Development and characterization of monoclonal antibodies recognizing nucleocapsid protein of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants

Hongyu Qiu; Xin-Yong Yuan; Kimberly Holloway; Heidi Wood; Teresa Cabral; Chris Grant; Peter McQueen; Garrett Westmacott; Daniel R. Beniac; Lisa Lin; Michael Carpenter; Darwyn Kobasa; Tom Gräfenhan; Ian Wayne Cheney

Heliyon (Aug 2024)

Development and characterization of monoclonal antibodies recognizing nucleocapsid protein of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants

Hongyu Qiu,
Xin-Yong Yuan,
Kimberly Holloway,
Heidi Wood,
Teresa Cabral,
Chris Grant,
Peter McQueen,
Garrett Westmacott,
Daniel R. Beniac,
Lisa Lin,
Michael Carpenter,
Darwyn Kobasa,
Tom Gräfenhan,
Ian Wayne Cheney

Affiliations

Hongyu Qiu: Corresponding author.; National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Xin-Yong Yuan: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Kimberly Holloway: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Heidi Wood: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Teresa Cabral: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Chris Grant: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Peter McQueen: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Garrett Westmacott: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Daniel R. Beniac: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Lisa Lin: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Michael Carpenter: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Darwyn Kobasa: National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Tom Gräfenhan: Corresponding author.; National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada
Ian Wayne Cheney: Corresponding author.; National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, 1015 Arlington Street, Winnipeg, MB, R3E 3R2, Canada

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 10, no. 15
p. e35325

Abstract

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Rapid antigen test (RAT) is widely used for SARS-CoV-2 infection diagnostics. However, test sensitivity has decreased recently due to the emergence of the Omicron variant and its sublineages. Here we developed a panel of SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein (NP) specific mouse monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) and assessed their sensitivity and specificity to important SARS-CoV-2 variants. We identified seven mAbs that exhibited strong reactivity to SARS-CoV-2 variants and recombinant NP (rNP) by Western immunoblot or ELISA. Their specificity to SARS-CoV-2 was confirmed by negative or low reactivity to rNPs from SARS-CoV-1, MERS, and common human coronaviruses (HCoV-HKU1, HCoV–CO43, HCoV-NL63, and HCoV-229E). These seven mAbs were further tested by immunoplaque assay against selected variants of concern (VOCs), including two Omicron sublineages, and five mAbs (F461G13, F461G7, F459G7, F457G3, and F461G6), showed strong reactions, warranting further suitability testing for the development of diagnostic assay.

Published in Heliyon

ISSN: 2405-8440 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United Kingdom
LCC subjects: Science: Science (General); Social Sciences: Social sciences (General)
Website: https://www.cell.com/heliyon/home

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