Production of a monoclonal antibody reactive with poly(A) and its application in the isolation of poly(A)+ RNA

Hybridoma cells producing antibody reactive with poly(A) were isolated following fusion of spleen cells from a BALB/c mouse immunized with poly(A).poly(dT) and myeloma cells. The antibody was purified from ascitic fluid by the formation of immune complexes with poly(A). The antibody reacted with poly(A) and some homopolymers (poly(dT), poly(I) and poly(dC)) which was most probably due to its reaction with the ribose-phosphate part of the molecules, but not with cellular RNAs and DNA. Poly(A) tailed 5 S rRNA (about 20 nucleotides) and tobacco mosaic virus RNA (1060 nucleotides) were precipitated quantitatively by the antibody. Dot hybridization and in vitro translation confirmed that the RNA precipitated by the antibody from mouse spleen total RNA contained biologically active mRNA.