[Distribution of bone morphogenetic protein in human bone and tooth germs: analysis of specificity of monoclonal antibody against bone morphogenetic protein].

A cell strain stably secreting monoclonal antibody against BMP was obtained by hybridoma technique. The monoclonal antibody specifically reacted with the cells of human bone and tooth germs on paraffin embedded tissue sections. Immunohistochemical staining shows that BMP is distributed along collagen fibres in normal bone, also exist in osteoid tissue of new bone, in osteoblasts and in the cells of bone marrow. BMP may be found in human tooth germs such as in predentin, in the cells of outer and inner enamel epithelium, in the cells of dental sac generating alveolar bone. The results demonstrate that generation and growth of human bone and development of tooth germs have relation to BMP. The results at the molecular level prove that some antigenic determinants of human and bovine BMP are the same. BMP function activity inhibition test suggests that this antibody may block the function group of BMP. The ability of the monoclonal antibody to detect antigen and to inhibit generation of new bone makes it potentially useful in purification of BMP and in treating osteosarcoma and other bone tumors.