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Characterization of monoclonal antibodies to Pseudomonas aeruginosa type A flagellar antigen

T C Montie1, D Phillips, W J Landsperger

  • 1University of Tennessee, Department of Microbiology, Knoxville 37996-0845, USA.

Behring Institute Mitteilungen
|February 1, 1997
PubMed

Insights

This study investigated monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) targeting the dominant a0 flagellar epitope. Broader cross-reactivity, particularly in motility assays, suggests potential for protective immunity against bacterial infections.

Area of Science:

  • Immunology
  • Microbiology
  • Bacteriology

Background:

  • Flagellar antigens are crucial for bacterial identification and immune response.
  • Understanding epitope cross-reactivity is key to developing effective vaccines and diagnostics.
  • The a0 flagellar antigen is a common target in certain bacterial strains.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate the cross-reactivity of murine and human monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the dominant a0 flagellar epitope.
  • To assess the correlation between MAb cross-reactivity, flagellar molecular weight, and potential protective capacity.

Main Methods:

  • Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA)
  • Immunoblotting
  • Colony blot assays
  • Agglutination assays
  • Motility assays

Main Results:

  • No specific effect of flagellar subtypes (a1-a4) on MAb cross-reactivity was observed.
  • Monoclonal antibody 53B showed an association between cross-reactivity and flagellar molecular weight.
  • MAbs 29 and A522 exhibited broader cross-reactivity with higher molecular weight flagellins (49-52 kDa), indicating potential protective capacity, especially in motility assays.
  • Moderate reactivity with strain 5939 (a0 a3) was specific to MAb A522.

Conclusions:

  • The common a0 antigen possesses multiple cross-reactive sites.
  • Broader cross-reactivity, particularly observed with MAbs 29 and A522, suggests potential for protective immunity.
  • These findings contribute to understanding flagellar antigenicity and developing targeted immunotherapies.

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