title: Generation and characterisation of monoclonal antibodies specific to avian influenza H7N9 haemagglutinin protein.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emerging virulent strains of influenza virus pose a serious public health threat with potential pandemic consequences. A novel avian influenza virus, H7N9, breached the species barrier from infected domestic poultry to humans in 2013 in China. Since then, it has caused numerous infections in humans with a close contact to poultry.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we describe the preliminary characterisation of five murine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) developed against recombinant haemagglutinin (rHA) protein of avian H7N9 A/Anhui/1/2013 virus by their Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) reactivity and binding affinity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the five MAbs, four were highly specific to H7N9 HA and did not show any cross-reactivity in ELISA with rHA protein from pandemic as well as seasonal H1N1, H2N2, H3N2, H5N1 and influenza virus B (B/Brisbane/60/2008). However, one of the MAbs, MA-24, in addition to HA protein of H7N9 also reacted strongly with HA protein of H3N2 and weakly with HA of pandemic and seasonal H1N1 and H2N2. All the five MAbs also reacted with H7N9 rHA in Western blot. The MAbs bound H7N9 rHA with an equilibrium dissociation constant (KD) ranging between 0.14 and 25.20 nM, indicating their high affinity to HA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These antibodies may be useful in developing diagnostic tools for the detection of influenza H7N9 virus infections.
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malik
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biophysics Unit, n Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: Vva
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Mallajosyula
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: N N
authors.initials: NN
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: A P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Arukha
authors.affiliation: Molecular Biophysics Unit, n Institute of Science, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Varadarajan
authors.affiliation: Reproductive Cell Biology Laboratory, National Institute of Immunology, New Delhi, India.
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Gupta
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D064766:Influenza A Virus, H7N9 Subtype / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology*; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000276:immunology
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D019267:Hemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virus; D011994:Recombinant Proteins