Mouse anti-benzylpenicilloyl IgE monoclonal antibody: preparation, characterization and cross-reactivity.

Anti-benzylpenicilloyl (BPO-) monoclonal antibody of the IgE class was prepared from spleens of immune C57BL/6 mice whose sera reacted with BPO-hapten, penicillin G(PCG) polymer, cephalothin (CET)-hapten and CET polymer. Affinity chromatography experiments showed that the haptenic specificity of the IgE monoclonal antibody (designated BIE-13CE) was directed mainly to phenylacetyl portion of BPO group. BIE-13CE antibody reacted on passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) assay with BPO-hapten, CET-hapten, cephaloridine-hapten and CET polymer, but did not react with PCG polymer, ampicillin-hapten, or cefazolin-hapten. These results indicated that the sera of the immune C57BL/6 mice contained IgE antibodies capable of cross-reacting at the monoclonal antibody level with various forms of eliciting antigens and that the cross-reactivity of the antibody could be ascribed essentially to the structural similarity of acyl side chains of the antibiotics. The structure of the CET polymer is also discussed in terms of its PCA reactivity with the monoclonal antibody and analytical and spectral data of the polymer.