@article{mbs:/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.80467-0, author = "Santibanez, Sabine and Niewiesk, Stefan and Heider, Alla and Schneider-Schaulies, Jürgen and Berbers, Guy A. M. and Zimmermann, Albert and Halenius, Anne and Wolbert, Anne and Deitemeier, Ingrid and Tischer, Annedore and Hengel, Hartmut", title = "Probing neutralizing-antibody responses against emerging measles viruses (MVs): immune selection of MV by H protein-specific antibodies?", journal= "Journal of General Virology", year = "2005", volume = "86", number = "2", pages = "365-374", doi = "https://doi.org/10.1099/vir.0.80467-0", url = "https://www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/journal/jgv/10.1099/vir.0.80467-0", publisher = "Microbiology Society", issn = "1465-2099", type = "Journal Article", abstract = "Measles virus (MV) infection and vaccination induce long-lasting immunity and neutralizing-antibody responses that are directed against the MV haemagglutinin (H) and the fusion (F) protein. A new MV genotype, D7, emerged recently in western Germany and rapidly replaced the long-term endemically circulating genotypes C2 and D6. Analysis of the H gene of C2, D6, D7 and vaccine viruses revealed uniform sequences for each genotype. Interestingly, a consistent exchange of seven distinct amino acids in the D7 H was observed when compared with residues shared between C2, D6 and vaccine viruses, and one exchange (D416→N) in the D7 H was associated with an additional N-linked glycosylation. In contrast, the F gene is highly conserved between MVs of these genotypes. To test whether the D7 H protein escapes from antibody responses that were raised against earlier circulating or vaccine viruses, the neutralizing capacity of mAbs recognizing seven distinct domains on the H of an Edmonston-related MV was compared. The mAbs revealed a selective and complete loss of two neutralizing epitopes on the D7 H when compared with C2, D6 and vaccine viruses. To assess whether these alterations of the D7 H affect the neutralizing capacity of polyclonal B-cell responses, genotype-specific antisera were produced in cotton rats. However, no significant genotype-dependent difference was found. Likewise, human sera obtained from vaccinees (n=7) and convalescents (n=6) did not distinguish between the MV genotypes. Although the hypothesis of selection of D7 viruses by pre-existing neutralizing antibodies is compatible with the differing pattern of neutralizing epitopes on the H protein, it was not confirmed by the results of MV neutralization with polyclonal sera.", }