Detection of IgG directed against a recombinant form of Epstein-Barr virus BALF0/1 protein in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Zhouwulin Shao (1) , Chloé Borde (1) , Christophe Marchand , Stéphane Lemaire (2) , Pierre Busson (3) , Joël-Meyer Gozlan , Alexandre E. Escargueil (1) , Vincent Marechal (1)

1 CRSA - Centre de Recherche Saint-Antoine
2 LBMCE - Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire des Eucaryotes
3 UMR8126 - Signalisation, noyaux et innovations en cancérologie

BALF0/1 is a putative Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) protein that has been described as a modulator of apoptosis. So far, the lack of specific immunological reagents impaired the detection of native BALF0/1 in EBV-infected cells. This study describes the expression and purification of a truncated form of BALF0/1 (tBALF0) using a heterologous bacterial expression system. tBALF0 was further used as an antigen in an indirect Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay (ELISA) that unraveled the presence of low titer IgGs to BALF0/1 during primary (10.0%) and past (13.3%) EBV infection. Conversely high-titer IgGs to BALF0/1 were detected in 33.3% of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) patients suggesting that BALF0/1 and/or humoral response against it may contribute to NPC pathogenesis.

Mots clés: BALF0/1; ELISA; Epstein-Barr virus; Nasopharyngeal carcinoma; Recombinant protein

Domaines: Biochimie, Biologie Moléculaire; Virologie

Zhouwulin Shao, Chloé Borde, Christophe Marchand, Stéphane Lemaire, Pierre Busson, et al.. Detection of IgG directed against a recombinant form of Epstein-Barr virus BALF0/1 protein in patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Protein Expression and Purification, 2019, 162, pp.44-50. ⟨10.1016/j.pep.2019.05.010⟩. ⟨hal-02350124⟩