Epitope mapping and analysis of a growth-enhancing monoclonal antibody by limited tryptic digestion of porcine GH

Abstract

Abstract In this study, the epitope of a murine PS-7·6 monoclonal antibody (mAb) which was raised against the recombinant porcine GH (pGH) and subsequently shown to enhance the growth-promoting activity of pGH in a hypophysectomized rat model, was mapped by the limited tryptic digestion of pGH. A pGH fragment corresponding to amino acid residues 70–95 was separated by reverse-phase HPLC and also immunoprecipitated by PS-7·6 mAb. This fragment was found in an RIA to compete with radiolabelled pGH for the binding of PS-7·6 mAb in a dose-dependent fashion. Several peptides covering this potential epitope region of pGH(70–95) were synthesized and assayed by competitive RIA. The results suggested that pGH(75–90) was the optimal sequence recognized by PS-7·6 mAb. Sequential alanine substitution of each residue of pGH(75–90) revealed that the side chains of Leu76, Ile83 and Leu87 were critical for binding to PS-7·6 mAb. Other residues could be replaced by alanine without substantially altering the binding affinity. The region of amino acids 75–95 comprises the C-terminal end of the second helix of pGH and the repeating pattern of i and i+3 (i+7) of the critical amino acids appears consistent with PS-7·6 mAb binding to the hydrophobic side of the helix. The sequence and the helical structure of the epitope of PS-7·6 mAb provide the basis for designing the effective peptide vaccines to enhance the growth performance of animals. Journal of Endocrinology (1995) 145, 169–174