title: Monoclonal antibody routinely used to identify avirulent strains of Newcastle disease virus binds to an epitope at the carboxy terminus of the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase protein and recognizes individual mesogenic and velogenic strains.
abstract: Newcastle disease virus (NDV) strains are classified as having high (velogenic), intermediate (mesogenic), or low (lentogenic) pathogenesis and virulence in chickens. Recent studies have established that the hemagglutinin-neuraminidase (HN) protein plays an important role in viral tropism and virulence. A monoclonal antibody (AVS-I) has previously been shown to be specific for lentogenic strains of NDV (Srinivasappa et al., Avian Dis. 30:562-567, 1986) and is routinely used to identify these strains. We have used competition antibody binding assays with a previously characterized panel of monoclonal antibodies, binding to chimeric HN proteins, and the characterization of an escape mutant to localize the binding site of AVS-I to the extreme carboxy terminus of the protein. In addition, we have shown that AVS-I does recognize at least one mesogenic strain and one velogenic strain of the virus, calling into question the potential of this antibody as a diagnostic reagent for avirulent NDV strains.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Program in Immunology and Virology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, 55 Lake Ave. No., Worcester, MA 01655-0122, USA.
authors.forename: Judith G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Alamares
authors.forename: Jianrong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Iorio
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D001666:Binding Sites, Antibody; D000939:Epitopes; D015707:HN Protein / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology* / Q000633:toxicity; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D009522:Newcastle disease virus / Q000276:immunology / Q000302:isolation & purification* / Q000472:pathogenicity; D011487:Protein Conformation; D013329:Structure-Activity Relationship; D014774:Virulence
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000939:Epitopes; D015707:HN Protein