title: Identification of B-cell epitopes on the betanodavirus capsid protein.
abstract: The pepscan procedure was used to identify betanodavirus B-cell epitopes recognized by neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and serum samples obtained from sea bass, Dicentrarchus labrax, naturally infected with betanodavirus. Pepscan was performed with a panel of thirty-four 12-mer synthetic peptides that mimicked the entire betanodavirus capsid protein. Sea bass serum samples reacted strongly with three regions of the capsid protein comprising amino acid residues 1-32, 91-162 and 181-212. The latter region was also recognized by neutralizing MAbs and coincided with a region of high antigenic propensity identified by an antigen prediction algorithm. These data suggest that a region of the betanodavirus capsid protein spanning amino acid residues 181-212 may represent a neutralization domain that could potentially be used to inform the development of nodavirus vaccines and immunodiagnostic reagents.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Aquaculture, University of Stirling, Stirling, UK. janina.costa@stir.ac.uk
authors.forename: J Z
authors.initials: JZ
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Bron
authors.forename: K D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Thompson
authors.forename: W G
authors.initials: WG
authors.lastname: Starkey
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Richards
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology; D001492:Bass / Q000097:blood / Q000821:virology; D036022:Capsid Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D030381:Nodaviridae / Q000737:chemistry / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D036022:Capsid Proteins; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte