Monoclonal antibody mapping of the envelope glycoprotein of the dengue 2 virus, Jamaica

Although dengue (DEN) virus is the etiologic agent of dengue fever, the most prevalent vector-borne viral disease in the world, precise information on the antigenic structure of the dengue virion is limited. We have prepared a set of murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) specific for the envelope (E) glycoprotein of DEN 2 virus and used these antibodies in a comprehensive biological and biochemical analysis to identify 16 epitopes. Following domain nomenclature developed for the related flavivirus, tick-borne encephalitis, three functional domains were identified. Five epitopes associated with domain A were arranged in three spatially independent regions. These A-domain epitopes were destroyed by reduction, and antibodies reactive with these epitopes were able to block Virus hemagglutination, neutralize virus infectivity, and block virus-mediated cell membrane fusion. Domain-A epitopes were present on the full-length E glycoprotein, a 45-kDa tryptic peptide representing its first 400 amino acids (aa) and a 22-kDa tryptic peptide representing at least aa 1-120. Four epitopes mapped into domain B, as determined by their partial resistance to reduction and the localization of these epitopes on a 9-kDa tryptic or chymotryptic peptide fragment (aa 300-400). One domain-B-reactive MAb was also capable of binding to a DEN 2 synthetic peptide corresponding to aa 333-351 of the E glycoprotein, confirming the location of this domain. Domain-B epitopes elicited MAbs that were potent neutralizers of virus infectivity and blocked hemagglutination, but they did not block virus-mediated cell-membrane fusion. Domains A and B were spatially associated. As with tick-borne encephalitis virus, determination of domain C was more problematic; however, at least four epitopes had biochemical characteristics consistent with C-domain epitopes.