A library of bacteriophage-displayed antibody fragments directed against proteins of the inner ear

Bacteriophage display of antibodies provides a method for the generation of immunological reagents against rare and uncharacterized antigens. To ascertain the usefulness of this approach for the characterization of inner-ear proteins, we produced a bacteriophage-displayed antibody-fragment library directed against proteins from the bullfrog's sacculus. This library was probed for bacteriophage that bound to proteins present in a lysate of hair cells, the sensory receptors of the inner ear. The predominant bacteriophage clone after selection expressed an antibody fragment that recognized a single protein in the inner ear. This antigen occurred in both the nonsensory and sensory epithelia of the sacculus. The specificity of the antibody fragment indicates that our bacteriophage-displayed library provides a useful source of immunological tools that should facilitate the identification and biochemical characterization of novel proteins in the inner ear.