Development and characterization of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies against the pandemic H1N1 virus (2009)

The 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic was a major international public health crisis which caused considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide. The goal of this study was to produce anti-H1 monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) for improving diagnostic immunological assays and to develop potential immunotherapeutics. Nine MAbs were produced after immunizing mice with recombinant hemagglutinin (HA) protein from A/California/06/09. Two spleenocyte myeloma fusions yielded 1588 hybridoma cultures. After screening the hybridoma culture supernatants for antibody reactivity to rHA, nine clones were selected for further characterization. Cross-reactivity studies of the anti-rHA antibodies against a panel of influenza viruses (H1–H16) revealed eight out of nine MAbs were specific to the pandemic H1 subtype, except for MAb F256G2sc1 which also cross-reacted with H5 subtype virus. All MAbs were of the IgG1κ isotype, except F256G2sc1 which was IgG2aκ. The anti-rHA MAbs had binding affinities to rHA that ranged from a KD (disassociation constant) of 1.34 × 10−9 M (F255G7sc1) to the weakest affinity of 4.60 × 10−8 M (F255G4sc1). Interestingly, in a plaque reduction neutralization assay, all MAbs except F255G3sc1 demonstrated neutralizing ability. Furthermore, all MAbs except F255G3sc1 and F255G9sc1 exhibited anti-hemagglutinin activity against pandemic H1N1 viruses, but not against classical North American swine influenza viruses of the same subtype. Immunofluorescence assay (IFA) demonstrated that all MAbs except F255G1sc1 and F255G3sc1 were able to detect 2009 pandemic H1N1 (2009) virus- infected MDCK cells. The MAbs were also evaluated for potential use in competitive ELISA (cELISA), and with the exception of F255G3sc1, all MAbs showed competitive activity with serum collected from pigs infected with pandemic H1N1 virus (2009). The developed MAbs have demonstrated utility as immunodiagnostic and research reagents, and their neutralizing capabilities also hold potential for designing antiviral drugs against pandemic influenza.

► We produced 9 murine anti-H1 monoclonal antibodies were produced against hemagglutinin protein.
► Eight out of nine MAbs were specific only to pandemic H1 viruses.
► Eight out of nine MAbs demonstrated neutralizing ability against H1N1 virus.
► All MAbs had competitive activity with serum from pandemic H1N1 virus-infected pigs.
► These MAbs have use as immunodiagnostic and research reagents.