PVX a powerful tool for autoimmune disease diagnosis

We explored the use of Potato Virus X as a scaffold for the expression of an immunodominant peptide associated to Sjogren’s syndrome. Sjögren's syndrome (SjS) is a chronic autoimmune disease in which the body's white cells destroy the exocrine glands, specifically the salivary and lacrimal glands, that produce saliva and tears, respectively. Human lipocalin was recently identified as a primary autoantigen associated to the disease and the immunodominant peptide associated to the protein was discovered using the sera of SjS patients. Autoantibodies directed to the peptide allow to identify in the population patients whose sera was negative to anti nuclear antibodies and to the rheumatoid factor. The lipocalin peptide was cloned into a PVX-based vector which mediates the peptide display on the virus coat protein, yielding Chimeric Virus Particles (CVPs). CVPs allow a high-density exposure of the peptide on the viral surface. The CVPs were used for coating an ELISA plate giving an assay which reproducibility, stability and sensitive was compared to the use of the peptide alone.