Specificity of an anti-capsid antibody associated with Hepatitis B Virus-related acute liver failure.

ABSTRACT: Previously, the livers of patients suffering from acute liver failure (ALF), a potentially fatal syndrome arising from infection by Hepatitis B Virus (HBV), were found to contain massive amounts of an antibody specific for the core antigen (HBcAg) capsid. We have used cryo-electron microscopy and molecular modeling to define its epitope. HBV capsids are icosahedral shells with 25Å-long dimeric spikes, each a 4-helix bundle, protruding from the contiguous "floor". Of the anti-HBcAg antibodies previously characterized, most bind around the spike tip while one binds to the floor. The ALF-associated antibody binds tangentially to a novel site on the side of the spike. This epitope is conformational. The Fab binds with high affinity to its principal determinants but has lower affinities for qua

SUBMITTER: Wu W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3525778 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature