Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies to the sapstaining fungus <i>Ophiostoma piceae</i>

Abstract

A sensitive immunological tool has been developed to detect the sapstaining fungus Ophiostoma piceae 3871, which plagues the wood industry. Monoclonal antibodies (1F3(1), 4G3(14), 4G2(4), and 2B6(24)) produced against cell wall protein extracts of this fungus were specific. Specificity was estimated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay, western blotting, and light and electron microscopy using the immunogold technique. Electron microscopy revealed gold particles localized on the outer surface of the cell wall. When screened against 24 biological control fungi the antibodies showed pratically no cross-reactivity (&lt; 4%). When tested against 19 other staining fungi, the antibodies recognized three strains of Ophiostoma piceae, 1F3(1) recognized Phialophora botulispora, and the antibodies showed less than 5% reactivity with the other fungi. Chemical and enzymatic modification of the antigen revealed that the epitopes recognized by the monoclonal antibodies were glycospecific. Although the antibodies were produced against the cell wall protein extracts of the fungus grown in liquid culture, they also recognized the fungus growing in wood and therefore can be employed to investigate wood colonization by this fungus.Key words: Ophiostoma piceae, monoclonal antibodies, glycoprotein.