title: Target-selective joint polymerase chain reaction: a robust and rapid method for high-throughput production of recombinant monoclonal antibodies from single cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  During the development of a therapeutic antibody, large numbers of monoclonal antibodies are required to screen for those that are best suited for the desired activity. Although the single cell-based immunoglobulin variable gene cloning technique is a powerful tool, the current methods remain an obstacle to the rapid production of large numbers of recombinant antibodies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We have developed a novel overlap extension polymerase chain reaction, the target-selective joint polymerase chain reaction (TS-jPCR), and applied it to the generation of linear immunoglobulin gene expression constructs. TS-jPCR is conducted using a PCR-amplified immunoglobulin variable gene and an immunoglobulin gene-selective cassette (Ig-cassette) that contains all essential elements for antibody expression and overlapping areas of immunoglobulin gene-specific homology. The TS-jPCR technique is simple and specific; the 3'-random nucleotide-tailed immunoglobulin variable gene fragment and the Ig-cassette are assembled into a linear immunoglobulin expression construct, even in the presence of nonspecifically amplified DNA. We also developed a robotic magnetic beads handling instrument for single cell-based cDNA synthesis to amplify immunoglobulin variable genes by rapid amplification of 5' cDNA ends PCR. Using these methods, we were able to produce recombinant monoclonal antibodies from large numbers of single plasma cells within four days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our system reduces the burden of antibody discovery and engineering by rapidly producing large numbers of recombinant monoclonal antibodies in a short period of time.
authors.affiliation: Graduate School of Innovative Life Science, University of Toyama, Toyama-shi, Toyama 930-8555, Japan.
authors.forename: Megumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yoshioka
authors.forename: Nobuyuki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kurosawa
authors.forename: Masaharu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isobe
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D001483:Base Sequence; D003001:Cloning, Molecular; D017931:DNA Primers; D004587:Electrophoresis, Agar Gel; D057166:High-Throughput Screening Assays / Q000379:methods*; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region / Q000235:genetics; D051379:Mice; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction / Q000379:methods*; D015202:Protein Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D011994:Recombinant Proteins / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics; D012371:Robotics; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D017931:DNA Primers; D007135:Immunoglobulin Variable Region; D011994:Recombinant Proteins