In:
The Journal of Immunology, The American Association of Immunologists, Vol. 123, No. 2 ( 1979-08-01), p. 884-889
Abstract:
Immune precipitation was used to study the humoral immune response of patients with subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE). Patients with SSPE have a progressive infection of the CNS by measles or a measles variant despite high serum antibody levels to measles virus as measured by standard serologic techniques. However, when the antibody response to individual measles virus proteins was measured, we found a striking reduction in the ability of sera from patients with SSPE to precipitate the matrix (M) protein as compared to the precipitation of the M protein by sera from normal adults who had natural measles infection in childhood, or by convalescent sera obtained 3 to 5 weeks after a naturally occurring measles infection. The decreased antibody response to the M protein in sera from patients with SSPE occurred despite a vigorous antibody response to the other viral proteins, suggesting a selective defect in the production of antibody to a single viral protein. The reduced anti-M antibody in sera from patients with SSPE was demonstrated whether immune precipitation was performed with wild-type measles virus or SSPE virus proteins. These results suggest that in SSPE only small amounts of the M protein are produced. This results may help explain how measles virus persists in the central nervous system of patients with SSPE.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0022-1767
,
1550-6606
DOI:
10.4049/jimmunol.123.2.884
Language:
English
Publisher:
The American Association of Immunologists
Publication Date:
1979
detail.hit.zdb_id:
1475085-5
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