Monoclonal Antibodies Against the Major Coat Protein of Filamentous Phage as a Useful Analytical Tool for Bacteriophage Peptide/Protein Display

Abstract

Four mouse monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) that react with filamentous M13KO7 and R408 phage were obtained. Three of these MAbs (two IgG_2a and one IgG₃) recognize linear sequences of the p8 main structural coat protein, and one (IgG_2a) identifies a putatively conformational epitope, as suggested by Western blot. These MAbs also react with recombinant phage expressing peptide antigens fused to p8, and are though useful reagents for peptide/protein phage display screening based methods. The latter was shown in an enzyme-linked immunoadsorbent assay (ELISA) and a visual immunoassay where one of the anti-p8 MAbs was used to capture recombinant phages displaying a peptide characteristic of the Hepatitis B virus surface antigen or a Dengue virus-related peptide antigen.