Production of mouse inflammatory macrophage hybridomas

Summary A procedure for preparing hybridomas from murine inflammatory macrophages is described. The resulting hybrids express Ia antigens on their surfaces and exhibit various degrees of bactericidal, phagocytic, and tumoricidal activities. When irradiated, they are very useful for phagocytosing cellular debris in other cell cultures and can temporarily replace the need for spleen irradiated filler cells in T-cell cultures. The macrophage hybridomas seem to remain stable in long-term culture, although some functional properties have been noted to change. In this manner, relatively homogeneous populations of macrophages can be obtained for study. Their functional properties may vary depending on the fusion partner and the source of macrophages.