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Wang H, Zhang W, Gu H, Chen W, Zeng M, Ji C, Song R, Zhang G. Identification and characterization of two linear epitope motifs in hepatitis E virus ORF2 protein. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0184947. [PMID: 28957334 PMCID: PMC5619941 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0184947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2017] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Hepatitis E virus (HEV) is responsible for hepatitis E, which represents a global public health problem. HEV genotypes 3 and 4 are reported to be zoonotic, and animals are monitored for HEV infection in the interests of public hygiene and food safety. The development of novel diagnostic methods and vaccines for HEV in humans is thus important topics of research. Opening reading frame (ORF) 2 of HEV includes both linear and conformational epitopes and is regarded as the primary candidate for vaccines and diagnostic tests. We investigated the precise location of the HEV epitopes in the ORF2 protein. We prepared four monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against genotype 4 ORF2 protein and identified two linear epitopes, G438IVIPHD444 and Y457DNQH461, corresponding to two of these mAbs using phage display biopanning technology. Both these epitopes were speculated to be universal to genotypes 1, 2, 3, 4, and avian HEVs. We also used two 12-mer fragments of ORF2 protein including these two epitopes to develop a peptide-based enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect HEV in serum. This assay demonstrated good specificity but low sensitivity compared with the commercial method, indicating that these two epitopes could serve as potential candidate targets for diagnosis. Overall, these results further our understanding of the epitope distribution of HEV ORF2, and provide important information for the development of peptide-based immunodiagnostic tests to detect HEV in serum.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heng Wang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- * E-mail: (GZ); (HW)
| | - Weidong Zhang
- Hospital of South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Honglang Gu
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- MOA Key Laboratory of Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Wanli Chen
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Meng Zeng
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Chihai Ji
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- MOA Key Laboratory of Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Ruyue Song
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Prevention and Control for Severe Clinical Animal Diseases, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
| | - Guihong Zhang
- College of Veterinary Medicine, South China Agricultural University, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- MOA Key Laboratory of Animal Vaccine Development, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People’s Republic of China
- * E-mail: (GZ); (HW)
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