Synthetic peptide derived from the epstein-barr virus encoded early diffuse antigen (ea-d) reactive with human antibodies
✍ Scribed by Robert I. Fox; Susan Scott; Richard Houghten; Alice Whalley; Jack Geltofsky; John Vaughan; Richard Smith
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1987
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 533 KB
- Volume
- 1
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0887-8013
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✦ Synopsis
Primary infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and reactivation of latent virus are associated with increased antibody titers against the diffuse early antigen (EA-D). In order to better define the antigenic epitopes recognized by antibodies from patients with infectious mononucleosis (IM) and with other disease states, a series of synthetic peptides were prepared based on the DNA sequence encoding the EA-D molecule. One synthetic peptide (K7b) was reactive with the majority of sera from patients with acute IM. Anti-K7b activity was most readily detected among IgM and IgA antibodies and to a lesser extent among IgG antibodies. In contrast, significant elevations of anti-K7b activity were observed in less than 5% of healthy adults. Serial analysis of samples from individuals prior to and after exposure to EBV demonstrated increased anti-K7b reactivity associated with the symptoms of acute IM. Elevated anti-peptide K7b titers also were found in sera of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma and with Sjogren's syndrome (an autoimmune disease involving the salivary glands). Four different synthetic peptides from other regions of the EA-D molecule were not reactive with antibodies from these patients nor from IM patients. These results suggest that peptide K7b defines an antigenic epitope recognized during primary EBV infection and during viral reactivation occurring in patients with autoimmune and neoplastic disease.