PRODUCTION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES TO THE WHITE-PINE BLISTER RUST FUNGUS, CRONARTIUM-RIBICOLA

Hybridoma cell lines producing monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) to the whi te pine blister rust (WPBR) fungus were generated by fusing spleen cel ls of BALB/c mice immunized with basidiospore proteins with myeloma ce lls X63-Ag8. Mab 12 was of the IgG(2a) kappa type while others were of IgM kappa type. The specificity of Mabs was ascertained by examining their reactivity in a Western immunoblot with the foliar proteins of w estern white pine and two other fungi that commonly infect western whi te pine foliage. While most of the Mabs showed cross-reactivity to whi te pine proteins, Mab 7 and Mab 13 reacted only to basidiospore protei ns. More importantly, these two Mabs reacted to proteins extracted fro m pure fungal cultures and also from infected white pine needles. Mab 13 bound to a single antigenic component. The usefulness of Mabs in th e analysis of the white pine blister rust host-pathogen interaction is discussed.