[Immunohistochemical detection of antigen of human cytomegalovirus in hepatocyte].

The expression plasmid of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) 52kd glycoprotein was induced and amplified, and the recombinant protein was extracted. The rabbit antiserum to the recombinant protein was prepared. The antiserum-reacted to the antigen of HCMV AD165, and the titer of antiserum was 1 : 3200 by using 125I-Protein A. Using Avidin-Biotinperoxidase complex technique (ABC method), we detected the HCMV 52 kd glycoprotein in the hapatic slides of 9 cases. Among them, one case (an infant died of congenital heart disease) was held as a negative control. The other 8 cases (patients with clinically diagnosed cytomegalic inclusion disease) had viral hepatitis histopathologically. Of these 8 cases, 7 had positive signals but found in the nucleus and cytomembrane of the hepatocytes, no positive signal was found in the hepatocytes of the control. The result showed that HCMV 52kd glycoprotein was located in the nucleus and on the membrane of the infected hepatocyte. The antibody prepared with the antigen of gene engineering could find the virus antigen and represent the virus gene state which was active or silent. ABC method is not only simple, sensitive and specific, but also effective in localization. It is of importance to clinical diagnosis, differential diagnosis and prognostication.