title: A monoclonal antibody specific for rat IL-18BP and its application in determining serum IL-18BP.
abstract: IL-18 binding protein (IL-18BP) is a soluble inhibitory receptor for IL-18, a proinflammatory cytokine that plays a major role in IL-12-driven Th1 cell differentiation. IL-18BP is presumed to play a vital regulatory function in IL-18-mediated immune responses, although its precise role in immunomodulation in various diseases is not well understood. In the present study, we have generated and characterized a mouse monoclonal antibody (2A6H11), specific for rat IL-18BP. Its binding epitope is within amino acids 29-60 on IL-18BP and it does not interfere with the function of IL-18BP. Using this monoclonal antibody, we have developed an ELISA for determining IL-18BP levels. We observed elevated levels of IL-18BP in sera of rats with experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG), in comparison with the levels in healthy rats. Thus, this monoclonal antibody can serve as a valuable tool to elucidate the role of IL-18BP in EAMG and in other rat models for autoimmune diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Immunology, Weizmann Institute of Science, 76100, Rehovot, Israel.
authors.forename: Prasanta K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Maiti
authors.forename: Sin Hyeog
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Im
authors.forename: Miriam C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Souroujon
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fuchs
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000276:immunology*; D000918:Antibody Specificity; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D006023:Glycoproteins / Q000032:analysis* / Q000276:immunology; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D051381:Rats; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D017386:Sequence Homology, Amino Acid
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D006023:Glycoproteins; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011993:Recombinant Fusion Proteins; C118370:interleukin-18 binding protein