Monoclonal antibodies specific for Sendai virus. I. Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies.

Twelve monoclonal antibodies specific for Sendai virus were prepared by fusing immune LOU rat spleen cells with Y3 or FO myeloma cells. Six antibodies bound the viral glycoprotein HN, and six the viral protein F. Among the six HN-specific monoclonal antibodies, five reacted with the very same epitope and inhibited viral haemagglutination. Two antibodies against the F protein recognized the same epitope, but all the others reacted with different epitopes. All monoclonals were characterized with regard to specificity, biological function, epitope recognition, isotypes, and pI.