RT Journal Article SR Electronic(1) A1 Frech, Barbara A1 Zimber-Strobl, Ursula A1 Yip, Timothy T. C. A1 Lau, W. H. A1 Mueller-Lantzsch, NikolausYR 1993 T1 Characterization of the Antibody Response to the Latent Infection Terminal Proteins of Epstein-Barr Virus in Patients with Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma JF Journal of General Virology, VO 74 IS 5 SP 811 OP 818 DO https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-74-5-811 PB Microbiology Society, SN 1465-2099, AB Human sera were tested for antibodies against the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent infection terminal proteins (TPs). Anti-TP IgG and IgA antibodies were detected by an indirect immunofluorescence assay of insect cells expressing a recombinant TP1. Out of 301 human sera of patients with EBV-related and EBV-unrelated disorders, only sera from patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) (32/83; 38%) showed anti-TP antibodies. Studies on serial sera from German and Hong Kong NPC patients revealed a decline of anti-TP antibodies during tumour therapy, and none of these antibodies were identified in patients with early tumour stages or in remission. Comparative studies of TP1-specific polyclonal rabbit antisera and human TP-positive sera showed clear differences in the TP epitopes recognized by each. Human antisera contained antibodies only to native epitopes in exons 2 to 7 of TP1 whereas rabbit antisera reacted only with epitopes located in the first exon and, additionally, exhibited EBV strain specificities., UL https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-74-5-811