Characterization of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies to human tissue kallikrein.

Monoclonal antibodies to purified human urinary kallikrein have been developed. Selection of antibody producing clones was based on 125I-kallikrein binding activity of hybridoma media in both radioimmunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Three clones (2 IgG1, 1 IgG2b) were subcloned, characterized, and compared with the polyclonal antiserum generated in rabbits immunized with the purified kallikrein. With radioimmunoassay, mouse ascitic fluids or rabbit antisera dilutions showing 50% binding to 125I-kallikrein were 1:1.2 X 10(6) (E7A9), 1:1.2 X 10(5) (H6A6), 1:8.0 X 10(4) (E12H1), and 1:1.4 X 10(6) (the rabbit antisera). With enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, mouse ascitic fluids from clones E7A9 and H6A6 showed half-maximal absorbance at dilutions of 1:2.1 X 10(5) and 1:1.0 X 10(5) respectively, and the polyclonal antiserum showed half-maximal absorbance at a dilution of 1:2.0 X 10(4). These monoclonal antibodies showed no cross-reactivity with rat tissue kallikrein, rat urinary plasminogen activator, or dog pancreatic kallikrein, while the polyclonal antiserum showed some cross-reactivity. The binding of monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies to 125I-human urinary kallikrein was not affected by human plasma kallikrein, thrombin, or urokinase in a competitive radioimmunoassay. By using purified human urinary kallikrein immobilized to agarose, antibodies produced by clones E7A9 and H6A6 and in the rabbit antisera were purified to homogeneity. Each of these affinity-purified antibodies inhibited the esterase activity, and two of the three inhibited the kininogenase activity, of human urinary kallikrein. A sandwich immunosorbent assay was developed to measure this kallikrein using monoclonal antibody from the clone E7A9 in conjunction with the polyclonal antibodies.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)