Cross Reactions; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007244:Infectious Mononucleosis / Q000276:immunology*; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000276:immunology; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry; D017411:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear / Q000276:immunology*; D055517:snRNP Core Proteins
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D001324:Autoantigens; D000939:Epitopes; D019309:Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Antigens; D010455:Peptides; D017411:Ribonucleoproteins, Small Nuclear; D055517:snRNP Core Proteins; C417029:EBV-encoded nuclear antigen 1