In this study we show that the amino acid sequence of p2C which shares homology with a sequence in GAD65 (PEVKEK), is highly conserved in coxsackie virus B4 isolates as well as in different viruses of the subgroup of coxsackie B-like enteroviruses.
All lines derived from a patient expressing the high-risk-conferring HLA-DR*0301/ *0401 haplotypes recognized a single epitope localized between amino acid positions 270 and 283 of GAD65, a stretch that is located in close proximity to the homology region shared with Coxsackie virus P2-C protein.