PRODUCTION OF MOUSE IMMUNOGLOBULIN-G BY A HYBRID PLANT-DERIVED FROM TOBACCO-MOUSE CELL FUSIONS

Mouse-tobacco hybrid calli, and complete plants producing mouse gamma- 3 heavy and lambda light chains, have been generated by somatic cell f usions of mouse spleen cells and tobacco mesophyll protoplasts. Both g amma 3 and lambda chains were detected in hybrid calli and complete pl ants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunofluorescent staining, and Western blotting. When cellular DNA from hybrid tobacco mesophyll protoplasts was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) usin g two pairs of gamma 3 chain DNA primers and one pair of lambda chain DNA primers, the PCR products contained gamma 3 and lambda chain DNAs, which could be detected by southern blotting and DNA hybridization, u sing specific synthetic oligonucleotide probes for gamma 3 and lambda respectively. In situ hybridization of hybrid tobacco mesophyll protop lasts with specific recombinant DNA probes of gamma 3 and lambda chain s showed the presence of gamma 3 and lambda chain DNAs in the hybrid p rotoplasts.