Dataset Information

Mapping Immunodominant Antibody Epitopes of Abrin.

ABSTRACT: Abrin, a toxin isolated from the seeds of Abrus precatorius (jequirity pea) is considered a biological threat agent by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, there is no effective postexposure treatment for abrin poisoning, and efforts are being made to develop an efficient vaccine and measures for postexposure therapy. Epitope mapping is widely applied as an efficient tool for discovering the antigenic moieties of toxins, thus providing invaluable information needed for the development of vaccines and therapies. Aiming to identify the immunodominant epitopes of abrin, several neutralizing antiabrin polyclonal antibodies were screened using a set of 15-mer peptides spanning the amino acid sequence of either the A or B subunits of abrin. Analysis of the antibody-binding pattern revealed 11 linear epitopes for the A subunit and 14 epitopes for the B subunit that are located on the surface of the toxin and thus accessible for antibody interactions. Moreover, the spatial location of several of these epitopes suggests they may block the galactose-binding pockets or the catalytic domain, thus neutralizing the toxin. These findings provide useful information and suggest a possible strategy for the development and design of an improved abrin-based vaccine and therapeutic antibodies.

SUBMITTER: Alcalay R

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7344891 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Mapping Immunodominant Antibody Epitopes of Abrin.

Alcalay Ron R Falach Reut R Gal Yoav Y Sapoznikov Anita A Sabo Tamar T Kronman Chanoch C Mazor Ohad O

Antibodies (Basel, Switzerland) 20200427 2

Abrin, a toxin isolated from the seeds of <i>Abrus precatorius</i> (jequirity pea) is considered a biological threat agent by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, there is no effective postexposure treatment for abrin poisoning, and efforts are being made to develop an efficient vaccine and measures for postexposure therapy. Epitope mapping is widely applied as an efficient tool for discovering the antigenic moieties of toxins, thus providing invaluable information needed for ...[more]

PMID: 32349421

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Project description:West Nile virus (WNV) is a mosquito-borne flavivirus that primarily infects birds but occasionally infects humans and horses. Certain species of birds, including crows, house sparrows, geese, blue jays and ravens, are considered highly susceptible hosts to WNV. The nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) of WNV can elicit protective immune responses, including NS1-reactive antibodies, during infection of animals. The antigenicity of NS1 suggests that NS1-reactive antibodies could provide a basis for serological diagnostic reagents. To further define serological reagents for diagnostic use, the antigenic sites in NS1 that are targeted by host immune responses need to be identified and the potential diagnostic value of individual antigenic sites also needs to be defined. The present study describes comprehensive mapping of common immunodominant linear B-cell epitopes in the WNV NS1 using avian WNV NS1 antisera. We screened antisera from chickens, ducks and geese immunized with purified NS1 for reactivity against 35 partially overlapping peptides covering the entire WNV NS1. This study identified twelve, nine and six peptide epitopes recognized by chicken, duck and goose antibody responses, respectively. Three epitopes (NS1-3, 14 and 24) were recognized by antibodies elicited by immunization in all three avian species tested. We also found that NS1-3 and 24 were WNV-specific epitopes, whereas the NS1-14 epitope was conserved among the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) serocomplex viruses based on the reactivity of avian WNV NS1 antisera against polypeptides derived from the NS1 sequences of viruses of the JEV serocomplex. Further analysis showed that the three common polypeptide epitopes were not recognized by antibodies in Avian Influenza Virus (AIV), Newcastle Disease Virus (NDV), Duck Plague Virus (DPV) and Goose Parvovirus (GPV) antisera. The knowledge and reagents generated in this study have potential applications in differential diagnostic approaches and subunit vaccines development for WNV and other viruses of the JEV serocomplex.

Dataset Information

Mapping Immunodominant Antibody Epitopes of Abrin.

Publications

Mapping Immunodominant Antibody Epitopes of Abrin.

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