Production and characterization of monoclonal antibody specific for NS3 helicase of hepatitis C virus.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is the major etiological agent of chronic hepatitis, which leads to liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinomas. HCV NS3 helicase is a promising target of anti-virus therapy. In this report, we discuss a strategy to generate monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) of the HCV NS3 helicase, and investigate its potential characteristic. Our results showed the production of MAbs against NS3 helicase, which could specifically recognize the native NS3 helicase in transiently transfected cells in the immunofluorescence experiment. The resultant MAbs were used as the first antibody in Western blot analyses, and observed the specific band that defines the NS3 helicase. Likewise, one MAb could inhibit the NS3 helicase enzymatic activity distinctly in the NS3 helicase-mediated DNA-unwinding assay. To conclude, these antibodies may be useful to generate specific diagnostic tools for HCV infection and may also be developed for potential therapeutics.