A single epitope of Epstein-Barr Virus stimulate IgG production in mice

BACKGROUND: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is closely associated with the high incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in worldwide. Vaccination is one strategy with the potential to prevent the occurrence of EBV-associated cancers, but a suitable vaccine is yet to be licensed. Much vaccine development research focuses on the GP350/220 protein of EBV as it contains an immunogenic epitope at residues 147–165, which efficiently stimulates IgG production in vitro. We examined the ability of this epitope (EBVepitope) to induce IgG production in mice. METHODS: The antibody binding pattern of the epitope was analyzed using bioinformatics tools. The IgG production in mice were examined by FACS Calibur™ Flow cytometer. RESULTS: The epitope bound the 72A1 monoclonal antibody at the same site as GP350/220 protein, indicating that the epitope should stimulate B cells to produce antibody. Moreover, in vivo administration of EBVepitope successfully induced IgG expression from B cells, compared with controls. Further investigation indicated that the relative number of B cells expressing IgE in EBVepitope-treated mice was lower than controls. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that this EBV GP350 epitope is able to induce IgG expression in vivo without causing allergic reactions, and represents a potential EBV vaccine candidate.