Human Monoclonal Antibodies against an Epitope on the Class 5c Outer Membrane Protein Common to Many Pathogenic Strains of Neisseria meningitidis

• Published in: The Journal of infectious diseases Vol. 166; no. 6; pp. 1322 - 1328
• Main Authors: Fernández de Cossío, Maria E., Ohlin, Mats, Llano, Manual, Selander, Barbro, Cruz, Silian, del Valle, Jesus, Borrebaeck, Carl A. K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States The University of Chicago Press 01.12.1992; University of Chicago Press
• Subjects: Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, Monoclonal - biosynthesis; Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology; Antibody Specificity; Antigens; Antigens, Bacterial - immunology; B-Lymphocytes - immunology; Bacterial Outer Membrane Proteins - immunology; Binding, Competitive; Blotting, Western; Cells, Cultured; Clinical Medicine; Dose-Response Relationship, Immunologic; Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Epitopes; Epitopes - immunology; Humans; Hybridomas; Immunization; Immunoglobulins; Infectious Medicine; Infektionsmedicin; Klinisk medicin; Major Articles; Medical and Health Sciences; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; Membrane proteins; Mice; Monoclonal antibodies; Neisseria meningitidis; Neisseria meningitidis - immunology; Vaccination
• ISSN: 0022-1899; 1537-6613
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/166.6.1322

Neisseria meningitidis is a causative agent of meningitis. Despite vaccination programs, it still causes a large number of deaths in youngchildren. Early diagnosis followedbypassiveimmunization with human monoclonal antibodies could be an approach to effective therapy. Peripheral blood lymphocytes from normal, healthy blood donors and from vaccinated individuals were immunized in vitro, using outer membrane proteins purified from N. meningitidis B:4:P1.15. The immunized human B cells were Epstein-Barr virus transformed and fused to a heteromyelorna. Several stable human hybridoma cell lines were established and two, secreting antibodies against the 31-kDa class Sc outer membrane protein, were characterized further. The human antibodies were of IgGl and IgG3 isotypes, with K light chains. The recognized epitope was commonly found among pathogenic strains of N. meningitidis; thus, these human monoclonal antibodies may be important in the evaluation of N. meningitidis infections.