Characterization of monoclonal antibodies that react with unique and cross-reacting determinants of cholera enterotoxin and its subunits.

Seventeen selected hybridoma cell lines that produced monoclonal antibodies against cholera enterotoxin (CT) were isolated and characterized. All of the monoclonal antibodies contained the kappa light chain; 14 were of the immunoglobulin G1 (IgG1) isotype and 3 were IgG2a. The 17 monoclonal antibodies were divided into a minimum of seven different specificity groups based on their abilities to bind to the following purified test antigens in solid-phase radioimmunoassays: CT, the A and B polypeptides of CT (CT-A and CT-B, respectively), and the heat-labile enterotoxins designated LTh and LTp from Escherichia coli. The binding of these antibodies to the following subunits and fragments of CT was also determined in Western blots: pentameric CT-B, monomeric CT-B, intact CT-A, and the A1 fragment of CT-A. Each of the monoclonal antibodies was tested for neutralization of CT and for precipitation with CT in immunodiffusion tests. Antigenic determinants were identified on CT that were not present either on CT-A or CT-B. One class was unique for CT and another was shared with LTh and LTp. Antibodies directed against these holotoxin-specific determinants had no neutralizing activity. Most of the monoclonal antibodies that reacted strongly with CT-A or CT-B also reacted strongly with CT holotoxin; however, one class of antibody reacted strongly with CT-A but weakly with CT. Among the monoclonal antibodies against CT-A or CT-B, some were specific for CT and others cross-reacted with LTh and LTp or with LTh only. The most potent neutralizing antibodies were against CT-B, and all of our monoclonal antibodies against CT-B had some neutralizing activity. In contrast, only some of the monoclonal antibodies against CT-A had neutralizing activity, and their specific activities were low. We found no direct correlation between the ability of monoclonal antibodies to neutralize CT and to cross-react with LTh or LTp. None of the epitopes recognized by our monoclonal anti-CT antibodies was present on CT-A and CT-B.