Generation and characterization of a monoclonal antibody against duck Tembusu virus envelope protein

Duck Tembusu virus (DTMUV) is a newly emerging pathogenic flavivirus that has caused massive economic losses to the duck industry in China. Envelope (E) protein of DTMUV is an important structural protein, which is able to induce protective immune response in target animals and can be used as specific serological diagnosis tool. In this study, a novel monoclonal antibody, designated mAb 3E9, was generated against DTMUV E protein. It is positive in indirect ELISA against both His-E protein and the purified whole viral antigen. Also, this mAb showed positive reaction with DTMUV in Western blot and indirect immunofluorescence assay, and the isotype was IgG1. End-point neutralizing assay performed in BHK-21 cells revealed that the neutralization titer of 3E9 against DTMUV JS804 strain reached 1:50. Furthermore, functional studies revealed that 3E9 blocks infection of DTMUV at a step on viral attachment. The anti-E mAbs produced in the present work may be valuable in developing an antigen-capture ELISA test for antigen detection or a competitive ELISA test for antibody detection or therapeutic medicine for DTMUV in poultry.