MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES SPECIFIC TO THE INTEGRAL MEMBRANE-PROTEIN PO OFBOVINE PERIPHERAL-NERVE MYELIN

Two monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), 58A and 46E, were generated against the major protein P0 of bovine peripheral nervous system myelin (PNSM) . The reactivities of the mAbs were assessed by enzyme-linked immunoso rbent assay (ELISA), Western blot, and immunohistochemistry. Both mAbs , 58A and 46E, reacted to PNSM of bovine, human, rat and rabbit, but n ot to chicken PNSM or the brains of rat and rabbit. In the Western blo t, these mAbs showed specific binding to bovine P0 as well as deglycos ylated P0, but not to myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) of bovine s pinal cord. The analyses of the lysylendopeptidase -digested peptides of bovine P0 revealed that the epitopes for the mAbs 58A and 46E were located on the amino acid residues 68-79 and 210-216, respectively. Si nce the mAbs 58A and 46E recognize the extracellular domain and the cy toplasmic domain of P0, respectively, they could be useful for studies on P0's role in myelin formation, its adhesive properties, and functi ons of the N-terminal extracellular and C-terminal cytoplasmic domains of the protein.