title: Mapping and structural analysis of B-cell epitopes on the morbillivirus nucleoprotein amino terminus.
abstract: By analysing the antigenic structure of the morbillivirus nucleoprotein (N) using a competitive-binding assay of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), six different antigenic sites were identified previously. By using Pepscan methodology complemented by analysis of truncated N proteins, a better characterization of five of these antigenic sites was provided: I, II, III, IV and VI. mAbs specific to Rinderpest virus, defining antigenic sites II, III and IV, and those common to four morbilliviruses, delineating sites I and VI, were analysed in the present study. It was found that all but one mapped to the same region, between aa 120 and 149 of N. However, the mAb 3-1 epitope was located in the carboxy-terminal region (aa 421-525). This result may indicate the high immunogenicity of the amino-terminal variable region, at least in the mouse. It was surprising that the epitope of mAb 33-4, antigenic site VI, which recognized all morbilliviruses so far tested, was located in one of the two non-conserved regions between morbillivirus N proteins. It is shown that the conserved amino acid motif (126)EAD(128)----(131)F-------(148)EN(149) is critical for epitope constitution and recognition.
authors: Animal Production Unit, FAO/AIEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria.
authors: S C
authors: SC
authors: Bodjo
authors: CIRAD-Département EMVT, UPR 'Contrôle des maladies animales et exotiques', TA/30G, Campus International de Baillarguet, F-34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Kwiatek
authors: Animal Production Unit, FAO/AIEA Agriculture and Biotechnology Laboratory, IAEA Laboratories, A-2444 Seibersdorf, Austria.
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Diallo
authors: CIRAD-Département EMVT, UPR 'Contrôle des maladies animales et exotiques', TA/30G, Campus International de Baillarguet, F-34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors: E
authors: E
authors: Albina
authors: CIRAD-Département EMVT, UPR 'Contrôle des maladies animales et exotiques', TA/30G, Campus International de Baillarguet, F-34398 Montpellier Cedex 5, France.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Libeau
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D001483:Base Sequence; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018103:Morbillivirus / Q000276:immunology*; D009698:Nucleoproteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D009698:Nucleoproteins; D012367:RNA, Viral; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins