Cryptotope
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A cryptotope is an antigenic site or epitope hidden in a protein or virion by surface subunits. Cryptotopes are antigenically active only after the dissociation of protein aggregates and virions.[1] Some infectious pathogens are known to escape immunological targeting by B-cells by masking antigen-binding sites as cryptotopes.[2] A cryptotope can also be referred to as a cryptic epitope. Cryptotopes are becoming important for HIV vaccine research as a number of studies have shown that cryptic epitopes can be revealed or exposed when HIV gp120 binds to CD4.[3]
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