Monoclonal antibody to an integral membrane protein, the lactose permease.

A monoclonal IgG antibody directed against the lactose permease was produced from animals inoculated with membranes of a lac Y plasmid strain. The appropriate antibody was selected by a series of ELISA assays in which membranes, purified permease, or a lac Y-Z chimeric protein was the immobilized antigen. The antibody recognizes a portion of the permease exposed on the surface of membrane vesicles but does not inhibit lactose transport.