PRODUCTION OF RECOMBINANT ANTIBODIES IN LYMPHOID AND NONLYMPHOID CELLS

A recombinant tandem of 'chimeric' mouse/human immunoglobulin (Ig) gen es was constructed and inserted into plasmid pGEM1 under the control o f the T7 bacteriophage RNA polymerase promoter. Lymphoid (Sp2/0) and n on-lymphoid (CHO) cell lines used for transfection contained in their genomes a semisynthetic gene of T7 RNA polymerase and steadily express ed this enzyme. It was shown for the first time that a stable polycyst ronic transcription of the Ig gene tandem occurs under the control of a single T7 phage promoter, both in lymphoid and non-lymphoid cells. S ynthesis of kappa-light and epsilon-heavy Ig chains and functionally a ctive antibodies was observed in the above-mentioned transfected cell lines.