Class-switching of the IgM type anti-adenocarcinoma human antibody HB4C5 into an IgG1 type resulted in the loss of the antigen binding ability.

The heavy and light chain genes (mu and lambda) of the human anti-adenocarcinoma monoclonal antibody HB4C5 (MAb-C5) were cloned from the human-human hybridoma cell line HB4C5 and co-expressed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) and COS-7 cells. ELISA assay and the RI imaging of the cancer tissue xenografted into nude mice showed that the recombinant MAb-C5 retained the original antigen binding activity. We then replaced the IgM constant region of the MAb-C5 heavy chain gene with the human IgG1 constant region gene and co-expressed it with the light chain gene. This recombination was confirmed by a complete DNA sequencing and Western-blot analysis. Despite the fact that the DNA sequence, the expressed protein size, and the assembly of heavy and light chains were indicated to be normal, the IgG1 type MAb-C5 could not bind to the original antigen. This result suggest that this antibody alters its antigen binding property upon class-switching.