title: The pan-genotype specificity of the hepatitis C virus anti-core monoclonal antibody C7-50 is contingent on the quasispecies profile of a population.
abstract: The inter/intra-genotype quasispecies makeup of hepatitis C virus (HCV) has retarded the development of antibodies capable of pan-genotype reactivity. Mutations, even in conserved domains, are tolerated to a degree. In this report, we characterise the pan-genotype specificity of the commercially available monoclonal anti-HCV core antibody C7-50. We demonstrate the antibody's ability to detect HCV core protein following infection of Huh7 cells with serum-derived HCV of genotypes 2-5 and that a single-site polymorphism in a genotype 3a core amino acid sequence is sufficient to disrupt antibody recognition of the epitope. This same polymorphism is a feature of genotype 3 viruses.
authors: Molecular Virology Diagnostic and Research Laboratory, Department of Medicine, University College Cork, Clinical Sciences Building, Cork, Ireland.
authors: Brendan A
authors: BA
authors: Palmer
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Menton
authors: John
authors: J
authors: Levis
authors: Elizabeth
authors: E
authors: Kenny-Walsh
authors: Orla
authors: O
authors: Crosbie
authors: Liam J
authors: LJ
authors: Fanning
mesh_terms: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D002460:Cell Line; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics* / Q000276:immunology*; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies / Q000276:immunology*; D022781:Hepatocytes / Q000821:virology; D006801:Humans; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D020641:Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000235:genetics; D017422:Sequence Analysis, DNA; D014758:Viral Core Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D018937:Hepatitis C Antibodies; D012367:RNA, Viral; D014758:Viral Core Proteins; C069130:nucleocapsid protein, Hepatitis C virus