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Cell cloning as a tool to analyze the immune response
National Cancer Institute Monograph
|January 1, 1982
Summary
Researchers developed methods to grow human and mouse B-lymphocytes long-term. These cloned cells can be used to study lymphocyte activation and regulation, offering insights into immune responses.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Long-term lymphocyte cultures are crucial for studying immune cell activation and regulation.
- Nontransformed lymphocytes offer a stable model for such investigations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe techniques for the long-term propagation of nontransformed human and mouse B-lymphocytes.
- To characterize the properties of these cultured B-lymphocyte lines.
Main Methods:
- Propagation of human and mouse B-lymphocytes using appropriate growth factors.
- Cloning of human B-lymphocyte lines by limiting dilution.
- Characterization of membrane immunoglobulin (Ig) expression and Ig secretion upon stimulation.
Main Results:
- Established techniques for long-term culture of nontransformed B-lymphocytes.
- Demonstrated that these lines bear membrane Ig, require growth factors, and secrete Ig when stimulated.
- Confirmed human lines are Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen-negative and clonable.
- A cloned human B-lymphocyte line exclusively expressed lambda light chains.
Conclusions:
- Nontransformed, cloned B-lymphocyte lines provide a valuable tool for immunological research.
- These cell lines facilitate the study of B-cell activation, regulation, and immunoglobulin production.
- The described methods enable the generation of homogeneous B-cell populations for detailed analysis.