title: Effects of BCL-2 over-expression on B cells in transgenic rats and rat hybridomas.
abstract: The rat is an important biomedical experimental model that benefited from the recent development of new transgenic and knockout techniques. With the goal to optimize rat mAb production and to analyze the impact of Bcl-2 on B-cell development, we generated bcl-2 transgenic rats. Transgenic rats showed Bcl-2 over-expression in B cells, increased B cell numbers in lymphoid organs, elevated production of immunoglobulins (Igs) and prolonged B-cell survival in vitro. Transgenic rats remained healthy, reproduced normally and did not develop autoimmunity. Fusions with bcl-2 transgenic splenocytes did not result in increased hybridoma generation. A comparison of on- and off-rates of 39 mAbs generated with bcl-2 transgenic and wild-type animals revealed no significant differences. Over-expression of Bcl-2 in hybridomas did not change cell proliferation but resulted in increased Ig production. Bcl-2 transgenic rats will be a useful tool for the generation of rat mAbs, the analysis of B cells in different pathophysiological models, such as autoimmunity, cancer or organ transplantation, and the study of rat B-cell biology.
authors.affiliation: Institut National de la Santé Et de la Recherche Médicale Unité Mixte de Recherche 643, Nantes, F44093 France.
authors.forename: Anne-Laure
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Iscache
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ménoret
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tesson
authors.forename: Séverine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rémy
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Usal
authors.forename: Christophe
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pedros
authors.forename: Abdelhadi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saoudi
authors.forename: Roland
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Buelow
authors.forename: Ignacio
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Anegon
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000166:cytology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism*; D006825:Hybridomas / Q000276:immunology*; D007136:Immunoglobulins / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000276:immunology; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D055647:Rats, Transgenic
chemical_list: D007136:Immunoglobulins; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2