title: Novel antibody specificities targeting glycoprotein B of cytomegalovirus identified by molecular library technology.
abstract: Antibodies provide some protection against cytomegalovirus-mediated disease. All aspects of antibody recognition of important viral antigens are, however, not fully appreciated. Glycoprotein B (gB), a key protein in the viral membrane, participates in viral infection and it is a component of prototype vaccines. By using combinatorial antibody library and selection technology, novel antibody specificities targeting gB have now been isolated. We define a monoclonal antibody fragment able to recognize site I of antigenic domain (AD) 2, a poorly immunogenic epitope targeted by potent virus-neutralizing antibodies, in a way that is different from the binding of antibodies induced by infection but similar to those induced by vaccination. We also describe the existence of a novel epitope overlapping site I of AD-2 and AD-1, the immunodominant epitope of gB. These specificities, derived by molecular engineering, will be useful for the future assessment of humoral immune responses against this opportunistic viral infection.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Immunotechnology, Lund University, BMC D13, SE-221 84 Lund, Sweden.
authors.forename: Fredrika
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Axelsson
authors.forename: Jonas
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Persson
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Moreau
authors.forename: Marie-Hélène
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Côté
authors.forename: Alain
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lamarre
authors.forename: Mats
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ohlin
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000276:immunology*; D001709:Biotechnology / Q000379:methods*; D022482:Cytomegalovirus Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D018604:Epitope Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D015336:Molecular Probe Techniques; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D022482:Cytomegalovirus Vaccines; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C040495:glycoprotein B, Simplexvirus