Monoclonal Antibodies to Multiple Glutathione Receptors Mediating the Feeding Response of Hydra

The feeding response of Hydra japonica can be quantitatively studied in terms of the duration of tentacle ball formation, a behavior associated with feeding in this species. The effects of platelet proteins suggest that the response is mediated by at least five type of receptors (R1-R5), which are defined by the sensitivity to S-methylglutathione (GSM). Hybridomas were raised from a mouse immunized with galactose-binding proteins from tentacles, which were proposed as candidates for the receptor proteins on the basis of in vivo and in vitro photolabeling studies. The authors examined the effect of the culture supernatant of the hybridomas on the behavioral response to 0.1 mu M GSM to pick up useful clones.