Preparation and Application of Polyclonal Antibodies to Recombinant Human Interleukin-1α and Interleukin-1β

Abstract

We report the preparation and application of polyclonal antisera to the analysis and quantitation of human interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and human interleukin-1β (IL-1β). The anti IL-1α antibodies specifically react with the alpha form of IL-1 and do not cross react (<0.1%) with the β form of IL-1 and vice versa. Data reported here demonstrate that detection of human IL-1α or β by a radioimmunoassay technique is sensitive enough to measure picogram levels of these lymphokines. The practical application of using these highly specific antisera for radioimmunoassays was established by measuring exogenously added IL-1α or IL-1β to human plasma. Potential benefits of these reagents and the radioimmunoassay procedures described herein are discussed in relation to the biological assays which cannot distinguish between human IL-1α and human IL-1β.

Key Words:

• IL-1α
• IL-1β
• polyclonal antibodies
• radioimmunoassay