Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1987 Jan;84(2):570-4.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.84.2.570.

Antibody responses to Epstein-Barr virus-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA)-1 and EBNA-2 in acute and chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection

W Henle, G Henle, J Andersson, I Ernberg, G Klein, C A Horwitz, G Marklund, L Rymo, C Wellinder, S E Straus

Antibody responses to Epstein-Barr virus-determined nuclear antigen (EBNA)-1 and EBNA-2 in acute and chronic Epstein-Barr virus infection

W Henle et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1987 Jan.

Abstract

Five distinct Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-determined nuclear antigens (EBNA-1 to EBNA-5) were recently identified. Antibody responses to these antigens could conceivably differ, and thus prove of serodiagnostic value, in EBV-associated disease processes. As a first step, murine or human cell lines transfected with appropriate EBV DNA fragments and stably expressing either EBNA-1 or EBNA-2 were used to determine the frequency and time of emergence of antibodies to these two antigens in the course of acute and chronic infectious mononucleosis (IM) and to assess their titers in so-called chronic active EBV infections. Following IM, antibodies to EBNA-2 arose first and, after reaching peak titers, declined again in time to lower persistent or even nondetectable levels. Antibodies to EBNA-1 emerged several weeks or months after anti-EBNA-2 and gradually attained the titers at which they persisted indefinitely. The ratios between the anti-EBNA-1 and anti-EBNA-2 titers therefore were generally well below 1.0 during the first 6-12 months after IM and turned to well above 1.0 during the second year. In clear cases of chronic IM, the inversion of this ratio was delayed or prevented. In the less well-defined chronic EBV infections, low ratios were observed in only some of the patients. Because many of these illnesses were not ushered in by a proven IM and often showed EBV-specific antibody profiles within the normally expected range, a causal role of the virus in these cases remains doubtful.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. Science. 1985 Mar 8;227(4691):1238-40 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1982 Sep;79(18):5688-92 - PubMed
    1. J Immunol. 1983 Feb;130(2):919-24 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1983 Sep;80(18):5665-9 - PubMed
    1. Cancer Res. 1984 Mar;44(3):1288-300 - PubMed

Publication types