[Monospecific antibodies against synthetic T-antigen. Characteristics of their specificity and use in the identification of T-antigenic determinants on the cell surface].

Monospecific antibodies directed to a Thomsen-Friedenreich antigen (T-antigen) were obtained using artificial antigen. T-antigen immunodominant alpha-disaccharide Galbeta (1----3) GalNAc alpha 1-(T alpha) and its beta-anomer Gal beta (1----3) GalNAc beta 1-(T beta) were bound to bovine serum albumin (BSA) and cytochrome C (CCC) through a spacer (sp = -O(CH2)3NHCO (CH2)4CO-) by the azide method to give neoglycoproteins T alpha-sp-BSA, T alpha-sp-CCC and T beta-sp-BSA. Anti-T alpha antiserum was obtained by immunization of rabbits with T alpha-sp-BSA and then purified by sequential affinity chromatography on BSA-Sepharose and T alpha-sp-BSA-Sepharose to yield monospecific anti-T IgG antibodies. As elucidated by ELISA method, binding T alpha-sp-BSA to the antibodies was inhibited by T alpha-sp-CCC, T alpha-sp-OEt, asialofetuin, T alpha-OBzl, the activity of the inhibitors decreasing in the above order. Methyl beta-galactopyranoside, benzyl 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-alpha-D-galactopyranoside, disaccharide Gal beta (1----3) GalNAc and H-sp-BSA were inactive. The inhibitory analysis suggests that both disaccharide moiety T alpha- and a definite part of the spacer are important for the binding and that T alpha-OCH2 seems to be the minimal recognized structure. In immunoprecipitation tests the antibodies react with T alpha-sp-BSA but not with T beta-sp-BSA, whereas peanut (Arachis hypogaea) lectin (PNL) precipitated both T alpha- and T beta-sp-BSA. These data suggest the significance of the alpha-galactosaminide bond for the antibody recognition. Desialylated human erithrocites (natural T-antigen) were effectively agglutinated with the antibodies. Murine cortical thymocytes (obtained by agglutination-sedimentation method using PNL) were agglutinated with the antibodies only partially (67%), while these cells as well as the cells unaffected by the antibodies were completely agglutinated with PNL. These results indicate to different contents of glycoproteins (T alpha) and glycolipids (T beta) oligosaccharide determinants on the surface of cortical thymocytes species.