Antigenic Variation of European Haemorrhagic Fever with Renal Syndrome VirusStrains Characterized Using Bank Vole Monoclonal Antibodies

摘要

Monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against Puumala (PUU) virus, the etiological agentof Nephropathia epidemica, were produced by fusing activated spleen cells from a band vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) with the mouse myeloma cell line SP2/0. This novel approach, utilizing the the natural vector of PUU virus for hybridoma production, proved to be highly efficient, and eight stable PUU virus-specific heterohybridomas were isolated and characterized. The bank vole MAbs were all specific for the nucleocapsid protein (N) of PUU virus, as determined by immunoprecipitation. When evaluated by additivity immunoassays, the MAbs were found to recognize several different, distinct or overlapping, epitopes on N. The MAbs were used in immunofluorescence assays to compare eight PUU-related virus isolates, and the prototype Hantaan, Urban rat and Prospect Hill viruses.