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Serodiagnosis of Antibodies to the Human AIDS Retrovirus with a Bacterially Synthesized env Polypeptide

Bio/Technology volume 4, pages 128–133 (1986)Cite this article

Abstract

Accurate identification of persons exposed to the human AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) retrovirus is important in screening asymptomatic blood donors and in clinical situations related to AIDS. Assays for antibodies to the virus that employ antigens derived from virus-infected lymphoid cell cultures thus far do not detect all infected individuals and are subject to false-positive reactions, often due to antibodies directed against contaminating cellular rather than viral antigens. A region of the viral genome encoding a 102 amino acid segment of the putative envelope transmembrane protein, gp41env, has been efficiently expressed as a fusion polypeptide in E. coli (pLEgp41). Recombinant pLEgp41 is recognized in Western blot assays by virtually all sera from patients with AIDS and related disorders and has been successfully formatted in an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). This “second generation” assay for antibodies to the AIDS retrovirus is highly specific and sensitive, detects all gp41 seropositive sera previously identified by western blot analysis of whole virus preparations, and does not demonstrate false-positive reactions characteristic of ELISA kits employing whole virus prepared from HTLV-III-infected cells.

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Author information

Author notes

  1. Jerome E. Groopman: Division of Hematology-Oncology, New England Deaconess Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 110 Francis Street, Boston, Massachusetts 02215

  2. Mark Renz, Laurence A. Lasky and Daniel J. Capon: Department of Molecular Biology, Genentech, Inc., 460 Point San Bruno Boulevard, South San Francisco, California 94080

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Travenol-Genentech Diagnostics, Inc., 600 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 02139

    Cirilo D. Cabradilla & Joan Lanigan

Authors
  1. Cirilo D. Cabradilla
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  2. Jerome E. Groopman
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  3. Joan Lanigan
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  4. Mark Renz
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  5. Laurence A. Lasky
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  6. Daniel J. Capon
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Cabradilla, C., Groopman, J., Lanigan, J. et al. Serodiagnosis of Antibodies to the Human AIDS Retrovirus with a Bacterially Synthesized env Polypeptide. Nat Biotechnol 4, 128–133 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1038/nbt0286-128

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