Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 1986 Apr;83(8):2672-6.
doi: 10.1073/pnas.83.8.2672.

Human monoclonal antibody directed against an envelope glycoprotein of human T-cell leukemia virus type I

Human monoclonal antibody directed against an envelope glycoprotein of human T-cell leukemia virus type I

S Matsushita et al. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Apr.

Abstract

We report the production and characterization of a human monoclonal antibody reactive against the major envelope glycoprotein of human T-cell leukemia virus type I (HTLV-I), a virus linked to the etiology of adult T-cell leukemia. We exposed lymph-node cells derived from a patient with adult T-cell leukemia to the Epstein-Barr virus in vitro and obtained a B-cell clone (designated 0.5 alpha) by a limiting dilution technique. The secreted product of 0.5 alpha is a monoclonal antibody (also designated 0.5 alpha; that is IgG1 and has kappa light chains) that binds to the cell membrane of T-cells infected with HTLV-I and lyses them in the presence of complement. The antibody does not react with HTLV-I-negative T cells. In electroblot assays, the monoclonal antibody detects a 46-kDa glycoprotein in disrupted HTLV-I virions and a 34-kDa product following digestion of the viral protein with endoglycosidase F. These molecules have been reported to represent the HTLV-I env gene products. The antibody does not react with HTLV-II and HTLV-III virions. Glycoproteins of 61 and 68 kDa, which are known to be encoded at least in part by the env gene of HTLV-I, are precipitated by the antibody from endogenously radiolabeled HTLV-I-infected HUT 102-B2 and MT-2 cells, respectively. These results suggest that this human monoclonal antibody reacts with an env-encoded glycoprotein of HTLV-I. By using a competition assay with a biotin-labeled 0.5 alpha antibody, we observed that 15 out of 15 patients with adult T-cell leukemia had antibodies that block binding of the 0.5 alpha antibody to HTLV-I virions. This suggests that the antigen detected by 0.5 alpha antibody is a common epitope recognized in HTLV-I-infected individuals in vivo. This antibody, as well as the general strategy for making human monoclonal antibodies reactive against pathogenic retroviruses, may have diagnostic or therapeutic application.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Science. 1984 Jul 27;225(4660):421-4 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Jun;81(12):3856-60 - PubMed
    1. Science. 1984 Sep 28;225(4669):1484-6 - PubMed
    1. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1984 Dec;81(23):7579-83 - PubMed
    1. Science. 1984 Dec 14;226(4680):1325-6 - PubMed