Production of monoclonal antibodies by the use of pH-dependent vesicular stomatitis virus-mediated cell fusion

Abstract

To explore an alternative fusion method to generate monoclonal antibody (MAb)-producing hybridomas, we have tested whether pH-dependent vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV)-mediated cell fusion is applicable for generation of hybridomas. VSV-mediated cell fusion induced by acid treatment resulted in several specific MAb-producing hybridomas, almost all of which stably produced MAbs. This method is quite simple and offers a potential alternative to other fusion methods. In addition, the fusogenic proteoliposomes prepared by the reconstitution of the solubilized glycoprotein of VSV were also demonstrated to have the ability to generate MAb-producing hybridomas by the same pH-dependent cell fusion.