Discrimination between Fibrin and Fibrinogen by a Monoclonal Antibody against a Synthetic Peptide

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS 1985-10, Vol.82 (20), p.7091-7095
• Main Authors: Scheefers-Borchel, Ursula, Muller-Berghaus, Gert, Fuhge, Peter, Eberle, Reinhard, Heimburger, Nobert
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Amino Acid Sequence; Amino acids; Animals; Antibodies; Antibodies, immunoglobulins; Antibodies, Monoclonal; Antigen-Antibody Complex; Biological and medical sciences; Biotechnology; Blood; Blood plasma; Coagulation; Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay; Epitopes - analysis; Fibrin - analysis; Fibrin - immunology; Fibrinogen - analysis; Fibrinogen - immunology; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Health. Pharmaceutical industry; Humans; Industrial applications and implications. Economical aspects; Mice; Mice, Inbred BALB C; Molecular immunology; Molecules; Monoclonal antibodies; Peptides - chemical synthesis; Production of active biomolecules; Sodium; Washing
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.82.20.7091

Circulating soluble fibrin, observed in the blood of patients with ongoing intravascular coagulation, is generated from the plasma protein fibrinogen by the limited proteolytic action of thrombin. We report the production of a monoclonal antibody that discriminates between fibrin and fibrinogen in blood. The synthetic hexapeptide Gly-Pro-Arg-Val-Val-Glu, representing the amino terminus of the α chain of human fibrin, was used as immunogen. This hexapeptide is located within the Aα chain of fibrinogen but becomes the amino terminus of the fibrin α chain, after fibrinopeptide A is removed by the action of thrombin, and thus becomes accessible for antibody binding. The monoclonal antibody we have prepared can discriminate between fibrin and fibrinogen and thus can be used in assay systems to quantitate soluble fibrin or, potentially, to image fibrin-rich thrombi.