Monoclonal antibodies againstAgrobacterium tumefaciens strain C58

Hybridoma cell lines were derived from the fusion of mouse myeloma cells with spleen cells from a mouse that had been immunized withAgrobacterium tumefaciens strain A759, a flagella-less mutant of strain C58 containing the Ti plasmid of strain B6. All of the 20 antibodies produced by the cloned hybridomas reacted with strain C58 and with other strains derived from C58. The antibodies did not react with 34 other strains ofA. tumefaciens, representing the three biovars, or with strains ofA. radiobacter, A. rubi, Rhizobium leguminosarum, R. meliloti, or other plant-associated bacteria such asErwinia herbicola andPseudomonas syringae. In addition to reacting with whole cells of strain A759, the antibodies reacted with phenol-water extracts of A759, indicating that they may recognize the lipopolysaccharide. These antibodies may be useful for ecological and epidemiological studies ofA. tumefaciens strain C58 in the agroecosystem.