scholarly journals Characterization of Immunodominant Linear B-Cell Epitopes on the Carboxy Terminus of the Rinderpest Virus Nucleocapsid Protein

2004 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 658-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang-Seuk Choi ◽  
Jin-Ju Nah ◽  
Young-Joon Ko ◽  
Shien-Young Kang ◽  
Kyoung-Jin Yoon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The nucleocapsid (N) protein of rinderpest virus (RPV) is one of the most abundant and immunogenic viral proteins expressed during natural or experimental infection. To identify immunogenic epitopes on the N protein, different forms of RPV N protein, including the full-length protein (N1-525), an amino-terminal construct (N1-179), and a carboxy-terminal construct (N414-496), were expressed in Escherichia coli as glutathione S-transferase (GST) fusion proteins. The antigenicity of each recombinant protein was evaluated by Western immunoblotting. All recombinants were recognized by hyperimmune RPV bovine antisera, indicating that immunoreactive epitopes may be present at both ends of the N protein. However, GST-N414-496 was much more antigenic than GST-N1-179 when tested with sera from vaccinated cattle, suggesting that an immunodominant or highly immunogenic epitope(s) may be located at the carboxy terminus of the N protein. Epitope mapping with overlapping peptides representing different regions of the carboxy terminus (amino acids 415 to 524) revealed three nonoverlapping antigenic sites in regions containing the residues 440VPQVRKETRASSR452 (site 1), 479PEADTDPL486 (site 2), and 520DKDLL524 (site 3). Among these, antigenic site 2 showed the strongest reactivity with hyperimmune anti-RPV bovine sera in a peptide enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay but did not react with hyperimmune caprine sera raised against peste-des-petits-ruminants virus, which is antigenically closely related to RPV. Identification of an immunodominant linear antigenic site at the carboxy terminus of the N protein may provide an antigen basis for designing diagnostics specific for RPV.

2005 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 114-121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kang-Seuk Choi ◽  
Jin-Ju Nah ◽  
Young-Joon Ko ◽  
Shien-Young Kang ◽  
Kyoung-Jin Yoon ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Attempts were made to identify and map epitopes on the nucleocapsid (N) protein of peste des petits ruminants virus (PPRV) (Nigeria75/1 strain) using seven monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and deletion mutants. At least four antigenic domains (A-I, A-II, C-I, and C-II) were identified using the MAbs. Domains A-I (MAb 33-4) and A-II (MAbs 38-4, P-3H12, and P-13A9) were determined to be located on the amino-terminal half (amino acids [aa] 1 to 262), and domains C-I (P-14C6) and C-II (P-9H10 and P-11A6) were within the carboxy-terminal region (aa 448 to 521). Nonreciprocal competition between A-II MAbs and MAbs to C-I and C-II domains was observed, indicating that they may be exposed on the surface of the N protein and spatially overlap each other. Blocking or competitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay studies using PPRV serum antibodies revealed that epitopes on the domains A-II and C-II were immunodominant, whereas those on the domains A-I and C-I were not. The competition between MAb and rinderpest virus (RPV) serum antibodies raised against RPV strain LATC was found in two epitopes (P-3H12 and P-13A9) on the domain A-II, indicating that these epitopes may cause cross-reactivity between PPRV and RPV. Identification of immunodominant but PPRV-specific epitopes and domains will provide the foundation in designing an N-protein-based diagnostic immunoassay for PPRV.


1990 ◽  
Vol 111 (5) ◽  
pp. 1987-2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
P C Wong ◽  
D W Cleveland

We have generated a set of amino- and carboxy-terminal deletions of the neurofilament NF-M gene and determined the molecular consequences of forced expression of these mutant constructs in mouse fibroblasts. To follow the expression of mutant NF-M subunits in transfected cells, a 12 amino acid epitope (from the human c-myc protein) was expressed at the carboxy terminus of each mutant. We show that NF-M molecules missing up to 90 or 70% of the nonhelical carboxy-terminal tail or amino-terminal head domains, respectively, incorporate readily into an intermediate filament network comprised either of vimentin or NF-L, whereas deletions into either the amino- or carboxy-terminal alpha-helical rod region generate assembly-incompetent polypeptides. Carboxy-terminal deletions into the rod domain invariably yield dominant mutants which rapidly disrupt the array of filaments comprised of NF-L or vimentin. Accumulation of these mutant NF-M subunits disrupts vimentin filament arrays even when present at approximately 1% the level of the wild-type subunits. In contrast, the amino-terminal deletions into the rod produce pseudo-recessive mutants that perturb the wild-type NF-L or vimentin arrays only modestly. The inability of such amino-terminal mutants to disrupt wild-type subunits defines a region near the amino-terminal alpha-helical rod domain (residues 75-126) that is required for the earliest steps in filament assembly.


