Immortalization of human B cells: analysis of B cell repertoire and production of human monoclonal antibodies

Methods Mol Biol. 2012:901:161-70. doi: 10.1007/978-1-61779-931-0_10.

Abstract

One of the major challenges in human B cell immunology field has been the objective to establish stable monoclonal cells lines that express the B cell receptor (BCR) on their cell surface and secrete antibodies. Such a system is extremely attractive not only for studying various aspect of BCR signaling but also for the generation of human monoclonal antibody and the analysis of the human B cell repertoire. This chapter describes an efficient method to immortalize and clone human B cells by Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) transformation.

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / genetics
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / metabolism*
  • B-Lymphocytes / cytology*
  • B-Lymphocytes / metabolism*
  • Cell Line
  • Cells, Cultured
  • Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay
  • Herpesvirus 4, Human / genetics
  • Humans

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal