RAPID GENERATION OF ANTIBODIES AGAINST THE HTLV-II EXTERNAL ENVELOPE PROTEIN BY GROWTH OF MOUSE PLASMACYTOMAS IN SCID MICE

Recombinant human T-cell leukemia virus type II (HTLV-II) envelope ext ernal glycoprotein, gp46-II, was expressed using a vaccinia virus vect or. A recombinant gp46-II fused to an epitope of the influenza virus h emagglutinin, YPYDVPDYA, was purified by immunoaffinity chromatography . The purified glycoprotein was used to immunize Balb/c mice, and anti bodies against gp46-II were detected by Western blot analysis and sync ytium inhibition assays. We transformed spleen cells from the immunize d mice by retroviral infection with ABL-MYC (Psi 2) and intraperitonea lly transplanted the infected cells into syngeneic Balb/c and severe c ombined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. The plasmacytomas established asc itic tumors that produced antibodies directed against HTLV-II gp46-II. Ascites developed more rapidly in SCID mice than in normal syngeneic mice. This procedure provides a general means to generate antibodies r apidly. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.