Linear Multiepitope (Glyco)peptides for Type-Specific Serology of Herpes Simplex Virus (HSV) Infections

Detection of type-specific antibodies is an important and essential part of accurate diagnosis, even in silent carriers of herpes simplex virus (HSV)-1 (oral) and HSV-2 (genital) infections. Serologic assays that identify HSV-1 and HSV-2 type-specific antibodies have been commercially available for more than a decade but often face problems related to cross-reactivity and similar issues. Attempts to identify type-specific peptide epitopes for use in serology for both HSV-1 and HSV-2 have been limited. We recently demonstrated epitope mapping of envelope glycoprotein G2 and identified a type-specific glycopeptide epitope that broadly recognized HSV-2 infected individuals. In the present work we have performed a comprehensive glycopeptide synthesis and microarray epitope mapping of 14 envelope proteins from HSV-1 and HSV-2, namely, gB, gC, gD, gE, gG, gH, and gI, using sera from HSV-1- and HSV-2-infected individuals and control sera. Several unique type-specific peptide epitopes with high sensitivity were identified and synthesized as one large linear multiepitope sequence using microwave-assisted solid-phase (glyco)peptide synthesis. Microarray validation with clinically defined HSV and Varicella Zoster (VZV) sera confirmed excellent cumulative specificities and sensitivities.