Monoclonal antibodies reacting with immunogenic mycoplasma proteins present in human hematopoietic cell lines.

During studies of human hematopoietic cells, two novel anti-mycoplasma monoclonal antibodies reacting in human cell surface binding assays were generated. These monoclonal antibodies define antigens (called MP71 and MP33) that showed variable positive and negative expression in different cultures of the same human cell lines. Furthermore, negative cell cultures could be converted to positive cultures upon incubation with filtered media from a previously positive cell culture. A DNA staining assay was used to demonstrate the presence of mycoplasma in the cultures positive for MP71. The expression of MP71 on a panel of cell lines always correlated with the expression of MP33, suggesting that the latter antigen is also mycoplasma related. The monoclonal antibodies against both antigens (MP71 and MP33) were each able to block the growth of mycoplasma newly transferred to hematopoietic cell cultures. Biosynthesis of these mycoplasma antigens differed from biosynthesis of host cell surface antigens in that the former showed a relative insensitivity to gamma irradiation. Internal labeling with 35S-methionine or host cell surface labeling with 125I and analysis by immunoprecipitation showed that the antigens MP71 and MP33 had sizes of Mr 71,000 and 33,000, respectively. Also the antigen MP71 was almost completely, although transiently, cleared from the host cell surface by trypsin. Growth inhibition analysis of different mycoplasma species indicated that the monoclonal antibody recognizing MP71 was uniquely reactive with Mycoplasma hyorhinis.