%0 Journal Article %A Nakagawa, Naoko %A Kubota, Ritsuko %A Nakagawa, Toshimasa %A Okuno, Yoshinobu %T Antigenic variants with amino acid deletions clarify a neutralizing epitope specific for influenza B virus Victoria group strains %D 2001 %J Journal of General Virology, %V 82 %N 9 %P 2169-2172 %@ 1465-2099 %R https://doi.org/10.1099/0022-1317-82-9-2169 %I Microbiology Society, %X To study the neutralizing epitopes of influenza B virus Victoria group strains, two monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were used to select antigenic variants of the virus. MAbs 10B8 and 8E6 were found to react with B/Victoria group strains in three tests, peroxidase–antiperoxidase staining, haemagglutination inhibition and neutralization tests; no reactivity with B/Yamagata group strains was observed. Analysis of the deduced amino acid sequences of 10B8-induced variants identified a single amino acid deletion at residue 165 or 170, as well as a single amino acid substitution at residues 164 (Asp→Tyr), 165 (Asn→Ser or Thr) or 203 (Lys→Thr or Asn). A single amino acid substitution at residue 241 (Pro→Ser) was observed in 8E6-induced variants. Three-dimensional analysis showed that the epitopes for both MAbs were situated in close proximity to each other. Since B/Yamagata group strains are characterized by amino acid deletions at residues 164–166, the epitope for MAb 10B8 is strictly specific for B/Victoria group strains. %U https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/0022-1317-82-9-2169