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B leukemia cells from four different patients were hybridized with a mouse myeloma cell line with polyethylene glycol as a fusing agent. The original leukemia cells all expressed immunoglobulin on their surface, but failed to secrete it. Over 200 different human-mouse somatic cell hybrids were obtained; 57% of them secreted human immunoglobulin in large amounts. Human immunoglobulin secretion can be a stable property of these hybrid cells over months of continuous culture. In each case the human immunoglobulin secreted was restricted to the light chain type expressed by the parental B leukemia cell. In addition, these hybrid cells secreted the original mouse myeloma protein and a variety of mixed human-mouse immunoglobulin molecules.
Levy et al. (Mon,) studied this question.