A human-mouse chimeric immunoglobulin gene with a human variable region is expressed in mouse myeloma cells

We have constructed and obtained expression of a chimeric human-mouse immunoglobulin gene after transfection into mouse myeloma cells. A human VDJH gene segment was joined to a mouse C kappa gene in the plasmid vector pSV2-gpt, and the construct was transfected into J558L cells by protoplast fusion. Analyses of six transformants by RIA and SDS-PAGE indicated that the chimeric protein was synthesized in large amounts in five. A kappa-specific transcript was observed by Northern blot analysis. Four out of five clones were stable producers of this chimeric chain over a period of 10 mo.