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Generation and application of monoclonal antibodies against Rift Valley fever virus nucleocapsid protein NP and glycoproteins Gn and Gc

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Abstract

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a vector-borne virus that causes high neonatal mortality in livestock and deadly haemorrhagic fever in humans. In this paper, we describe the generation of monoclonal antibodies (mabs) against all three structural proteins of RVFV (glycoproteins Gn and Gc and nucleocapsid protein NP). After immunization of BALB/c mice with individual recombinant proteins, a total of 45 clones secreting ELISA-reactive monoclonal antibodies against NP, Gn and Gc epitopes were obtained. Twelve clones were directed to NP, 28 to Gn, and 5 to Gc. Western blot analysis revealed that most of the mabs were reactive to linearized epitopes on recombinant as well as native virus proteins. Six mabs against NP, 21 against Gn and all mabs against Gc also detected conformational epitopes, as shown by indirect immunofluorescence on RVFV-infected cells. All of the mabs were evaluated for their use in a competition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of a RVFV infection. Several mabs were identified that competed with polyclonal rabbit serum, and one of them – mab Gn123, raised against Gn protein – was selected for a proof-of-principle study with field sera from a recent Rift Valley fever outbreak. The novel Gn-based competition ELISA demonstrated high performance, offering a promising alternative and addition to serological assays based on nucleocapsid protein.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Novel and Emerging Infectious Diseases at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

    Susanne Jäckel, Martin Eiden, Anne Balkema-Buschmann & Martin H. Groschup

  2. Department of Experimental Animal Facilities and Biorisk Management at the Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut (FLI), Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, 17493, Greifswald-Insel Riems, Germany

    Malte Dauber

  3. Centro de Investigación en Sanidad Animal (CISA-INIA), Carretera de Valdeolmos-El Casar s/n, 28130, Valdeolmos, Madrid, Spain

    Alejandro Brun

Authors
  1. Susanne Jäckel
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  2. Martin Eiden
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  3. Malte Dauber
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  4. Anne Balkema-Buschmann
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  5. Alejandro Brun
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  6. Martin H. Groschup
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Correspondence to Martin H. Groschup.

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Jäckel, S., Eiden, M., Dauber, M. et al. Generation and application of monoclonal antibodies against Rift Valley fever virus nucleocapsid protein NP and glycoproteins Gn and Gc. Arch Virol 159, 535–546 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1867-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00705-013-1867-4

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