Functionally distinct monoclonal antibodies reactive with enzymatically active and binding domains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin A.

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) are described which react with two discrete structural domains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxin A and which have two distinct functional profiles. The MAbs designated T3-1C7 and T4-1F2 reacted with a 46,000-dalton peptide similar to the putative B or binding fragment of toxin A. These antibodies neutralized the cytotoxic and lethal properties of toxin but had no effect on its ADP-ribosyl transferase activity. T4-1F2 interfered with the binding of toxin A to membrane receptors on mouse fibroblasts (L cells), although the epitope for the antibody appears to be distinct from the actual receptor binding site. The MAb designated T2-1H2 reacted with intact toxin A and with a cloned, enzymatically active carboxy-terminal polypeptide similar to the toxin A fragment. This MAb neutralized the ADP-ribosyl transferase activity of activated holotoxin and of the cloned peptide, but inhibited neither binding of toxin to membrane receptors nor its cytotoxic and lethal actions. The complementary specificity and function of these MAbs confirm the functional specialization of discrete structural domains within the toxin A molecule. Our findings suggest the greater antitoxic potential of antibodies that block binding, compared with those which inhibit the enzymatic activity of toxin A.