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
. 1983 Oct;48(1):239-48.
doi: 10.1128/JVI.48.1.239-248.1983.

Monoclonal anti-hemagglutinin antibodies detect irreversible antigenic alterations that coincide with the acid activation of influenza virus A/PR/834-mediated hemolysis

J W Yewdell, W Gerhard, T Bachi

Monoclonal anti-hemagglutinin antibodies detect irreversible antigenic alterations that coincide with the acid activation of influenza virus A/PR/834-mediated hemolysis

J W Yewdell et al. J Virol. 1983 Oct.

Abstract

Exposure of influenza virus to an acidic environment, which is known to be required for viral fusion and hemolysis, has recently been shown to induce a conformational change in the hemagglutinin molecule. In the present study, we examined the effects of acid incubation on the antigenicity, biological activity, and morphology of influenza virus A/PR/8/34 (H1N1). Incubation of PR8 virus at pH 5 in the absence of erythrocytes resulted in a rapid and irreversible loss of viral hemolytic activity and infectivity. Apart from a less distinct appearance of the viral surface projections and slight damage to the envelope structure, acid incubation did not result in gross morphological changes in the viral architecture. The acid-induced change could be detected in the form of greatly increased or decreased binding of many monoclonal antibodies directed to each of the four major antigenic regions of the hemagglutinin. Triggering of viral hemolytic activity and antigenic alterations was similarly pH dependent. In addition, the different pH dependencies of egg-grown and trypsin-treated MDCK-grown viruses coincided with an analogous pH dependence of the antigenic alterations that were observed with these viruses. These observations are compatible with the idea that some of the anti-hemagglutinin antibodies detect conformational changes in the hemagglutinin which are required for the initiation of fusion and hemolysis.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

See all "Cited by" articles

References

    1. J Exp Med. 1966 Sep 1;124(3):331-45 - PubMed
    1. Virology. 1983 Apr 30;126(2):587-99 - PubMed
    1. Virology. 1975 Dec;68(2):426-39 - PubMed
    1. Virology. 1975 Dec;68(2):440-54 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Med. 1976 Oct 1;144(4):985-95 - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms