Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against human transferrin.

Twenty-one hybridoma lines were established, producing monoclonal antibodies against human transferrin and growing well in the peritoneal cavity of the mouse. Eight of these monoclonal antibodies were characterized. All of them are of IgG1 subclass with K light chains. The only human serum protein recognized by these antibodies is transferrin. Individual antibodies and their pairs do not precipitate the antigen, whereas 5 of their triads yield sharp precipitation lines with human transferrin. These results indicate that different monoclonal antibodies of this series recognize different epitopes on the transferrin molecule and that these antibodies or their mixtures can be employed in binding and precipitation tests.