Immunochemical studies with tryptic peptides of tobacco mosaic virus protein

The antigenic determinants of the protein subunit of tobacco mosaic virus CTMV) have been studied by inhibition of complement fixation, inhibition of micro-precipitin and direct binding experiments. The viral subunit has been found to possess six antigenic determinants. Two of these, situated in tryptic peptide I (residues 1-41), were found to be a cryptotope (i.e. an antigenic determinant absent from the outer surface of the assembled viral capsid) and a viral antigenic determinant. Tryptic peptides 4 (residues 62-68) and 8(residues 93-112) also contained cryptotopes which were situated in the region of residues 63-65 and 108-112 respectively. Tryptic peptide 12 (residues 142-158) contained both a cryptotope and a neotope (i.e. an antigenic determinant which is only expressed on the outer surface of the viral capsid), which are situated in the C-terminal region of the polypeptide chain of the TMV protein, residue156 being associated with the cryptotope and residue 158 with the neotope. No antigenic activity could be demonstrated in tryptic peptide I I (residues 135-141 ). When the results are analyzed in terms of the three-dimensional structure of the viral subunit, it appears that all the antigenic reactive regions occupy highly accessible locations on the surface of the protein.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Department of Molecular and Cell Biology

Year dc:date.issued

1979

Author dc:creator

• Milton, Raymond Cecil de Lisle

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Van Regenmortel, M H V

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/12596

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/12596