Production of IgA-secreting rat x rat hybridomas

Hybridomas secreting specific antibodies of the IgM and IgM classes can be prepared readily after conventional immunization by using spleen cells as the lymphoid source. Specific IgA- and IgE-secreting hybridomas are rarely obtained using these protocols, although it is clear that IgA-producing cells can be demonstrated in the spleens of immune animals. In this report, the authors discuss experience in the rat and detail protocols which have enabled the preparation of specific monoclonal antibodies of the IgA class by fusing the rat myeloma Y3 Ag1.2.3 with lymphoid cells taken from peripheral intestinal lymph, mesenteric nodes, or spleens of immune animals.