Monoclonal antibodies against heparin-binding growth factor II/basic fibroblast growth factor that block its biological activity: invalidity of the antibodies for tumor angiogenesis.

Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against bovine heparin-binding growth factor II (HBGF-II)/basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) were obtained from mouse hybridoma cell lines. They were highly specific for bFGF from bovine, human, and mouse sources and did not cross-react with bovine heparin-binding growth factor I (HBGF-I)/acidic fibroblast growth factor (aFGF). The immunoglobulin class and subclass of these mAbs were IgG1, K. The apparent dissociation constant (Kd) for bFGF of these mAbs ranged from 10(-9) to 10(-10) M. One mAb (bFM-2) also cross-reacted with heat-inactivated bFGF, while the other mAb (bFM-1) did not, suggesting that bFM-1 recognized the conformation of the bFGF molecule necessary for its biological activity. These mAbs inhibited growth of cultured bovine capillary endothelial cells in both the presence and absence of exogenous bFGF, indicating the autocrine action of this growth factor in in vitro growth of these cells. On the other hand, injection of these hybridoma cell lines s.c. into the backs of athymic mice resulted in development of highly vascularized solid tumors and a sustained high level of anti-bFGF activity in the blood of the tumor-bearing mice. These findings suggest that bFGF is not essential as an autocrine or paracrine growth factor for angiogenesis in vivo. These mAbs should be useful in further studies on the physiological role and the conformation-function relationship of bFGF because they block its biological activity.