Development, characterization, and application of monoclonal antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus nucleocapsid protein.

Five monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against recombinant nucleocapsid protein (NP) of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS)-causing coronavirus (CoV) were developed by hybridoma technology. Epitope mapping by Western blotting showed that these anti-SARS-CoV NP MAbs bind to distinct domains of NP. These anti-SARS-CoV NP MAbs, with their high specificity, are potentially ideal candidates for developing early and sensitive diagnostic assays for SARS-CoV.