FIG. 2.

HCV antibody reactivity with E2 protein of divergent HCV genotypes. HCV E2 protein expressed by 6 × 10⁵ HeLa cells infected with vaccinia virus Q1a (■), Q1b (▴), Q2a (▿), or Q2b (·⃟) was captured onto wells coated with 500 ng of GNA. Wells were washed and blocked, and bound protein was incubated with the indicated HCV HMAbs and control HMAb (R04) to a CMV protein (14). Values are the mean specific binding (extracts of cells infected with vaccinia virus expressing HCV E2 protein − wild-type vaccinia extracts) of replicate wells. Reactivity of HCV and control HMAbs with proteins from wild-type vaccinia virus-infected cells did not exceed an absorbance of 0.04. Error bars indicate 1 standard deviation from the mean.