Antibodies to synthetic fragments of nucleophosmin for the specific detection of its monomeric and oligomeric forms

Abstract

Immunoactive fragments corresponding to the N-terminal (19–36) and C-terminal (283–294) regions of the NPM1.1 isoform of nucleophosmin and their shortened fragments were chosen and synthesized. Rabbits were immunized with free full-size peptides and their protein conjugates. Antibodies produced against the 19–36 and 283–294 peptides were purified by affinity chromatography on cyan-bromide activated sepharose that was preliminary conjugated with the synthetic peptides. An analysis of immunoblots of lysates of the HeLa and Ramos cells demonstrated that the antibodies produced against the 19–36 peptide detected the monomeric form of nucleophosmin, whereas the antibodies against the 283–294 peptide predominantly revealed its oligomeric form. It was established by immunocytochemical analysis that the antibodies induced by the 19–36 peptide stained the nucleoplasm and perinuclear space of the cytoplasm of the HeLa and Ramos cells, but did not stain the nucleoli, while the antibodies against the 283–294 peptide stained only the nucleoli of the same cells. On the basis of these results, one could propose that the monomeric and oligomeric forms of nucleophosmin were located in the nucleoplasm and nucleoli of the examined cells, respectively. Thus, antibodies which can predominantly detect monomeric and oligomeric forms of nucleophosmin were produced for the first time. An analysis of the monomeric-oligomeric state and the localization of the nucleophosmin in tumor cells could be performed using these antibodies.