Preparation of monoclonal antibodies against a glycolipid asialo GM1

Five IgM monoclonal antibodies (MAbs), MW-1, MW-2, MW-3, MW-4, and MW-5, against a glycolipid asialo GM1 were prepared from hybridoma clones obtained by the fusion of mouse NS-1 myeloma cells with spleen cells from a mouse immunized with asialo GM1 adsorbed to naked Salmonella. All the MAbs reacted only with asialo GM1 when their reactivities were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and thin-layer chromatography (TLC)-immunostaining using structurally related glycolipids. The MAbs showed a complement-dependent lysis of mouse natural killer (NK) cells, but the lytic activities were weaker than that of a rabbit polyclonal anti-asialo GM1 antibody. When they were mixed, the anti-NK activity was increased to a level almost comparable to that of the polyclonal antibody. These results suggest that all the MAbs obtained are specific for asialo GM1 and that they may be different in fine specificity for the glycolipid. Significance of the MAbs in immunological and neurochemical studies is discussed.