Analysis of recombinant dengue virus polypeptides for dengue diagnosis and evaluation of the humoral immune response

Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2004 Aug;71(2):144-52.

Abstract

Dengue is a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical areas worldwide. We cloned and expressed recombinant polypeptides spanning the entire genome of a Brazilian dengue virus type 2 (DENV-2) strain in contiguous segments to generate antigens for dengue diagnosis and evaluation of the human humoral immune response. When analyzed by Western blot and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) using human sera, the most reactive polypeptide (pD2-3(E)) was located in the N-terminal portion of the envelope protein. The sensitivity of an IgG-ELISA using pD2-3(E) versus mouse brain antigen was 100% with convalescent sera and 79% with acute sera, with a specificity of 100%. Sera from patients infected with other DENV serotypes recognized pD2-3(E) equally well, whereas sera positive for yellow fever, rubella, and measles showed little or no reactivity. Using this novel approach, we identified a candidate antigen to facilitate diagnosis of DENV infections and observed a surprising variability in antibody patterns in the clinical response to DENV infections.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / blood*
  • Antigens, Viral / chemistry
  • Antigens, Viral / genetics
  • Antigens, Viral / immunology
  • Dengue / diagnosis*
  • Dengue Virus / chemistry
  • Dengue Virus / genetics
  • Dengue Virus / immunology*
  • Escherichia coli / genetics
  • Escherichia coli / immunology
  • Humans
  • Immunoglobulin G / blood
  • Peptides / immunology*
  • Recombinant Proteins / immunology*
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / chemistry*
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / genetics
  • Viral Envelope Proteins / immunology

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Antigens, Viral
  • Immunoglobulin G
  • Peptides
  • Recombinant Proteins
  • Viral Envelope Proteins