Characterization of anti-channel catfish IgL Ief monoclonal antibodies

This study characterizes three monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) developed against the constant (C) region of the immunoglobulin light (IgL) Ief chain isotype of the channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus. Microsphere bead assays and Western blot analyses utilizing different recombinant (r) proteins show that these anti-catfish IgL Ief chain mAbs each specifically recognize the denatured form of IgL Ief. Importantly, Western blotting of catfish sera using the anti-IgL Ief mAbs also identified an IgL chain-sized immunoreactive band(s) of 27kDa. It is anticipated that these mAbs in combination with the already existing anti-catfish Ig heavy (H) and IgL chain mAbs will be useful in future studies examining the functional roles of the different catfish IgL isotypes.