Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against avian retrovirus reverse transcriptase.

Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against the avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase. These monoclonal antibodies specifically immunoprecipitated the alpha and beta subunits of the reverse transcriptase molecule, as well as the Pr180gag-pol precursor protein present in virus-infected cells. In addition, these monoclonal antibodies inhibited the DNA polymerase activity associated with the reverse transcriptase molecule but not the RNase H activity. The monoclonal antibody preparations were specific for the amino-terminal portion of the protein, as determined by the immunoprecipitation of a reverse transcriptase-beta-galactosidase fusion protein produced in Escherichia coli by molecular cloning procedures.