Production and characterization of a mouse monoclonal antibody to the glycolipid asialo-GM1.

The glycosphingolipid asialo-GM1 (aGM1) is a true differentiation antigen of murine lymphoid cells. This glycolipid is highly immunogenic in the rabbit, but the antisera produced shows some cross reactivity with GM1, the naturally occurring sialylated derivative of aGM1. In the present study we examined the ability to raise anti-aGM1 antisera in the mouse. We compared the efficiency of several immunization methods in various strains of mice. The most effective procedure involved repeated intraperitoneal injections of aGM1-cholesterol rich particles in the NZB mouse. Hybrid B cell lines were generated by fusion of mouse myeloma cells with the splenocytes of an NZB mouse immunized with aGM1. The specificity of the antisera produced and of the monoclonal antibody secreted by one of these hybridomas (103HT30) was defined by ELISA and by immunostaining on thin layer chromatograms. The monoclonal antibody 103HT30 is an IgM. It reacted with aGM1 but not with any of the structurally-related ganglioside or neutral glycolipids tested. In particular, 103HT30 monoclonal antibody did not present any detectable cross-reactivity with GM1.