[An analysis of islet cell surface antigen defined by monoclonal islet cell surface antibody 5C12].

Monoclonal antibody 3A4 to islet cell surface antigen has been previously established in our laboratory, using hybridization of spleen lymphocytes from non-obese diabetic (NOD) mice transferred into immunologically incompetent recipient mice. In the present study, monoclonal islet cell surface antibody 5C12 could be newly obtained in the 10:1 ratio of NOD mice spleen cells and mouse myeloma cells (SP2/0) without any modifications. Protein A radioligand assay and indirect immunofluorescence on living cells showed that 5C12 antibody reacted to normal rat islet cells and cultured rat insulinoma cells (RIN-r), but not to cultured lymphocytes (Bri-7, IM-9) and Chang-liver cells. Analysis of 125I-labeled antibody binding revealed that unlabeled 5C12 effectively inhibited subsequent 125I-5C12 binding to RIN-r cells, whereas unlabeled 3A4 did not. The scatchard plot from these data showed the curvilinearity, and about 150,000 binding sites to antibody per RIN-r cell were counted. The treatment of RIN-r cells with papain and neuraminidase reduced the binding of 5C12 to RIN-r cells, whereas the effect of trypsin was not observed. Immunoprecipitation of 125I-labeled insulinoma cell lysates followed by SDS-PAGE and autoradiography indicated that 5C12 recognized 105K dalton cell surface protein in RIN-r cells. Immunoblotting also showed that 5C12 antibody recognized 105K dalton cell surface protein in RIN-r cells. These results demonstrated that 5C12 was an important tool for clarifying the immunoresponse against certain antigenic determinants on pancreatic B cells. Furthermore, 5C12 has not only qualitatively and quantitatively improved diagnostic methodology, but it may also provide new reagents useful to the treatment and prevention of type 1 diabetes.