Structural differences among hemagglutinins of influenza A virus subtypes are reflected in their antigenic architecture: analysis of H9 escape mutants.

ABSTRACT: We used a panel of monoclonal antibodies to H9 hemagglutinin to select 18 escape mutants of mouse-adapted influenza A/Swine/Hong Kong/9/98 (H9N2) virus. Cross-reactions of the mutants with the antibodies and the sequencing of hemagglutinin genes revealed two minimally overlapping epitopes. We mapped the amino acid changes to two areas of the recently reported three-dimensional structure of A/Swine/Hong Kong/9/98 hemagglutinin. The grouping of the antigenically relevant amino acid positions in H9 hemagglutinin differs from the pattern observed in H3 and H5 hemagglutinins. Several positions in site B of H3 hemagglutinin are distributed in two sites of H9 hemagglutinin. Unlike any subtype analyzed so far, H9 hemagglutinin does not contain an antigenic site corresponding to site A in H3 hemagg

SUBMITTER: Kaverin NV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC303415 | biostudies-literature | 2004 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature