Human complement component C2: production and characterization of polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies against C2.

Rabbit antibodies to human complement component C2 were produced by immunization of rabbits with precipitates from line immunoelectrophoresis, and the antibodies were used to monitor a classical chromatographic purification of C2 and for affinity purification of C2. Twelve monoclonal antibodies with specificity for human complement component C2 were produced by fusion of myeloma cells with spleen cells from mice immunized with the affinity purified C2. The specificity of the monoclonal antibodies was confirmed by their reaction with antigen-antibody precipitates where C2 was the antigen, and by their specific reaction with C2 after separation in SDS-PAGE followed by immunoblotting. The affinity of the monoclonal antibodies varied as demonstrated by the titration curves in ELISA. The antibodies will be of importance for immunospecific purification of human C2 and C2 fragments, for specific depletion of C2 from human serum, and for quantification of C2 for clinical purposes.