1989 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 2648-2656
Author(s):  
A MacAuley ◽  
J A Cooper

The kinase activity of p60c-src is derepressed by removal of phosphate from Tyr-527, mutation of this residue to Phe, or binding of a carboxy-terminal antibody. We have compared the structures of repressed and active p60c-src, using proteases. All forms of p60c-src are susceptible to proteolysis at the boundary between the amino-terminal region and the kinase domain, but there are several sites elsewhere that are more sensitive to trypsin digestion in repressed than in derepressed forms of p60c-src. The carboxy-terminal tail (containing Tyr-527) is more sensitive to digestion by pronase E and thermolysin when Tyr-527 is not phosphorylated. The kinase domain fragment released with trypsin has kinase activity. Relative to intact p60c-src, the kinase domain fragment shows altered substrate specificity, diminished regulation by the phosphorylated carboxy terminus, and novel phosphorylation sites. The results identify parts of p60c-src that change conformation upon kinase activation and suggest functions for the amino-terminal region.


2013 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 196-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadeeka K. Wawegama ◽  
Glenn F. Browning ◽  
Anna Kanci ◽  
Marc S. Marenda ◽  
Philip F. Markham

ABSTRACTMycoplasma boviscauses a range of diseases in cattle, including mastitis, arthritis, and pneumonia. However, accurate serological diagnosis of infection remains problematic. The studies described here aimed to identify an antigen that might be used to develop a more specific and sensitive diagnostic assay. A 226-kDa immunogenic protein was consistently detected in Western blots by antibodies in sera from calves experimentally infected withM. bovis. This protein was shown to be a membrane protein with lipase activity and was named mycoplasma immunogenic lipase A (MilA). Different regions of MilA were expressed inEscherichia colias glutathioneS-transferase (GST) fusion proteins and recombinant products from the amino-terminal end shown to have strong immunoreactivity withM. bovis-specific bovine sera. The most immunoreactive fusion protein, GST-MilA-ab, was used to develop indirect IgM and IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The IgM ELISA detectedM. bovis-specific IgM antibody 2 weeks after infection with 97.1% sensitivity and had a specificity of 63.3%, while the IgG ELISA detectedM. bovis-specific IgG 3 weeks after infection with 92.86% sensitivity and had a specificity of 98.7%, demonstrating that the IgG ELISA has potential for use as a sensitive and specific assay for detecting infection in cattle.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (21) ◽  
pp. 13285-13297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kelley R. Hurst ◽  
Lili Kuo ◽  
Cheri A. Koetzner ◽  
Rong Ye ◽  
Bilan Hsue ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The two major constituents of coronavirus virions are the membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N) proteins. The M protein is anchored in the viral envelope by three transmembrane segments flanked by a short amino-terminal ectodomain and a large carboxy-terminal endodomain. The M endodomain interacts with the viral nucleocapsid, which consists of the positive-strand RNA genome helically encapsidated by N protein monomers. In previous work with the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), a highly defective M protein mutant, MΔ2, was constructed. This mutant contained a 2-amino-acid carboxy-terminal truncation of the M protein. Analysis of second-site revertants of MΔ2 revealed mutations in the carboxy-terminal region of the N protein that compensated for the defect in the M protein. To seek further genetic evidence corroborating this interaction, we generated a comprehensive set of clustered charged-to-alanine mutants in the carboxy-terminal domain 3 of N protein. One of these mutants, CCA4, had a highly defective phenotype similar to that of MΔ2. Transfer of the CCA4 mutation into a partially diploid MHV genome showed that CCA4 was a loss-of-function mutation rather than a dominant-negative mutation. Analysis of multiple second-site revertants of CCA4 revealed mutations in both the M protein and the N protein that could compensate for the original lesion in N. These data more precisely define the region of the N protein that interacts with the M protein. Further, we found that fusion of domain 3 of the N protein to the carboxy terminus of a heterologous protein caused it to be incorporated into MHV virions.


Blood ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 97 (7) ◽  
pp. 2059-2066 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reinhard Schneppenheim ◽  
Ulrich Budde ◽  
Tobias Obser ◽  
Jacqueline Brassard ◽  
Kerstin Mainusch ◽  
...  

