Epitope mapping of prostate-specific antigen with monoclonal antibodies

Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is a widely used marker for screening and monitoring prostate cancer. We identified and characterized the epitopes of two anti-PSA monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) designated B80 and B87. The epitopes were initially mapped as nonoverlapping by developing a sandwich immunoassay to measure PSA with the two anti-PSA mAbs. The two antibodies do not cross-react with homologous pancreatic kallikrein, but recognize epitopes unique to PSA. B80 and B87 can recognize both free and complexed PSA and hence measure total PSA. Epitope scanning and bacteriophage peptide library affinity selection procedures were used to identify and locate an epitope on PSA. A possible epitope for B80 was identified as being located on or near PSA amino acid residues 50-58 (-GRH-SLFHP-). The epitope for B87 was likely on an exposed nonlinear conformational determinant, unique to PSA, and not masked by the binding of B80 or alpha 1-antichymotrypsin.