Transplantable immunoglobulin-secreting tumours in rats. IV. Sixty-three IgE-secreting immunocytoma tumours.

The inbred LOU/Wsl rat strain presents a high incidence of spontaneous ileocoecal immunocytoma which secrete monoclonal immunoglobulins. These tumours are transplantable in histocompatible animals and their secreting properties are maintained over many passages. A screening of monoclonal immunoglobulins secreted by 250 such tumours revealed sixty-three proteins which shared class-specific determinants, physicochemical features and biological properties different from those of rat IgM, IgA, IgG1, IgG2a, IgG2b and IgG2c classes, and characteristic of proteins of the IgE class.