Protective immunity against Brugia malayi infective larvae in mice. II. Induction by a T cell-dependent antigen isolated by monoclonal antibody affinity chromatography and SDS-PAGE.

A mAb directed against filarial worm secretory/excretory product and reactive with Brugia malayi larval worm surface was used in conjunction with preparative SDS-PAGE to isolate protective Ag from extracts of adult B. malayi. The IgM mAb OVH bound to a repeating carbohydrate epitope present in adult, infective, and fourth stage larvae and microfilariae of B. malayi, and on the surface of fourth stage larvae. Ag bearing this epitope were also present in the sera of hosts infected with a variety of helminths, including Brugia, Onchocerca, Dirofilaria, and Paragonimus. Affinity chromatography of SDS extract of adult Brugia, using mAb OVH immobilized on agarose beads, isolated several Ag that separated into multiple protein staining bands on SDS-PAGE. In comparing SDS-PAGE-fractionated Ag from the crude SDS extract with fractionated mAb OVH-isolated Ag for the ability to protect BALB/c mice from challenge with B. malayi-infective larvae, it was found that of the mAb OVH-isolated Ag only those at a molecular mass of 26 to 32 kDa were protective while the original SDS extract yielded protective Ag at the following molecular mass: greater than 200, 170 to 200, 40 to 44, 33 to 36, 23 to 28, 20 to 22, and 17 to 19 kDa. Although Ag isolated by mAb OVH were highly protective, they failed to induce high antibody levels against the immunogen or SDS extracts compared to crude SDS extract immunized mouse sera, as determined by immunoblot and ELISA. Transfer of nylon wool non-adherent T cells from BALB/c mice immunized with the 26- to 28-kDa fraction of mAb OVH-isolated Ag to naive mice just before challenge with infective larvae of B. malayi resulted in a 70% reduction in larvae recovered 14 days after challenge.