Monoclonal antibodies against polyoma virus tumor antigens.

Abstract

A method is described for the production of [mouse] hybridoma cell lines secreting antibodies directed against the polyomavirus tumor antigens (T-Ag). Ten cloned lines were established and designated .alpha.Py Cl and C4, with activities against all 3 T-Ags; .alpha.Py LT1, -4 and -7, with activities against large T-Ag only; and .alpha.Py MT5, -7, -10, -13 and -16, with activities against middle T-Ag only. Some of the antibodies also appear to react with specific cellular proteins. Studies on .alpha.Py MT7 point to the possible existence of > 1 antigenic form of the viral middle T-Ag and studies on .alpha.Py LT7, to > 1 form of large T-Ag. The approximate positions on the polyomavirus genome of the sequences encoding antigenic determinants were mapped by using defined polyomavirus deletion mutants. The availability of these monoclonal antibodies allows the isolation of large amounts of viral T-Ag.