Differences in conformation of type 3 poliovirus antigenic sites on non-infectious empty particles and infectious...

A panel of monoclonal antibodies which react with empty non-infectious type 3 poliovirus particles (C antigen) but not infectious virus (D antigen) were characterized for their reactivity with C antigen particles derived from neutralization-resistant virus strains which had single amino acid substitutions at each of the antigenic sites. Antibodies were identified which failed to bind to variant viruses with modifications at each of antigenic sites 2b, 3b and 4 indicating that the same amino acid sequences involved in the neutralization of infectious virus are also present on the surface of non-infectious particles but in different configurations.