A monoclonal antibody, specific for human fibrinogen, fibrinopeptide A-containing fragments and not reacting with free fibrinopeptide A.

Spleen cells of BALB/c mice, immunized with fragments Y of normal human fibrinogen, were fused with P3 X 63 Ag 8653 myeloma cells. A clone was found which produces monoclonal antibodies (Mab-Y18) of the IgM kappa type. Mab-Y18 is immunoreactive with normal human fibrinogen, and its fragments X, Y, N-terminal disulphide knot, A alpha-chain, and A alpha stretch 1-51. The immunoreactivity with these same fragments disappears upon treatment with thrombin or arvin. This strongly suggests that fibrinopeptide A is an essential component of the Mab-Y18 epitope. This is supported by the finding that Mab-Y18 prolongs the thrombin and arvin clotting times of human fibrinogen by inhibition of the fibrinopeptide A release. More detailed information about the nature of the Mab-Y18 epitope was obtained from studies with genetic variants of human fibrinogen (especially fibrinogen Metz) and with fibrinogens from other mammalian species. These studies show that amino acid residue A alpha 16 (arginine) of fibrinopeptide A is essential for the Mab-Y18 epitope. Mab-Y18 does not react with free fibrinopeptide A.