COMPARATIVE IMMUNOBLOT ANALYSIS WITH 10 DIFFERENT, PARTIALLY OVERLAPPING RECOMBINANT FUSION PROTEINS DERIVED FROM 5 DIFFERENT CYTOMEGALOVIRUS PROTEINS

Ten fusion proteins derived from five various CMV encoded proteins wer e used for the detection of specific antibody response by immunoblot t echnique in sera from renal transplant recipients. The fusion proteins were derived from the following CMV specific proteins: the assembly p rotein ppUL80a with an apparent molecular weight of 38 kD, ppUL99 (MW of 28 kD), the basic phosphoprotein ppUL32 (MW of 150 kD), the lower m atrix protein ppUL83 (65 kD), and the DNA binding protein ppUL44 (MW o f 52 kD). Some fragments overlapped and responses to these recombinant proteins were compared. Antibody responses appeared to be predominate ly directed at fusion proteins of ppUL32, the basic phosphoprotein and at ppUL44, the major DNA binding protein. Some differences were found in the responses to these partly overlapping fusion proteins. In addi tion, an IgM response mainly present in primary infections to fusion p roteins XP1 and G2, again representing ppUL32 and ppUL44, was found.