ABSTRACT
Protein chemists, immunologists, and other followers of evolutionary divergence have traditionally used antisera as a tool to measure the relative relationships of various protein species. Typically, antisera raised against one member of a family of proteins would be used in a competitive assay to determine not only a quantitation, but also relatedness to other members of that particular family. Retroviral gp70 is an interesting molecule for a variety of reasons. The molecule dictates the host range, interference, and neutralization properties of the virus that indicates gp70 possesses recognition functions. As might be expected from such a molecule, gp70 exhibits extensive polymorphism rivaling that of the Ig family and is the primary vehicle by which these viruses diverge. The chapter describes the isolation and characterization of a panel of mAbs directed against the major envelope glycoprotein of Rauscher murine leukemia virus. This analysis has revealed a heterogeneous group of determinants recognized by these hybridomas.
