AJP - Renal Physiology, Vol 247, Issue 4 533-F538, Copyright © 1984 by American Physiological Society
Use of monoclonal antibodies in the study of renal function
M. Kashgarian
Antibodies can be used as highly specific reagents to detect, identify, or
purify proteins. Polyvalent antisera directed against transport proteins
have been used in a limited number of circumstances to investigate
epithelial function. They have a disadvantage in that they are a mixed
reagent and require a highly purified antigen in order to be specific.
Monoclonal antibodies can be generated with the hybridoma technique and
offer the advantage of being a pure antibody derived from a single
antibody-producing cell directed at a single antigenic determinant. The
methods of generation and screening are described. Monoclonal antibodies
have been most frequently used to characterize membrane transport proteins
such as Na-K-ATPase and H-K-ATPase. They provide a useful tool for
microscopic localization and for probing synthesis, assembly, and insertion
of specific proteins. The antigenic composition of nephron segments and
polarization of epithelial cells have been studied with these methods. They
have a great potential use in studies employing membrane vesicles.
Monoclonal antibody technology offers the opportunity to correlate the
biochemical, functional, and morphological characteristics of renal tubular
epithelial transport.
