Relative Titers of Antibodies to Individual Polypeptide Antigens of Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 in Human Sera

Abstract

Human immune sera were analyzed by an immunoblot procedure in order to identify which polypeptides of herpes simplex virus type 1 were recognized and to determine the relative concentrations of antibodies to individual viral antigens. The strongest reactivity in all immune sera examined was directed against the three major herpes simplex virus-specific glycoprotein antigens (gAB, gC, and gD) and a series of uncharacterized low-molecular-weight polypeptides. Titers of antibody to the gC and gD antigens varied among individuals and were often considerably lower than titers of antibody to the gAB antigen. Immune sera also recognized a number of nonglycosylated polypeptides, both structural and nonstructural. No consistent differences were noted between the recognition of particular viral polypeptides by sera from individuals with frequent, recurrent labial lesions and that by sera from individuals with infrequent, recurrent lesions. However, the ratio between the titer of antibody to the gAB antigen and that to the gC antigen did appear to be somewhat lower in sera from persons with a high recurrence rate.

Antibody Response, Recurrence Patterns and Subsequent Herpes Simplex Virus Type 2 (HSV-2) Re-infection Following Initial HSV-2 Infection of Guinea-pigs: Effects of Acyclovir

“…The observation that plasma without an identifiable reaction to gD by immunoblotting was reactive in an ELISA using cloned gD as the antigen (our unpublished results) also suggests that immunoblotting may not be as sensitive as other methods for detection of antibody to this protein. Norrild et al (1981) also noted that the major reactive polypeptides were not the HSV-1 glycoproteins, although Eberle & Mou (1983) have reported strong responses to gB and gD in patients with recurrent HSV-1 infections in a system similar to ours. Preliminary studies in our laboratory have also suggested that weanling guinea-pigs, such as those used in this study, do not respond as well to gB and gD as do adult guinea-pigs (unpublished data).…”

The polyspecific immunoglobulin response to HSV-1 viral proteins: determination of immunogenic proteins and relative antibody titres to individual polypeptides by immunoblotting

“…High titres of antibody to gD and gB are also seen in quantitative immunoelectrop horetic studies on human sera (Vestergaard, 1979). There is generally good agreement between our results and those of Eberle and Mou (1983) except for the 75 x 103-m01. wt protein which was not a major protein in their studies.…”

“…(lo3) 44 and 42 were not precipitated in these studies, or were only minor proteins in immunoprecipitates. This disparity has previously been recognised by Eberle and Mou (1983). These proteins are probably related to the p40 protein purified from HSV nucleocapsids by Heilman et al (198 1) because monoclonal antisera to p40 (Zweig et al, 1980) bind to a series of proteins ranging in mol.…”

“…The sensitivity shown here exceeds that achieved in earlier immunoblot studies (Norrild et al,198 l), probably as a result of greater gel resolution, more complete transfer of protein to paper by electrophoretic methods, and careful determination of optimal protein concentrations on the SDS-polyacrylamide gels. Eberle and Mou (1983) used a sensitive immunoblot system and one of their human sera, HS-3, recognised 28 HSV-1 polypeptides. Sera of other patients in their study reacted with only 10 proteins.…”

“…Norrild et al (1981) in the first HSV-1 immunoblotting studies showed that immune rabbit serum recognised 17 different proteins in an immunoblotting procedure employing 251-protein A. In human sera studies by Eberle and Mou (1983), reactivity with 10-28 HSV-1 proteins was seen. Finally, 4-12 HSV-1 or HSV-2 polypep-IP: 35.167.132.9…”