Production and characterization of monoclonal antibodies against avian retrovirus reverse transcriptase

Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against the avian myeloblastosis virus reverse transcriptase. These monoclonal antibodies specifically immunoprecipitated the α and β subunits of the reverse transcriptase molecule, as well as the Pr180(gag-pol) precursor protein present in virus-infected cells. In addition, these monoclonal antibodies inhibited the DNA polymerase activity associated with the reverse transcriptase molecule but not the RNase H activity. The monoclonal antibody preparations were specific for the amino-terminal portion of the protein, as determined by the immunoprecipitation of a reverse transcriptase-β-galactosidase fusion protein produced in Escherichia coli by molecular cloning procedures.