Identification of the bovine papillomavirus L1 gene product using monoclonal antibodies.

Monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) produced against SDS-disrupted bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1) were used to identify the product of the L1 open reading frame (ORF) of BPV-1. MoAbs were tested in ELISA with purified BPV-1 major capsid protein, fusion proteins from two constructions of the BPV-1 L1 ORF, and one construction of the L2 ORF. All MoAbs were reactive with purified MCP and both L1 fusion proteins. No MoAbs were identified that were reactive with the L2 fusion protein. Polyclonal antisera raised against SDS-disrupted BPV-1 were immunoreactive with both L1 and the L2 fusion proteins. These data show that the L1 ORF of BPV-1 encodes, at least in part, the MCP of BPV-1. Further, it has been shown that the L1 encodes the papillomavirus (PV) genus-specific epitope, PV broadly cross-reactive epitope, BPV minimally cross-reactive epitope, and a BPV-1 type-specific epitope.