High affinity monoclonal antibodies to bowman-birk inhibitor and

Abstract

Hybrid cell lines (hybridomas) which produce and secrete high affinity monoclonal antibodies specific for Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI) are described. High affinity antibodies to BBI are described that have one or more of the following additional characteristics: (1) they are specific to the active form of BBI, that is, they react and bind with undenatured BBI, but do not bind with BBI which has been denatured by heat or disulfide exchange; (2) they do not react and bind with KTI; (3) they distinguish classical BBI from other BBI's including lima bean protease inhibitor; and (4) they bind BBI-protease complex, e.g., BBI-chymotrypsin. Immunoassay methods using the monoclonal antibodies to analyze BBI specifically in plant, animal or human tissue or fluid or foodstuffs and techniques for immunoaffinity binding of BBI are described.