Abstract Dimerization defects of von Willebrand factor (vWF) protomers underlie von Willebrand disease (vWD) type 2A, subtype IID (vWD 2A/IID), and corresponding mutations have been identified at the 3′ end of the vWF gene in exon 52. This study identified and expressed 2 additional mutations in this region, a homozygous defect in a patient with vWD type 3 (C2754W) and a heterozygous frameshift mutation (8566delC) in a patient with vWD type 2A, subtype IIE. Both mutations involve cysteine residues that we propose are possibly essential for dimerization. To prove this hypothesis, transient recombinant expression of each of the 2 mutations introduced in the carboxy-terminal vWF fragment II and in the complete vWF complementary DNA, respectively, were carried out in COS-7 cells and compared with expression of vWD 2A/IID mutation C2773R and the wild-type (WT) sequence in COS-7 cells. Recombinant WT vWF fragment II assembled correctly into a dimer, whereas recombinant mutant fragments were monomeric. Homozygous expression of recombinant mutant full-length vWF resulted in additional dimers, probably through disulfide bonding at the amino-terminal multimerization site, whereas recombinant WT vWF correctly assembled into multimers. Coexpression of recombinant mutant and recombinant WT vWF reproduced the multimer patterns observed in heterozygous individuals. Our results suggest that a common defect of vWF biosynthesis—lack of vWF dimerization—may cause diverse types and subtypes of vWD. We also confirmed previous studies that found that disulfide bonding at the vWF amino-terminal is independent of dimerization at the vWF carboxy-terminal.


1985 ◽  
Vol 161 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-159 ◽  
Author(s):  
N G Guerina ◽  
S Langermann ◽  
G K Schoolnik ◽  
T W Kessler ◽  
D A Goldmann

Haemophilus influenzae pili were purified, and their physical and serological properties were examined. The solution properties of the pili were determined, and then a purification scheme involving repeated cycles of precipitation and solubilization was developed. The purified pili from one type b isolate (A02) were found to consist of multiple copies of a 25,000 mol wt subunit. Amino-terminal sequence analysis of A02 pili was carried out to 40 amino acid residues, and a remarkable degree of sequence homology was found with E. coli P and mannose-sensitive (MS) pili (27.5 and 25% homology, respectively). Purified A02 pili were found to be highly immunogenic, and serological analysis by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and whole piliated cell agglutination revealed significant cross-reactivity between A02 pilus antiserum and the pili of seven other H. influenzae strains tested (heterologous titers = 2-100% of the homologous titer). Cross-reactivity was also observed between the H. influenzae pili (five of eight strains tested) and the P pili from E. coli strains HU849 and 3669; no cross-reactivity was detected with MS pili from E. coli strain H10407 and C94. The structural similarities between H. influenzae and E. coli P and MS pili suggest a common gene ancestry.


2005 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 1093-1101 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. D. Baron ◽  
A. C. Banyard ◽  
S. Parida ◽  
T. Barrett

The currently used vaccine strain of Rinderpest virus was derived by serial passage of the highly virulent Kabete ‘O’ strain (KO). A full-length cDNA copy of the KO strain was made from which a virus identical in pathogenicity to the wild-type virus was rescued. A series of chimeric viruses was prepared in which the coding sequences for the N, P, F, H or L proteins were replaced with the corresponding sequences from the vaccine strain. The KO-based virus with the vaccine strain H gene and that with the carboxy-terminal half of the L gene replaced with the corresponding sequence from the vaccine strain retained all or almost all of the virulence of the original KO virus. Animals infected with the KO-based virus containing the vaccine strain N, P or F gene, or the amino-terminal half of the L gene, developed high and prolonged pyrexia and leukopenia, but with reduced or absent lesions and other clinical signs; although partially attenuated, none was nearly as attenuated as the vaccine strain itself. These data indicate that the high attenuation and stability of the current vaccine are due to the accumulation of a number of separate mutations, none of which is itself so sufficiently debilitating that there is strong selective pressure in favour of the revertant.


1997 ◽  
Vol 45 (7) ◽  
pp. 909-922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Denise Escalier ◽  
Jean-Marc Gallo ◽  
Joseph Schrével

Among the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) prepared against human sperm extracts, MAb 4F7 was found to be specific to the human and Macaca fascicularis sperm cytoskeletal fibrous sheath (FS). In Western blotting, MAb 4F7 stains a doublet of polypeptides of about Mr 95 × 103 in extracts of human sperm cells. These polypeptides are not recognized by the KL1 anti-cytokeratin MAb, nor by the MAbs known to bind to the carboxy terminal (IFA) and to the amino terminal (ME101) rod domain of intermediate filaments. Sequential extraction procedures shows that the FS polypeptides recognized by MAb 4F7 are exposed after treatment with 8 M urea. 4F7 immunoreactivity is lost after treatment with high ionic solutions (NaCl, KCl, KI). Immunogold electron microscopy reveals that this protein is present throughout the FS. This FS antigenic determinant first accumulates in an FS proximal body in late spermatids, then in granules extending distally along the flagellum. Staining of spermatozoa with flagellar dysgenesis reveals that this FS protein colocalizes with actin no matter what the location of their abnormal assembly. These data suggest that the transient microtubule-like spindle-shaped body of as yet unknown function could be involved in FS protein deposition and that the assembly of the FS and actin could be under the control of some common morphogenetical factor(s). MAb 4F7 should allow further investigations of this periaxonemal structure in both normal and pathological conditions.


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