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Analysis of serological cross-reactivity between antibodies against BK polyomavirus variants
Caisová, Helena ; Horníková, Lenka (advisor) ; Roubalová, Kateřina (referee)
BK polyomavirus (BKPyV), which asymptomatically infects about 80 % of the human population, can reactivate in immunosuppressed patients after kidney transplantation and cause nephropathy. In the European population, there are predominantly two BKPyV sub- types, BKPyV-I and BKPyV-IV, which behave as different serotypes. Recipients who receive a kidney from a donor positive for a different subtype are at a greater risk of graft rejection. So far, it is impossible to distinguish between these two subtypes using a serological ELISA test as serum antibodies against these two subtypes cross-react. This work aimed to iden- tify epitopes on the major antigenic protein VP1, which are responsible for the binding of cross-reacting and/or subtype-specific antibodies. The identification of such epitopes could further lead to improvement in pre-transplant diagnostics and better management of pati- ents after transplantation. Therefore, two types of antigens composed of the VP1 protein of the BKPyV-IV subtype with introduced mutations characteristic of BKPyV-I in the DE and EF loops of VP1 were prepared and tested using an antigen competition assay with a panel of human sera. The results showed that the DE loop region is an immunogenic epitope that binds specific antibodies for BKPyV subtype I. Conversely, a mutation in...
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