title: Identification of type-specific and cross-reactive neutralizing conformational epitopes on the major capsid protein of human papillomavirus type 31.
abstract: The majority of the neutralizing epitopes of papillomaviruses (PV) are conformation-specific and have not been fully characterised. Studies have, to date, been limited to a few HPV types only. We analysed the epitopes on the major capsid protein (L1) of Human papillomavirus (HPV) type 31 using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) generated against HPV-31 virus-like particles (VLPs). The type-specific MAbs against HPV-31 were all found to be neutralizing and recognized conformation-dependent epitopes. Two other MAbs directed against a conformational epitope were found to be cross-reactive with other HPV types, and one of them was found to be cross-neutralizing. Cross-reactive antibodies were further investigated using wild-type HPV-16 L1 VLPs and two mutants. The results obtained suggested the existence of a cross-neutralizing conformational epitope at the N-terminal part of the FG loop of the major capsid protein, and the other four cross-reactive MAbs recognized epitopes also located at the N-terminal part of the FG loop.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U618, Université François Rabelais, Tours, France.
authors.forename: M J J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fleury
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Touzé
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Alvarez
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Carpentier
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clavel
authors.forename: J-F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Vautherot
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Coursaget
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D003429:Cross Reactions; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D000939:Epitopes / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009500:Neutralization Tests; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D027383:Papillomaviridae / Q000145:classification* / Q000276:immunology*; D010455:Peptides / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology; D011487:Protein Conformation; D018411:Spodoptera; D014771:Virion / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D000939:Epitopes; C114580:HPV L1 protein, Human papillomavirus; C063316:L2 protein, Human papillomavirus type 16; D009856:Oncogene Proteins, Viral; D010455:Peptides