Biosensor characterization of antigenic site A of foot-and-mouth disease virus presented in different vector systems.

The region 141-160 of the VP1 protein of foot-and-mouth disease virus known as site A is an immunodominant region that has been extensively studied for the purpose of developing a synthetic vaccine. In the present study, site A of foot-and-mouth disease virus was inserted in three different loops of the maltose-binding protein and its antigenicity was compared with site A presented as a conjugated synthetic peptide or inserted in beta-galactosidase. The affinity of antibodies elicited against the site A synthetic peptide was also compared with that of antibodies raised against the site A inserted within the two carrier proteins. Using biosensor technology it was possible to estimate the concentration of site A antibodies present in the various antisera and to show that site A fused to maltose-binding protein was a slightly better mimic of the epitope present in the virus particle than the synthetic peptide or the beta-galactosidase recombinant construct.