title: Defining the immune mechanism with monoclonal antibodies.
abstract: It has long been realized that only the study of homogeneous antibodies or cell populations could enable a definitive understanding of much of the immune mechanism. Hybridoma technology has greatly facilitated such approaches. Hybridoma antibodies have been used to delineate both B cell and T cell subpopulations. T cell studies per se have been accomplished by the use of T cell hybridoma cell lines producing a variety of factors. Anti-idiotypes against B cell hybridoma antibodies have been used to characterize T cell receptors and factors. B cell studies have been facilitated by hybridomas that have made available the immunoglobulin of pre-B cells or defective B cell lines. Hybridoma antibodies have also been used to dissect closely related antibody families and the potential for responsiveness against a variety of antigenic determinants. Finally, hybridomas have provided a primary source of material for protein and DNA sequence analysis. In our laboratories hybridoma antibodies derived against the murine H-2 locus have demonstrated the ability of B cell antibodies to discriminate amongst H2 mutants--a capacity previously attributed only to T cell specificities. Hybridoma antibodies have also been generated by fusions with antigen stimulated neonatal B cells to provide homogeneous antibodies reflective of the earliest developmental immunoglobulin readout. Such probes should increase our understanding of the processes involved in the generation of both the T and B cell repertoires
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000917:Antibody Formation; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*; D000939:Epitopes; D006183:H-2 Antigens / Q000276:immunology; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral / Q000276:immunology; D006825:Hybridomas; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000096:biosynthesis; D008264:Macrophages / Q000276:immunology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D000954:Antigens, Surface; D000939:Epitopes; D006183:H-2 Antigens; D006389:Hemagglutinins, Viral; D007130:Immunoglobulin Idiotypes; D007136:Immunoglobulins