Preparation and Characterization of a Monoclonal Antibody Specific to Histone Acetyltransferase fromPlasmodium falciparum

Abstract

We have obtained a specific monoclonal antibody (MAb) against the Plasmodium falciparum histone acetyl transferase (PfGcn5), a transcriptional factor that possesses HAT activity directed to the amino terminal of histone H3. To prepare this antibody, a 968-base pair (bp) DNA fragment of PfGcn5 gene corresponding to C-terminal domain was obtained by RT-PCR and cloned into prokaryotic expression vector pGEX-4T3. MAb against PfGcn5 was obtained with hybridoma technique and ELISA screening using either purified GSTPfGcn5 protein or purified GST protein alone as a control. One MAb, named Pf.r2, was able to identify the PfGcn5 protein in nuclear extract from P. falciparum and immunofluorescence assays. This MAb will be a helpful tool to perform a variety of assays to identify the other components of PfGcn5 complexes.