Monoclonal antibodies to cell surface antigens involved in sex pheromone induced mating in Streptococcus faecalis.

Hybridoma cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies to Streptococcus faecalis cell surface antigens were constructed. Some of the antibodies isolated were directed against surface components involved in pheromone-induced mating. This paper describes the use of the monoclonal antibodies to identify antigenically related surface components detected by immunoprecipitation and Western blotting, their use in pheromone response assays, and their use as functional inhibitors in mating experiments.