Epitope mapping of hepatitis C virus E2 antigen from a 7 peptide phage library by using immobilized specific monoclonal antibody

Objective: To screen HCV E2 mimotopes by using monoclonal antibody and phage peptide library. Methods: By using HCV E2 monoclonal antibody as selective molecule, a 7 mer phage peptide library was biopanned and positive clones were selected by ELISA, competition assay and DNA sequencing. Results: 12 positive clones were chosen for DNA sequencing. From the experiment and sequencing comparision results, one epitope was confirmed as mimotope of HCV E2. Conclusion: HCV E2 mimotope was obtained by phage peptide library screening. The result provides a new approach for HCV therapy and vaccine development.