[Immunological cross-reaction of serotype I Marek's disease virus 38kD phosphorylated protein with serotype II and III viruses].

Marek's disease virus (MDV) 38kD phosphorylated protein (pp38), which was identified by monoclonal antibody (mAb) H19 specific to pathogenic serotype I of MDV, has been recognized as a transformation-associated antigen specific to serotype I of MDV. The recombinant pp38 was prepared and purified from pp38-expressing recombinant baculovirus infected Sf9 cell lysates through a mAb H19-affinity column. In indirect fluorescence antibody test, the mouse sera against the purified recombinant pp38 not only gave a high titer to serotype I strain GA-infected CEF but also gave a reasonable titers to serotype II strain Z4- and serotype III HVT strain Fc126-infected CEF. In another way, the pp38- expressing recombinant baculovirus infected Sf9 cells reacted with anti-serotype I MDV chicken sera as well as with anti-serotype II and serotype III MDV chicken sera respectively. The results imply that both serotypes II and III of MDV probably contain a homologue to pp38 of serotype I.