Monoclonal antibodies to human interferon-γ. I. Antibodies to a synthetic carboxyl-terminal peptide

Two types of hybridomas secreting monoclonal antibodies (MAB) against human interferon-γ (HuIFN-γ) were obtained by somatic cell hybridization between mouse myeloma P3U1 cells and spleen cells from BALB/c mice immunized with a conjugate of a synthetic carboxyl-terminal peptide (residues 131–146) of HuIFN-γ and bovine thyroglobulin. One of the antibodies bound to recombinant HuIFN-γ produced in E. coli as well as to natural HuIFN-γ, while the others bound only to recombinant HuIFN-γ. These 2 types of MAB did not neutralize the anti-viral activity of HuIFN-γ. They were useful for effectively purifying recombinant HuIFN-γ and quantitatively determining it by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.