Properties of monoclonal antibodies to human immunoglobulin kappa and lambda chains.

Hybridomas have been produced from mice immunized with human IgG. Culture supernates were assayed for the presence of antibody-producing cells by passive haemagglutination. Hybridomas producing antibodies to human kappa (kappa) and lambda (lambda) light chains have been cloned and grown as ascitic tumours in BALB/c mice. The antigen-binding characteristics of the monoclonal antibodies, contained in the ascitic fluid, were assessed by haemagglutination inhibition, ELISA and radioimmunoassay systems and by the binding of radiolabelled antigen in analytical flat-bed iso-electric focussing gels. One monoclonal anti-kappa reacted better with free than with combined kappa chains; for another the reverse was true. Antibody fractions separated by DEAE chromatography of ascitic fluids were coupled to ox red cells with chromic chloride and compared with polyclonal antibodies for the detection of cell-surface immunoglobulins.