COMPARISON BETWEEN DIRECT BINDING, COMPETITION AND AGGLUTINATION ASSAYS IN THE CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYCLONAL ANTIIDIOTYPES AGAINST ANTI-HBS HUMAN MONOCLONAL-ANTIBODIES

Polyclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies to human monoclonal anti-HBs antibodies (MoAb1) were raised in rabbits and designated Ab2-H1 and Ab2-H2. These Ab2 were characterized using three assays. A direct binding ELISA evaluated specificity towards a panel of human monoclonal antibodies and gamma globulins. Competition radioimmunoassay (CRIA) revealed Ab2 specificities towards Abl antigen binding sites by inhibition of HBsAg/Ab1 binding. Ab2-H1 and Ab2-H2 had comparable reactivities in ELISA and CRIA, whereas, using affinity purified Ab2, a fast (10 min) agglutination test (Spherotest) revealed different Ab1/Ab2 binding properties. Ab2-H1 reacted in this Spherotest with the Abl against which it was known to be specific (Ab1-H1), whereas in the same assay Ab2-H2 showed no activity towards the variable regions of the Abl used for its production (Ab1-H2). When injected into rabbits Ab2-H1 induced anti-HBs Ab3 antibodies but Ab2-H2 did not, thereby confirming the assay results.