title: A library of bacteriophage-displayed antibody fragments directed against proteins of the inner ear.
abstract: Bacteriophage display of antibodies provides a method for the generation of immunological reagents against rare and uncharacterized antigens. To ascertain the usefulness of this approach for the characterization of inner-ear proteins, we produced a bacteriophage-displayed antibody-fragment library directed against proteins from the bullfrog's sacculus. This library was probed for bacteriophage that bound to proteins present in a lysate of hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear. The predominant bacteriophage clone after selection expressed an antibody fragment that recognized a single protein in the inner ear. This antigen occurred in both the nonsensory and sensory epithelia of the sacculus. The specificity of the antibody fragment indicates that our bacteriophage-displayed library provides a useful source of immunological tools that should facilitate the identification and biochemical characterization of novel proteins in the inner ear.
authors.affiliation: Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Laboratory of Sensory Neuroscience, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021-6399, USA.
authors.forename: J L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Cyr
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Hudspeth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001435:Bacteriophages; D007758:Ear, Inner; D007128:Immunoglobulin Fragments / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D019151:Peptide Library; D011506:Proteins / Q000276:immunology*; D011892:Rana catesbeiana
chemical_list: D007128:Immunoglobulin Fragments; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D019151:Peptide Library; D011506:Proteins