Monoclonal antibody against the universal M2 epitope of influenza A virus

M2 protein, a highly conserved protein of influenza A virus (IAV), plays an important role in virus particle uncoating, assembly, and budding. In the present study, eight monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the M2 protein of the H3N2 IAV strain were generated with recombinant truncated M2 protein or BSA-coupled M2 peptides as immunogens. The linear epitopes recognized by the mAbs were defined by IFA and peptide ELISA. The results showed that mAb 10F4 recognized an epitope located in the N-terminal 6–12 amino acids of the M2 peptide, and the mAbs 10D9, 1E2, 4B5, and 5G10 recognized the epitopes located in the C-terminal 62–77 amino acids of the M2 peptide. Importantly, mAb 10D9 recognized the M2 protein of H1-H13 IAV subtypes, which stained M2 protein located on the membrane of host cells and could be applied in immunoprecipitation and immunohistochemistry assays. The mAb 10D9 which recognizes the universal M2 epitope of IAVs will be a useful tool for studies on the function of IAV M2 protein and for the development of vaccines or detection methods for IAV infection.