Potyviruses, monoclonal antibodies, and antigenic sites

Virus-specific and cross-reactive monoclonal antibodies have been produced to at least 19 different aphid-transmitted potyviruses. This report summarizes the development of these monoclonal antibodies as well as presents information on the delineation of the virus-specific and group-common epitopes defined by these monoclonal antibodies. Virus-specific and group-common antigenic determinants were mapped by a variety of techniques, including analysis of antigen: antibody reactivity patterns, determination of N-terminal vs. trypsin-resistant core peptide-specificity, immunoanalysis of overlapping synthetic peptides, and immunoanalysis of bacterially expressed coat-protein gene products. Of those monoclonal antibodies that have been examined, monoclonal antibody-defined virus-specific epitopes are virion surface-located within the 30+ amino acid amino terminus, whereas the group-common epitopes are found in the trypsin-resistant core protein not usually located on the virion surface, as has been shown previously with certain polyclonal antibodies. New information is presented on the analysis of bean yellow mosaic virus amino terminal epitopes as well as on the identification of amino terminal antigenic determinants shared between strains of bean yellow mosaic virus and pepper mottle virus. A recommendation on the evaluation and use of a panel of potyvirus broad-spectrum reacting monoclonals as reference monoclonal antibodies for the detection and classification of aphid-transmitted potyviruses is also presented.