Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against DNA single ring diamines adducts

The synthetic conjugate of the genotoxic compound 2,4 diaminotoluene (2,4 DAT) with gelatin (2,4 DAT-GEL) was employed to elicit specific antibodies directed against a restricted class of aromatic diamines. Using this immunogen, mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) have been produced. These MAbs have been characterized and used in ELISA to detect 2,4 DAT covalently linked to biopolymers. The MAbs could bind to different synthetic 2,4 DAT-biopolymer adducts as well as to DNA from rats treated in vivo with the aromatic diamine, but they did not react with gelatin or biopolymers alone. The use of these MAbs has been investigated in order to develop a highly sensitive test to detect adducts of this genotoxic compound with nuclear DNA.