Immunohistochemical studies using BRL 12, a monoclonal antibody reacting specifically with osteogenic tissues

A monoclonal antibody of immunoglobulin class G1 has been produced which reacts with a high molecular weight antigen apparently present exclusively in osteogenic tissues. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that the antigen is present throughout the mineralized matrix and in osteoid. None of the other tissues examined namely liver, intestine, kidney, spleen, thymus, heart, lung, skin, cartilage and skeletal muscle showed evidence of specific antibody binding. Immunohistochemical staining was also demonstrated in tissues developing from rabbit marrow cultured in vitro and in diffusion chambers in vivo. Temporal studies of antigen expression in the chambers indicated that the antigen occurs at sites of bone formation after the appearance of alkaline phosphatase but before the formation of a mineralized matrix. The results of these studies suggest that the monoclonal antibody recognises a product of differentiated osteoblasts. This antibody may therefore prove useful in studies of osteogenic differentiation.