NEUTRALIZING MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES AGAINST LISTERIOLYSIN - MAPPING OFEPITOPES INVOLVED IN PORE FORMATION

Six different mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and a specific rabbit polyclonal antibody were raised against listeriolysin, Four of the MA bs also recognized seeligeriolysin, and five cross-reacted with ivanol ysin. The hemolytic activity could be neutralized by the polyclonal an tibody as well as by five of the MAbs. None of the neutralizing antibo dies interfered with the binding of listeriolysin to the cellular memb rane. The epitopes recognized by the MAbs were localized by using over lapping synthetic peptides between positions 59 and 279, a region hith erto not implicated in mediating hemolytic activity.