Common expression of varicella-zoster viral glycoprotein antigens in vitro and in chickenpox and zoster vesicles.

Human cells infected with varicella-zoster virus (VZV) produce at least three major virus-specific, immunogenic glycoproteins: gp118, gp98, and gp62. Since glycoproteins gp98 and gp62 were found to be prominent constituents of the infected cell membrane, a murine monoclonal antibody (clone 3B3) that reacted avidly with this glycoprotein complex was selected as a probe for detection of VZV replication in laboratory and clinical settings. Cultured cells of human, simian, and caviid origin, when infected with wild-type isolates as well as laboratory and vaccine strains of VZV all expressed these viral glycoproteins. The monoclonal antibody immunostained the basal and malpighian epithelial layers of a zoster vesicle biopsy specimen and also reacted with all specimens of vesicular cells obtained from epidemiologically unrelated patients with chickenpox and zoster. Thus, these studies demonstrate that the VZV-specific glycoprotein complex gp98/gp62 is highly conserved, abundantly expressed, and easily detected with a monoclonal antibody probe.