HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via CrossRef Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Santibanez, S. Articles by Hengel, H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Santibanez, S. Articles by Hengel, H. Agricola Articles by Santibanez, S. Articles by Hengel, H.

Probing neutralizing-antibody responses against emerging measles viruses (MVs): immune selection of MV by H protein-specific antibodies?

Stefan Niewiesk^2,

Albert Zimmermann^1,

Hartmut Hengel^1,

¹ WHO Measles/Rubella European RRL and NRC Measles, Mumps, Rubella, Robert Koch-Institut, Nordufer 20, D-13353 Berlin, Germany
² Institut für Virologie und Immunbiologie, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
³ Rijksinstituut voor Volksgezondheid en Milieu, Bilthoven, The Netherlands

Correspondence
Sabine Santibanez
SantibanezS{at}rki.de

Measles virus (MV) infection and vaccination induce long-lasting immunity and neutralizing-antibody responses that are directed against the MV haemagglutinin (H) and the fusion (F) protein. A new MV genotype, D7, emerged recently in western Germany and rapidly replaced the long-term endemically circulating genotypes C2 and D6. Analysis of the H gene of C2, D6, D7 and vaccine viruses revealed uniform sequences for each genotype. Interestingly, a consistent exchange of seven distinct amino acids in the D7 H was observed when compared with residues shared between C2, D6 and vaccine viruses, and one exchange (D416N) in the D7 H was associated with an additional N-linked glycosylation. In contrast, the F gene is highly conserved between MVs of these genotypes. To test whether the D7 H protein escapes from antibody responses that were raised against earlier circulating or vaccine viruses, the neutralizing capacity of mAbs recognizing seven distinct domains on the H of an Edmonston-related MV was compared. The mAbs revealed a selective and complete loss of two neutralizing epitopes on the D7 H when compared with C2, D6 and vaccine viruses. To assess whether these alterations of the D7 H affect the neutralizing capacity of polyclonal B-cell responses, genotype-specific antisera were produced in cotton rats. However, no significant genotype-dependent difference was found. Likewise, human sera obtained from vaccinees (n=7) and convalescents (n=6) did not distinguish between the MV genotypes. Although the hypothesis of selection of D7 viruses by pre-existing neutralizing antibodies is compatible with the differing pattern of neutralizing epitopes on the H protein, it was not confirmed by the results of MV neutralization with polyclonal sera.

Present address: College of Veterinary Medicine, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.

Present address: Institute for Virology, University of Düsseldorf, Düsseldorf, Germany.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. W. H. Ruigrok and D. Gerlier Structure of the measles virus H glycoprotein sheds light on an efficient vaccine PNAS, December 26, 2007; 104(52): 20639 - 20640. [Full Text] [PDF]

				R. L. de Swart, S. Yuksel, and A. D. M. E. Osterhaus Relative Contributions of Measles Virus Hemagglutinin- and Fusion Protein-Specific Serum Antibodies to Virus Neutralization J. Virol., September 1, 2005; 79(17): 11547 - 11551. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]