title: Identification and characterization of a virus-specific continuous B-cell epitope on the PrM/M protein of Japanese Encephalitis Virus: potential application in the detection of antibodies to distinguish Japanese Encephalitis Virus infection from West Nile Virus and Dengue Virus infections.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Differential diagnose of Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) infection from other flavivirus especially West Nile virus (WNV) and Dengue virus (DV) infection was greatly hindered for the serological cross-reactive. Virus specific epitopes could benefit for developing JEV specific antibodies detection methods. To identify the JEV specific epitopes, we fully mapped and characterized the continuous B-cell epitope of the PrM/M protein of JEV.
  
  
  RESULTS
  To map the epitopes on the PrM/M protein, we designed a set of 20 partially overlapping fragments spanning the whole PrM, fused them with GST, and expressed them in an expression vector. Linear epitope M14 (105VNKKEAWLDSTKATRY120) was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). By removing amino acid residues individually from the carboxy and amino terminal of peptide M14, we confirmed that the minimal unit of the linear epitope of PrM/M was M14-13 (108KEAWLDSTKAT118). This epitope was highly conserved across different JEV strains. Moreover, this epitope did not cross-react with WNV-positive and DENV-positive sera.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Epitope M14-13 was a JEV specific lineal B-cell epitpe. The results may provide a useful basis for the development of epitope-based virus specific diagnostic clinical techniques.
authors.affiliation: State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Rong-Hong
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.forename: Na-Sha
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Cheng-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: Yong-Qiang
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Deng
authors.forename: Jin-Ying
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Ge
authors.forename: Xi-Jun
authors.initials: XJ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zu-Jian
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Qiao
authors.forename: Wei-Ye
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Zhi-Yuan
authors.initials: ZY
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Wen-Xin
authors.initials: WX
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Sen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hu
authors.forename: Zhi-Gao
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Bu
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D006224:Cricetinae; D003715:Dengue / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003716:Dengue Virus / Q000276:immunology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000276:immunology*; D004672:Encephalitis, Japanese / Q000175:diagnosis*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000175:diagnosis*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D014759:Viral Envelope Proteins; C074932:prM protein, Flavivirus