How to produce antigen‐specific atibodies in tissue culture

Before antigen ever enters the immune system we believe that lymphocytes with antigen‐specific receptors preexist. For B lymphocytes we know that these antigen binding stuctures are immunoglobulin (Ig) molecules, antibodies. One B cell makes one of the many Ig molecules and displays them in of antibody molecules we are tempted to think that any antigen can find its specific binding receptors, i.e., its preexisting antibody molecules. Essential problems of how to produce large quantities of such antigen‐specific antibodies are how to stimulate the preexisting lymphocytes from their resting state and how to increase the production of that specific antibody. Proliferation and maturation to high rate‐antibody secreting cells follows stimulation and therefore provides ways by which the synthesis of the preexisting antibodies is expanded. The motivation to understand the induction of specific andtibody production and secretion in the corresponding B lymphocytes in vitro may come either from the desire to understand the rules that govern the reactions of B cells leading to such antibody production, or from the need to do it outside of the body due to the potentially harmful effects of some antigens in vivo.