CHARACTERIZATION OF MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES AGAINST AVIAN REOVIRUS STRAIN S1133

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) were produced against a vaccinal S1133 st rain of avian reovirus. Characterization of six MAbs in Western blotti ng, radioimmunoprecipitation and gold immunoelectron microscopy reveal ed that the MAbs were specific to the outer capsid proteins, mu 2/mu 2 c, sigma 2 and sigma 3. Two of three MAbs, directed against sigma 2 pr otein, neutralized the virus infectivity in a broadly specific manner, whereas the third had no neutralizing activity. The only MAb which re acted with sigma 3 protein showed a type-specific neutralizing activit y. Two MAbs recognizing the mu 2/mu 2c proteins failed to neutralize t he virus infectivity.