| abstract |
The invention is directed to the diagnosis and treatment of herpes virus related diseases. By noting within the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) open reading frames (ORFs) transcribed late in the viral cycle for which a translation product may or may not have been established, and synthesizing one or more polypeptides each of which includes at least one segment, each segment comprising at least part of the amino acid sequence identified in that ORF, a specific and reliable diagnostic test for, and treatment of, infectious mononucleosis and related diseases is possible. The preferred amino acid sequences for these segments include NSPKNG, KNGSNQ, SNQLVI, AHARDK, RDKAGA, VMAMIL, SEPRPR and PSRTPS. These sequences can be further combined to provide polypeptides with at least one segment comprising sequences selected from AHARDKAGAVMAMIL, ASLNSPKNGSNQLVI, ELESEPRPRPSRTPS, QAMKKIEDKVRKSVD, SRSRGREAKKVQISD, LIKASLRKDRKLYAE, VSFSKTRRAIRESRA, CNYSAGEEDDQYHAN, RPHRRPVSKRPTHKP, EITQEENRGEQRLGH, GALRARLDRPRPTAQ, NSPKNGSNQAHARDKSEPRPR, NSPKNGSNQRDKAGASEPRPR, NSPKNGSNQSEPRPRKNGSNQ, NSPKNGSNQLVISEPRPRPSRTPS, NSPKNGSNQLVIPSRTPS and NSPKNGSNQAHARDKAGASEPRPR. |