Taking into account the sensitivity and specificity of all of the recombinant proteins tested, IgA-EA-p54+138 proved more sensitive and specific than both of the other antigens (i

Taking into account the sensitivity and specificity of all of the recombinant proteins tested, IgA-EA-p54+138 proved more sensitive and specific than both of the other antigens (i.e., IgA-VCA-p18+23 and IgA-EBNA-p72) and the IF assay for detection of NPC (Table ?(Table4).4). It is also noteworthy that IgA-EA-p54+138 can detect a high percentage (64%) of NPC instances bad by immunofluorescence. These results, however, clearly display that a solitary test cannot accomplish the objective of detecting all NPC individuals, and it seems advisable to combine different checks for the analysis of NPC. The combination of IgG-ZEBRA with IgA-EA-p54+138 improved the level of sensitivity of detection of NPC to 95% in the overall NPC population. The use of IgA-EA-p54+138 in combination with IgG-ZEBRA will facilitate detailed studies within the pattern of antibody response, which may result in the development of useful serological markers to guide the treatment of NPC. Epstein-Barr computer virus (EBV) humoral immunology offers played a major role in studies dealing with a relationship between this computer virus and nasopharyngeal ZL0454 carcinoma (NPC) (12, 13, 24). ZL0454 Detection of antibodies to the EBV viral capsid antigen (VCA) and EBV early antigen (EA) in sera by indirect immunofluorescence (IF) assays was one of the earliest tests developed. To day, the IF assays still serve as the platinum standard of EBV serodiagnosis (10, 11, 13). These checks showed the importance of antibodies directed against some of the serologically defined EBV antigens in the analysis of EBV-associated diseases. They also help in the medical management of individuals with EBV-associated malignancies. Diagnostically relevant antibodies that have been recognized by a number of investigators over the years are immunoglobulin G (IgG) and IgA antibodies directed against EA and VCA. The IgA-EA test, which is definitely regularly used in many laboratories throughout the world, is one of the ZL0454 more specific EBV-associated NPC diagnostic checks available. Moreover, detection of anti-IgA antibodies by IF is suitable for the recognition of individuals with occult NPC, and the recognition of populations at high risk for the development of this malignancy (3, 12, 19, 25, 30, 31). However, the IF assays are time-consuming, not suitable for automatic handling, and hard to standardize because of the variability of antigen-producing cells as well as the subjective reading of results. This makes their software in mass testing Rabbit Polyclonal to MYB-A of populations not convenient. Some of the technical difficulties associated with IF have been overcome from the development of specific enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs), which are easily automated, quick to perform, and thus well suited for mass screening programs including populations at high risk for NPC. The introduction of monoclonal antibody technology, gene cloning, and manifestation of ZL0454 foreign proteins in cells and organisms has greatly facilitated our understanding of the profile of unique antibodies to individual EBV polypeptides in individuals with NPC and additional EBV-related diseases (7, 8, 21). It is therefore worthwhile to address the query of whether antibodies against individual polypeptides might be more sensitive and specific than antibodies directed against the whole complex for diagnosing and monitoring individuals with NPC. EA and nuclear antigen (EBNA)-specific ELISAs based on recombinant antigens have been successfully used in EBV analysis (6, 17). In contrast, the VCA IF assay serologically defines antigens that are more difficult to replace by recombinant proteins. This is related to the difficulty of the VCA protein family and the lack of a complete definition of proteins within the VCA complex (18). In this study, we report results of IgG and IgA reactions of NPC individuals to the recombinant antigens p54 (BMRF1) and p138 (BALF2) and p18 (BFRF3) and p23 (BLRF2) of the EA and VCA complexes, respectively. Seroreactivity to p72 (BKRF1), representing the.