Hybridomas for production of monoclonal antibodies to human erythropoietin

Human urinary erythropoietin has been highly purified by a combination of conventional purification methods and immunoadsorbent columns packed with hybridoma-produced antibodies against contaminants that seemed difficult to separate from erythropoietin by the usual means. By using the partially purified erythropoietin as an antigen, three hybridoma clones have been obtained that secrete monoclonal antibodies against erythropoietin. One of the clones has been quite stable, with a rapid growth rate and high production of antibody. Western blotting technique with monoclonal antibodies revealed occurrence of two species of erythropoietin. The monoclonal antibody will be useful as a probe for the purification of erythropoietin and for further studies of the hormone and its mechanism of action.