Prediction of epitopes in closely related proteins using a new algorithm.

Latrophilin 1 (presynaptic receptor) binds α-latrotoxin from black widow spider venom and regulates neurotransmitter release from nerve endings. The study of the mechanism of action of this receptor is impeded by the existence of closely related latrophilins 2 and 3. A profile of differences detecting the most differing and identical sites in several proteins was developed in order to obtain highly specific antibodies for differentiation between isoforms of related proteins. In addition, we used an algorithm for prediction of immunogenic sites of the protein, based on the basic vector method. The peptides selected using this algorithm were used for immunization of animals. The resultant sera exhibited the estimated specificity and high affinity for the corresponding receptor forms.