Common and subtypic determinants of hepatitis B surface antigen particles: susceptibility to reduction and/or alkylation evaluated with monoclonal antibodies.

The specificity of five monoclonal antibodies, three raised against hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) particles and two against envelope polypeptides, was tested for on a panel of 366 sera containing HBsAg of various subtypes (131 adw, 146 adr, 39 ayw and 50 ayr). Three monoclonals bound to HBsAg irrespective of subtypes, and therefore, were directed to the common antigenic determinants of HBsAg. Of these, two raised against particles (No. 824 and No. 7922) did not bind with reduced HBsAg particles. The other raised against peptides (No. 5124) bound to reduced HBsAg particles. It did not, however, bind to reduced and alkylated HBsAg particles, thereby indicating that it was directed to an epitope involving cysteine residues not contributing to the conformation. The remaining two monoclonals were directed to subtypic determinants not identical to any of d, y, w and r determinants. The subtypic determinant detectable by one of them (No. 4403), raised against HBsAg polypeptides, markedly increased after reduction of HBsAg particles with or without alkylation. In contrast, the subtypic determinant, detectable by the other monoclonal (No. 2155) raised against particles, substantially decreased after reduction. Non-identity of common or subtypic determinants detectable by the five monoclonals were established by blocking tests in which labeled antibody was competed by non-labeled antibody, of a homologous or heterologous specificity, for the binding with HBsAg. These monoclonals would be useful in studies for immunochemical configuration of HBsAg particles and epidemiology of novel subtypic determinants.