Preferential immune response to virion surface glycoproteins by caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus-infected goats

Six months after inoculation with caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus, the serum and synovial fluid of virus-infected goats had antibodies to [35S]methionine-labeled viral proteins with apparent molecular weights of 125,000, 90,000, 28,000, and 15,000. The 125,000-, 90,000-, and 15,000-molecular-weight methionine-labeled proteins were identified as virion surface glycoproteins by lactoperoxidase iodination and galactose oxidase-boro[3H]hydride reduction labeling techniques. Radioimmunoassay antibody titers to purified p28, the most abundant viral structural protein, averaged 1:182 in synovial fluid and 1:67 in serum 6 months after inoculation. High dilutions of serum and synovial fluid reacted with gp90 and gp125 electroblotted onto nitrocellulose paper from polyacrylamide gels. Anti-gp90 activity was detected at dilutions with an immunoglobulin G content of 0.02 to 11 micrograms, whereas antibody to p28, when detectable on Western blots, was present in samples with an immunoglobulin G content of 0.1 to 2 mg, representing 100- to 1,000-fold-greater titers of antibody to the surface glycoprotein. Synovial fluids often contained more anti-gp90 antibody than did sera. Immunoprecipitation of lactoperoxidase-iodinated virus confirmed the presence of high antibody titers to the two virion surface glycoproteins. Because antiviral gp90 and gp125 antibody is abundant in the synovial fluid of infected goats, it probably contributes to the high immunoglobulin G1 concentrations seen at this site 6 months after caprine arthritis-encephalitis virus infection.