Hybridoma Monoclonal Antibody: Distribution on Benign and Malignant Lymphoid Cells

A hybridoma-derived monoclonal antibody. produced by immunization with the Burkitt’s tumor-derived B-Iymphoblastoid cell line. B35M. was previously shown to detect a 68.000 dalton surface membrane protein. B12. on the surface of peripheral blood B cells. which is absent from thymocytes. T cells. and granulocytes. In this study. we investigated the expression and distribution of B12 on benign and malignant human lymphoid cells. Indirect immunofluorescent assay with this monoclonal antibody demonstrated that BL2 is expressed by cells within the fetal liver and by a variable proportion of lymph node. tonsil, and spleen B cells. but not by T cells. The neoplastic cells isolated from 1 8 T-ceII malignancies were B12 . BL2 was