Epitope Mapping of an Anti-CD20 Monoclonal Antibody (C20Mab-60) Using the HisMAP Method

CD20 is one of the B-lymphocyte antigens and an effective target for the detection and treatment of B cell lymphomas; specific and sensitive monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) are required thus for their diagnosis. Recently, we developed a novel anti-CD20 mAb (clone C20Mab-60), which is not only useful for flow cytometry but also for Western blot and immunohistochemical analyses. However, the epitope of C20Mab-60 has not been determined. To clarify the binding region of mAbs against their target molecules, it is essential to understand the pharmacological function of each mAb. In this study, we aimed to identify the epitope of C20Mab-60 for CD20 using the novel histidine tag (His-tag) insertion for epitope mapping (HisMAP) method. We first established an anti-His-tag mAb, HisMab-1 (mouse IgG2b, kappa), by immunizing mice with recombinant proteins containing an N-terminal His-tag. Although HisMab-1 detected the 4x, 5x, and 6xHis tag-inserted CD20 proteins using flow cytometry, 5xHis tag was selected. While HisMab-1 recognized all the 5xHis tag-inserted CD20 from the 142nd to the 183rd amino acid (aa), C20Mab-60 did not react with the 5xHis tag-inserted CD20 from the 171st to the 174th aa. These results indicate that the main epitope of C20Mab-60 for CD20 is a peptide from 171st to 174th aa of CD20. HisMAP method could be advantageous in the determination of the critical epitope of functional mAbs against many target molecules.