Human Norovirus Epitope D Plasticity Allows Escape from Antibody Immunity without Loss of Capacity for Binding Cellular Ligands.

ABSTRACT: Emergent strains of human norovirus seed pandemic waves of disease. These new strains have altered ligand binding and antigenicity characteristics. Study of viral variants isolated from immunosuppressed patients with long-term norovirus infection indicates that initial virus in vivo evolution occurs at the same antigenic sites as in pandemic strains. Here, cellular ligand binding and antigenicity of two cocirculating strains isolated from a patient with long-term norovirus infection were characterized. The isolated GII.4 viruses differed from previous strains and from each other at known blockade antibody epitopes. One strain had a unique sequence in epitope D, including loss of an insertion at residue 394, corresponding to a decreased relative affinity for carbohydrate ligands. Replacemen

SUBMITTER: Lindesmith LC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6321922 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature