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Use of synthetic peptides to represent surface-exposed epitopes defined by neutralizing dengue complex- and flavivirus group-reactive monoclonal antibodies on the native dengue type-2 virus envelope glycoprotein

¹ Department of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT, UK
² Grupo de Investigaciones en Enfermedades Tropicales, Departamento de Ciencias Basicas Medicas, Universidad del Norte, Km 5 Antigua via Puerto Colombia, Barranquilla, Colombia

Correspondence
Andrew K. I. Falconar
afalconar{at}uninorte.edu.co

The reactions of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that defined dengue virus (DENV) complex, flavivirus subgroup or group neutralizing epitopes were tested against synthetic peptide sequences from domains I, II and III of the envelope (E) glycoproteins of different DENV-2 genotypes/strains. The DENV complex-reactive mAb identified the surface-exposed 304-GKFKV/IVKEIA-313 peptides and the DENV complex-conserved 393-KKGSSIGQ/KM-401 peptides in domain III, which were located adjacently in the native glycoprotein. Both flavivirus group-reactive mAbs reacted most strongly with fusion sequence peptides from domain II when they contained a cysteine (C) by glycine (G) substitution (underlined) (101-WGNGGGLFG-109) to represent the native rotated C side chain. The 393–401 sequence represents a newly identified epitope, present as a highly flexible coil located between the 385 and 393 cell-binding sequence and the 401 and 413 sequence involved in the E glycoprotein homo-trimer formation. The 101–109 sequence containing 105-C by G substitution and the 393–401 sequence are good candidates for diagnostic assays and cross-protection experiments.