title: Comprehensive mapping of West Nile virus (WNV)- and Japanese encephalitis virus serocomplex-specific linear B-cell epitopes from WNV non-structural protein 1.
abstract: West Nile virus (WNV) non-structural protein 1 (NS1) elicits protective immune responses during infection of animals. WNV NS1-specific antibody responses can provide the basis for serological diagnostic reagents, so the antigenic sites in NS1 that are targeted by host immune responses need to be identified and the conservation of these sites among the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) serocomplex members also needs to be defined. The present study describes the mapping of linear B-cell epitopes in WNV NS1. We screened eight NS1-specific mAbs and antisera (polyclonal antibodies; pAbs) from mice immunized with recombinant NS1 for reactivity against 35 partially overlapping peptides covering the entire WNV NS1. The screen using mAbs identified four WNV-specific (including Kunjin virus) epitopes, located at aa 21-36, 101-116, 191-206 and 261-276 in WNV NS1. However, using pAbs, only three WNV-specific epitopes were identified, located at positions 101-116, 191-206 and 231-246. Two of these epitopes (aa 21-36 and 261-276) had different reactivity with mAbs and pAbs. The knowledge and reagents generated in this study have potential applications in differential diagnostics and epitope-based marker vaccine development for WNV and viruses of the JEV serocomplex.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, PR China.|The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: En-Cheng
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, PR China.|The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Ni-Hong
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, PR China.|The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Jian-Nan
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Hong-Wei
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Geng
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, PR China.|The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Ling-Feng
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, PR China.|The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Yong-Li
authors.initials: YL
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Zhi-Gao
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Bu
authors.affiliation: Beijing Institute of Microbiology and Epidemiology, Beijing 100071, PR China.
authors.forename: Yin-Hui
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.
authors.forename: Ross A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Lunt
authors.affiliation: CSIRO Livestock Industries, Australian Animal Health Laboratory, Geelong, Victoria 3220, Australia.
authors.forename: Lin-Fa
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Veterinary Public Health, Ministry of Agriculture, State Key Laboratory of Veterinary Biotechnology, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin 150001, PR China.
authors.forename: Dong-Lai
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Wu
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D002460:Cell Line; D004664:Encephalitis Virus, Japanese / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D004672:Encephalitis, Japanese / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D018604:Epitope Mapping; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016415:Sequence Alignment; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D014901:West Nile Fever / Q000276:immunology / Q000821:virology*; D014902:West Nile virus / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D018985:Epitopes, B-Lymphocyte; D017361:Viral Nonstructural Proteins; C531936:nonstructural protein 1, West Nile virus