Zika Virus Specific Diagnostic Epitope Discovery

J Vis Exp. 2017 Dec 12:(130):56784. doi: 10.3791/56784.

Abstract

High-density peptide microarrays allow screening of more than six thousand peptides on a single standard microscopy slide. This method can be applied for drug discovery, therapeutic target identification, and developing of diagnostics. Here, we present a protocol to discover specific Zika virus (ZIKV) diagnostic peptides using a high-density peptide microarray. A human serum sample validated for ZIKV infection was incubated with a high-density peptide microarray containing the entire ZIKV protein translated into 3,423 unique 15 linear amino acid (aa) residues with a 14-aa residue overlap printed in duplicate. Staining with different secondary antibodies within the same array, we detected peptides that bind to Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and Immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies present in serum. These peptides were selected for further validation experiments. In this protocol, we describe the strategy followed to design, process, and analyze a high-density peptide microarray.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Video-Audio Media

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Viral / immunology*
  • Epitopes / immunology*
  • Humans
  • Zika Virus / immunology*
  • Zika Virus / isolation & purification
  • Zika Virus Infection / virology*

Substances

  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Epitopes