Antibody specificity and antigen characterization of rat monoclonal antibodies against Streptococcus mutans cell wall-associated protein antigens.

Monoclonal antibodies to Streptococcus mutans OMZ175 (serotype f) cell wall-associated antigens (wall-extracted antigens [WEA]) were derived from the fusion of Lou C plasmocytoma rat cells (IR 983 F) and spleen cells from Wistar R inbred rats immunized with WEA. Four cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies directed against a component of S. mutans WEA have been established. All four monoclonal antibodies reacted only with two antigens of WEA from S. mutans OMZ175 by Western blotting and immunoprecipitation techniques, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and competitive ELISA. Western blot analysis of WEA showed that the four monoclonal antibodies recognized two related cell wall-associated proteins with apparent molecular weights of 125,000 and 76,000. Immunoprecipitation of whole cells with the monoclonal antibodies confirmed the surface localization of the two antigens. The ELISA and competitive ELISA were used to analyze the distribution of the epitopes on seven S. mutans serotypes. All S. mutans serotypes were found to express the recognized epitopes; however, different reactivity patterns could be distinguished among the various strains tested, and the four monoclonal antibodies reacted only weakly with S. mutans serotypes d and g.