The induction and characterization of monoclonal antibodies specific to GP of Ebola virus.

The Ebola virus is highly infectious and characterized of hemorrhagic fever, headache, etc. with high mortality rate. Currently there are neither therapeutic drugs or vaccines against Ebola virus nor fast diagnositic method for the detection of Ebola virus infection. This study reported the induction and isolation of two monoclonal antibodies that specifically recognized the glycoprotein (GP) and secreted glycoprotein (sGP) of Ebola virus. Plasmids encoding either GP or sGP were constructed and immunized BALB/c mice, accordingly purified sGP was boosted. The antisera were analyzed for binding activity against sGP protein in ELISA and neutralization activity in a pseudotyped virus neutralization assay. A number of reactive clones were isolated and two monoclonal antibodies T231 and T242 were identified to react with both GP and sGP. Western blot and ELISA assays showed that the monoclonal antibodies could react with GP and sGP, respectively. Moreover, they could recognize Ebola pseudovirus by cellular immunochemistry assay. We labeled the monoclonal antibody T231 with biotin, and analyzed the competitiveness of the two antibodies by ELISA test. The results showed that the binding epitopes of the two monoclonal antibodies to sGP were partially overlapped. In summary, two GP-specific mAbs were identified, which will be used to detect Ebola virus or investigate GP. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.