Characterization of conformation-specific monoclonal antibodies against rabies virus nucleoprotein

Three anti-rabies virus (RABV) nucleoprotein (N) monoclonal antibodies (Mab) were characterized by immunofluorescence assays, western blotting, and immunohistochemistry. One of these Mabs recognized the antigen by all of the assays, while the other two recognized N only in the native form in the immunofluorescence assay. These data, together with epitope mapping studies, suggest that two anti-N Mabs recognize conformational epitopes located within the N-terminal region of the RABV N protein. The availability of Mabs specific for both linear and epitope-specific antibodies should prove valuable for rabies diagnosis as well as for RABV N protein structure-function studies.