title: A variable region in GP4 of European-type porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus induces neutralizing antibodies against homologous but not heterologous virus strains.
abstract: Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) can induce severe reproductive failure in sows, and is involved in the porcine respiratory disease complex. The glycoprotein GP4 of the European prototype PRRSV strain Lelystad virus (LV) contains a linear neutralizing epitope that is located in a highly variable region. The current study aimed to evaluate the antibody response against this and other epitopes on GP4 to infection of pigs with European-type PRRSV. It was shown that three virus strains, differing in the region that corresponds to the neutralizing epitope on GP4 of LV, strongly induce antibodies against this area. Antibodies against the epitopes of the different virus strains were purified from polyclonal swine sera, and used in virus-neutralization tests on primary alveolar macrophages. This revealed that antibodies against the variable region in GP4 of different virus strains are able to neutralize infection with homologous but not heterologous virus strains.
authors: Laboratory of Virology, Department of Virology, Parasitology and Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Ghent University, Merelbeke, Belgium.
authors: Merijn
authors: M
authors: Vanhee
authors: Sarah
authors: S
authors: Costers
authors: Wander
authors: W
authors: Van Breedam
authors: Marc F
authors: MF
authors: Geldhof
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Van Doorsselaere
authors: Hans J
authors: HJ
authors: Nauwynck
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology* / Q000302:isolation & purification; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D003429:Cross Reactions; D000939:Epitopes / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D019318:Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome / Q000097:blood*; D019316:Porcine respiratory and reproductive syndrome virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D013552:Swine / Q000821:virology; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D057134:Antibodies, Neutralizing; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D000939:Epitopes; D015678:Viral Structural Proteins