PREPARATION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO PLANT-DERIVED OLIGO- AND POLYSACCHARIDES

THE PURPOSE OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT IS TO GENERATE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES THAT RECOGNIZE DEFINED EPITOPES ON OLIGO- AND POLYSACCHARIDES OF PLANT ORIGIN. SUCH ANTIBODIESWILL BE USEFUL FOR PURIFYING PLANT-DERIVED OLIGO- AND POLYSACCHARIDES, PROVIDING STRUCTURAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CARBOHYDRATES TO WHICH THE ANTIBODIES BIND, AND DETERMINING THE TISSUE AND CELLULAR DISTRIBUTION OF THE CARBOHYDRATES. THE FEASIBILITY OF GENERATING SUCH MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES WILL BE EXAMINED IN PHASE I. HYBRIDOMA CELL LINES THAT SECRETE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO RHAMNOGALACTURONAN-I, A PLANT CELL-WALL DERIVED POLYSACCHARIDE, WILL BE GENERATED. THE COMPLETE STRUCTURE OF THE EPITOPE RECOGNIZED BY AT LEAST ONE OF THE ANTIBODIES WILL BE DETERMINED. THESE STUDIES WILL BE EXTENDED IN PHASE II TO INCLUDE CHARACTERIZATION OF EPITOPES RECOGNIZED BY OTHER ANTI-RHAMNOGALACTURONAN-I ANTIBODIES AND GENERATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES TO ADDITIONAL PLANT-DERIVED OLIGO- AND POLYSACCHARIDES.