Production of a monoclonal antibody to bovine kappa-casein.

Caseins (including alpha s1, alpha s2, beta, kappa and gamma casein), a family of phosphoproteins which binds to calcium, are the major proteins in mammalian milk. Kappa-casein, in addition to its calcium binding capacities has an important role in the stabilization of the micelle structure of milk. In the course of studies to investigate the immunologic effects of ingested bovine kappa-casein in IgA deficiency, a hybridoma has been produced that secretes a monoclonal antibody, (IgG1 kappa isotype), which is specific for bovine kappa -casein. The antibody has been characterized by ELISA and it has been shown to bind specifically to bovine kappa -casein. In a sandwich radioimmunoassay, as little as 0.3 x 10(-4) nM/ml of kappa-casein. could be detected. This antibody does not bind to other bovine milk proteins, nor to human casein.