Niu Yan, Zhou Jingming, Liu Yankai, Wang Haili, Liu Hongliang, Chen Yumei, Zhu Xifang, Liang Chao, Wang Aiping
School of Life Sciences, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Longhu Laboratory, Zhengzhou, Henan, China.
Microbiol Spectr. 2025 Oct 7;13(10):e0072325. doi: 10.1128/spectrum.00723-25. Epub 2025 Sep 2.
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is a highly infectious DNA virus with an envelope. It is the pathogen causing varicella and herpes zoster. The glycoprotein E (gE) envelope protein, a primary target for VZV diagnostic reagents and vaccines, is highly immunogenic and plays a critical role in the pathogenicity of VZV. However, the B-cell epitopes and immunodominant regions of gE remain poorly characterized. In this study, we utilized anti-VZV gE monoclonal antibodies to localize antigenic sequences of gE at VYNQGRGIDSGERLMQPTQM, EDLGDDTGIHVI, and DDRHKIVNVDQRQYGDVFKGD by the overlapping peptide method. Results from conservative and structural analysis revealed that VYNQGRGIDSGERLMQPTQM was a highly conserved epitope and exposed on the surface of VZV gE. These findings provide important information for researching the VZV diagnostic reagents and may facilitate further efforts to design VZV vaccines.IMPORTANCEVZV infection can cause varicella (commonly in children) and herpes zoster (in adults). Currently, the prevention of VZV primarily relies on vaccination. The currently approved vaccines to prevent varicella are live-attenuated viruses that carry the risk of inducing herpes zoster. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop safer novel VZV vaccines. The gE protein, the most abundant and highly conserved glycoprotein on the VZV envelope, exhibits strong immunogenicity and can induce neutralizing antibodies, making it a critical target for developing novel VZV vaccines and diagnostic reagents. To date, research on the B-cell epitopes of the VZV gE protein remains limited, particularly regarding the identification of conformational B-cell epitopes. This project aims to identify linear B-cell epitopes of the gE protein, providing a scientific foundation for the development of novel VZV vaccines based on epitopes.
水痘带状疱疹病毒（VZV）是一种具有包膜的高传染性DNA病毒。它是引起水痘和带状疱疹的病原体。糖蛋白E（gE）包膜蛋白是VZV诊断试剂和疫苗的主要靶点，具有高度免疫原性，在VZV的致病性中起关键作用。然而，gE的B细胞表位和免疫显性区域仍未得到充分表征。在本研究中，我们利用抗VZV gE单克隆抗体，通过重叠肽法将gE的抗原序列定位在VYNQGRGIDSGERLMQPTQM、EDLGDDTGIHVI和DDRHKIVNVDQRQYGDVFKGD处。保守性和结构分析结果显示，VYNQGRGIDSGERLMQPTQM是一个高度保守的表位，暴露于VZV gE表面。这些发现为研究VZV诊断试剂提供了重要信息，并可能有助于进一步设计VZV疫苗。重要性VZV感染可引起水痘（常见于儿童）和带状疱疹（见于成人）。目前，VZV的预防主要依靠接种疫苗。目前批准的预防水痘的疫苗是减毒活病毒，有诱发带状疱疹的风险。因此，迫切需要开发更安全的新型VZV疫苗。gE蛋白是VZV包膜上最丰富且高度保守的糖蛋白，具有很强的免疫原性，可诱导中和抗体，使其成为开发新型VZV疫苗和诊断试剂的关键靶点。迄今为止，对VZV gE蛋白B细胞表位的研究仍然有限，尤其是关于构象B细胞表位的鉴定。本项目旨在鉴定gE蛋白的线性B细胞表位，为基于表位的新型VZV疫苗开发提供科学依据。
