Abstract
Hybridoma cell lines that secrete monoclonal antiazophenylarsonate antibodies were isolated from the fusion of A/J splenic lymphocytes with a myeloma cell line. A small percentage of these hybridoma proteins were recognized by rabbit antisera that detect the crossreactive idiotype characteristics of the antiazophenylarsonate response of A/J mice. The isotype, pI value, and amino-terminal sequences of four independently derived idiotype-positive hybridoma proteins were determined. These proteins were either of the IgG1 or IgG2a heavy chain class. For two mice tested, the majority of the idiotype in the immune serum was shown to be of the same isotype as the fusion-derived monoclonal antibodies. The pI values of the hybridoma proteins differed from one another and ranged from 6.9 to 7.6. Amino acid sequences of the heavy chains showed a significant degree of homology with each other, but each chain was unique in the framework or the first complementarity determining region (or both). A comparable pattern of sequence variation was evident for the light chains. The azophenylarsonate idiotype, therefore, appears to consist of a family of nonidentical but closely related molecules that are the product of more than one germline gene or the result of somatic mutation of a single germline gene.