Characterization of a novel monoclonal antibody reactive against the N-terminal region of Enterovirus 71 VP1 capsid protein

Abstract Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral infectious disease caused by human Enterovirus A, particularly Enterovirus 71 (EV71) and Coxsackievirus 16 (CA16) serotypes, with EV71 infection associated with severe neurological complications and mortality. Lots of attention has been placed on elucidating viral epitopes, which is useful for EV71 viral research. In this study, a murine monoclonal antibody (mAb 4) specific for EV71 was generated and mapped to target the N-terminal region of VP1 capsid protein, spanning amino acid residues 12-19 (IGDSVSRA). mAb 4 can cross-react with all the 11 representative EV71 subgenotypes (A, B1-5, C1-5), but not with the representative strain of CA16 as demonstrated by immunofluorescence assay (IFA). BLAST analyses of this epitope against all Enterovirus entries in Genbank also demonstrated that this epitope is unique in EV71, but not other Enterovirus such as CA16 It may be useful for structural study of VP1 morphogenesis during infection and also applications for identification of EV71 infection.