Monoclonal antibody to human basement membrane collagen type IV.

We have developed a hybridoma cell line which secretes monoclonal antibody to human basement membrane type IV collagen. The monoclonal antibody secreted by this hybridoma has been obtained in large amounts by either concentrating it from culture supernatants or from the ascites fluid of mice bearing the hybridoma tumour. This monoclonal antibody to type IV collagen does not cross-react with other types of collagens, including types I, III and V, as determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and by immunohistochemical staining of corneal and lens sections. Descemet's membrane of mouse, rabbit and human corneal endothelium and lens capsule, both rich in type IV collagen, bind the antibody when stained immunohistochemically. By the indirect precipitation technique, the antibody is found to bind more than three peptides in the basement membrane collagen-rich fraction of human placenta. Based on the observations of other investigators, these peptides are probably derived by proteolysis of the larger polypeptides, since the purification steps in involve extensive pepsin digestion.