A monoclonal antibody with ability to distinguish between NH2-terminal fragments derived from fibrinogen and fibrin

Abstract

A stable hybridoma secreting homogeneous antibody (immunoglobulin class IgG2a) has been prepared by fusion using cells of immunoglobulin non-secreter myeloma (P3X63Ag8.653) and spleen cells of mice which had previously been immunized with the NH2-terminal CNBr fragment of human fibrinogen, the so-called N-DSK [(A alpha 1-51, B beta 1-118, gamma 1-78)2]. In competitive ELISA or radioimmunoassay this antibody (MAb/1-8C6) cross-reacted with intact fibrinogen, N-DSK, a des fibrinopeptide A (des FPA) variant of N-DSK, the so-called (B)N-DSK, as well as the intact B beta chain (B beta 1-118) obtained from N-DSK. Also, and mot importantly, cross-reactivity was observed with fibrinogen-free ethanol extracts of plasma obtained from patients known to contain high levels of fibrinogen or fibrin degradation products. In vitro thrombin digestion of any of these competitors resulted in complete loss of cross-reactivity. MAb/1-8C6 did not react with the A alpha or gamma-chains of N-DSK, free fibrinopeptide B(FPB), free B beta 15-42, as well as equimolar mixtures of the latter two peptides. These results suggest that MAb/1-8C6 may be to an epitope in or around the thrombin-susceptible B beta 14 Arg-25 Gly bond. Furthermore, due to its reactivity with patient plasma extracts, this antibody may be useful in clinical investigations dealing with fibrino(geno)lysis.