MOUSE ANTI-RIFT VALLEY FEVER VIRUS NUCLEOPROTEIN (M977)

Rift Valley Fever Nucleoprotein (M977) antibody recognises RVFV N protein and is suitable for use in ELISA. This antibody can be used for capture when paired with MAB12332 which is used for detection.

PRODUCT DETAILS – MOUSE ANTI-RIFT VALLEY FEVER VIRUS NUCLEOPROTEIN (M977)

• Mouse anti Rift Valley Fever Nucleoprotein (M977). Recognises RVFV N protein in ELISA.
• Purified by Ion Exchange. >90% purity by SDS-PAGE.
• Presented in phosphate buffered saline, pH 7.2 with 0.05% sodium azide.

BACKGROUND

The RVFV Nucleoprotein forms a filamentous ring that encapsulates RVFV’s RNA genome and is necessary for replication and transcription of its genome by the viral polymerase. Ferron et al. recently produced a crystal structure that shows the nucleoprotein as a hexameric ring. Within the inner ring, positive residues are shown to bind RNA for various functions and are conserved across Phlebovirus species. Xu et al. surmise that RVFV N-subunit vaccines are also able to induce CD8 responses that protect against RVFV in mice and demonstrate that RVFV Nucleoprotein is a key immunogen during infection.

Rift Valley Fever was first characterized in 1931 in the Rift Valley region of Kenya when it caused a large outbreak among livestock. Rift Valley Fever Virus is an enveloped RNA virus that belongs to the genus Phlebovirus, of the Bunyaviridae family. All bunyaviruses have tripartite genomes that consist of large, medium and small RNA segments. The small, (S) segment is responsible for encoding nucleoprotein, which in RVFV is responsible for the formation of ribonucleoprotein complexes that are essential in the virus life cycle and genome replication (Mottram et al., 2017).

RVFV is an arbovirus that is transmitted to domesticated livestock by the Aedes and Culex mosquitoes. Cattle, sheep, camels and goats are particularly susceptible to Rift Valley Fever and can serve as amplifying hosts for the virus (WHO). RVFV circulates in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in Egypt, Saudi-Arabia, Yemen, Mayotte and Madagascar. The geographical expansion of RVFV now threatens Europe, where the virus is considered to be an emerging threat as outbreaks in the region have raised concerns that RVFV may spread to these temperate climates. In September 2000, a RVF outbreak was reported in Saudi-Arabia and Yemen, representing the first instance of the virus identified outside of Africa.

Rift Valley Fever infection can result in several syndromes that range from a febrile illness to blindness, encephalitis, or lethal hemorrhagic fever. RVFV vaccines are only partially attenuated, are cost-prohibitive and only induce short-lived immunity. No specific drugs are available to treat Rift Valley Fever and preventive efforts against outbreaks are mostly based on monitoring mosquito distribution.

REFERENCES

• Ferron et al. (2011). The Hexamer Structure of the Rift Valley Fever Virus Nucleoprotein Suggests a Mechanism for its Assembly into Ribonucleoprotein Complexes. Pathogens.
• Mottram et al. (2017). Mutational analysis of Rift Valley fever phlebovirus nucleocapsid protein indicates novel conserved, functional amino acids. Neglected Tropical Diseases.
• World health organisation (WHO). Rift Valley fever.
• Xu et al. (2013) The Nucleocapsid Protein of Rift Valley Fever Virus Is a Potent Human CD8 T Cell Antigen and Elicits Memory Responses. PLoS ONE 8(3).