Production of Interspecies Hybridomas Between CSF or Blood Lymphocytes from Patients with Neurological Diseases and Mouse Myeloma Cells

Abstract

Lymphocytes obtained from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of cases of multiple sclerosis and aseptic meningitis have been shown to produce oligoclonal immunoglobulins (IgG and IgA) in culture [10]. However, it is difficult to analyze these immunoglobulins for their antibody specificity because the lymphocytes that secrete them have a short life span in vitro [10]. On the other hand, somatic cell hybrids between antibody-secreting lymphocytes of mice and P3 × 63 Ag8 mouse myeloma cells continue to produce antibodies against a variety of antigens even when maintained in culture for long periods [6]. Therefore, we fused lymphocytes from human CSF with mouse myeloma cells in an attempt to obtain interspecies hybrids that would produce human globulins and antibodies directed against a specific antigen. To increase our chances of obtaining viable hybrids, we also fused lymphocytes from peripheral blood of patients with mouse myeloma cells. These experiments were undertaken in the knowledge that it would be difficult to produce hybrids expressing functions of human immunocytes, since the number of B lymphocytes in CSF or blood committed to react against a specific antigen is small in contrast to the number of such cells in the spleen of mice immunized against a specific antigen [6].