Localization of linear B-cell epitopes on infectious bronchitis virus nucleocapsid protein

The nucleocapsid (N) protein of many viruses is highly conserved, immunogenic, and abundantly expressed during infection. These features make it a suitable candidate for diagnostic applications. The nucleocspsid protein of infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) was dissected into 12 fragments and expressed in Escherichia coli. Sera against Australia T, China Ch5, Singapore P4, USA M41 and China T3 isolates were used to study the conservation and localization of the antigenic region on the IBV nucleocapsid protein. Our results show linear immunodominant epitopes, which were found in three fragments covering amino acid residues 175-241, 310-370 and 360-409. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.