Preparation of monoclonal antibodies against mannosylated lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM), a surface antigen of BCG vaccine produced in Iran

Bacille Calmette–Guerin (BCG) vaccine is the only vaccine that is used against Mycobacterium tuberculosis, but its efficacy is limited in mycobacterium‑endemic regions. One of the major antigens present on the cell envelope of the vaccine that suppresses the immune system is mannosylated lipoarabinomannan (ManLAM).

In this study, we immunized 4‑week‑old mice with sonicated BCG vaccine injected intraperitoneally two times at an interval of 2 weeks and with ManLAM antigen injected intravenously and then extracted the spleen cells of the immunized mice. They were fused with SP2/0 myeloma cells.

Five cell line clones producing antibody against ManLAM antigens were prepared and each clone was tested for immunoreactivity against sonicated BCG and purified ManLAM by enzyme‑linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunoblotting. The clones designated H13F33E11 and H23D91G4 reacted strongly with ManLAM. Immunoblotting using monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) H13F33E11 and H23D91G4 showed that these MAbs bind to ManLAM with a molecular weight of 35 kDa.

In this study, we produced a monoclonal antibody of immunoglobulin G3 (IgG3) subclass. This MAb can be used for purification of ManLAM in culture media and detection of the antigen in patient’s urine and for increasing the efficacy of BCG vaccine.