Abstract
Immunization of an animal by the standard procedure produces a polyclonal antibody response to many antigenic structures on an antigen as well as to any other contaminating materials in the antigen preparation. Therefore, one of the preconditions for obtaining specific antisera has been to highly purify the antigen. Very often, however, this requirement is impossible to satisfy especially with biological antigens. This is the case with viral preparations where knowledge and separation of complex biological molecules without destruction of native structure usually cannot be accomplished. About ten years ago, Kohler and Milstein described a technique that could overcome these problems and produce specific antibodies against previously unknown antigens never before available in a purified or enriched state. The technique involved the fusion of mouse myeloma cells with normal mouse spleen cells to produce hybrid cells called hybridomas [1]. These cells have the growth characteristics of the mouse tumor cells along with the capability of antibody production found in normal spleen cells. A single clone of these hybrid cells will produce and secrete a homogeneous monoclonal protein, i.e., monoclonal antibody. If the donor animal of the spleen cells has been previously inoculated with an antigen, the hybridoma cells produced after fusion will synthesize and secrete large volumes of various monoclonal antibodies with high specificity to the antigen.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Kohler G, Milstein C (1975) Continuous cultures of fused cells secreting antibody of predefined specificity. Nature 256: 495–497
Kennett TJ, McKearn TJ, Bechtol KB (1980) Monoclonal antibodies. Hybri-domas: A new dimension in biological analysis. Plenum Press, New York, pp 1–420
Schulman M, Wilde CD, Kohler G (1978) A better cell line for making hybridomas secreting specific antibodies. Nature 276: 269–270
Kearney JF, Radbruch A, Liesegang B, Rajewsky K (1979) A new mouse myeloma cell line that has lost immunoglobulin expression but permits the construction of antibody-secreting hybrid cell lines. J Immunol 123: 1548–1550
McMichael AJ, Bastin JM (1980) Clinical applications of monoclonal antibodies. Immunol Today 1: 56–60
Falkenberg FW, Pierard D, Mai U, Kantwerk G (1984) Polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies as reagents in biochemical and in clinical-chemical analysis. J Clin Chem Clin Biochem 22: 867–882
Haaijman JJ, Deen C, Krose CJM, Zijlstra JJ, Coolen J, Radl J (1984) Monoclonal antibodies in immunocytology. A jungle full of pitfalls. Immunol Today 5: 56–58
Stein H, Gater K, Asbahr H, Mason DY (1985) Methods in laboratory investigation. Use of freeze-dried paraffin-embedded sections for immunohistologic staining with monoclonal antibodies. Lab Invest 52: 676–683
Anderson LJ, Hierholzer JC, Tsou C, Hendry RM, Fernie BF, Stone Y, Mcintosh K (1985) Antigenic characterization of respiratory syncytial virus strains with monoclonal antibodies. J Infect Dis 151: 626–633
Yolken RH (1983) Monoclonal antibodies in microbiologic immunoassay. Lab Management 21: 49–55
Milstein C, Cuello AC (1984) Hybrid hybridomas and the production of bispecific monoclonal antibodies. Immunol Today 5: 299–304
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1986 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Fuccillo, D.A., Sever, J.L. (1986). Monoclonal Antibodies as Reagents. In: Notkins, A.L., Oldstone, M.B.A. (eds) Concepts in Viral Pathogenesis II. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4958-0_38
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4612-4958-0_38
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4612-9375-0
Online ISBN: 978-1-4612-4958-0
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive