Induction of antibody against in vitro translation products encoded by varicella-zoster virus glycoprotein genes.

Antibodies were raised in rabbit against the in vitro translation products encoded by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) glycoprotein genes gpI and gpIV. The antisera neutralized VZV infectivity and specifically identified two late VZV glycoproteins, gpI and gpIV, in VZV-infected cells and in the envelope of VZ virions. Pulse-chase experiments revealed a 55K precursor protein to gpIV (60K) and a 82K precursor protein to gpI (95K). Immunoprecipitation of 32P-labeled VZV-infected cells showed that the precursor-products of gpI are phosphorylated. These results demonstrate that translation products synthesized in vitro can be used to produce antibodies that recognize native viral proteins and therefore facilitate the identification and analysis of viral gene products in the infected cells.