Hybridoma antibody which inhibits Interleukin 2 activity

Abstract

A process for producing anti-IL-2 antibody from hybridoma cells generated by fusing activated, IL-2 immunized, murine lymphocyte cells with neoplastic murine myeloma cells. Fusion is accomplished by mixing the two cell lines together in the presence of a fusing agent. After fusion, the hybridoma cells are cultured in vitro in a supplemented tissue culture medium to thereby produce anti-IL-2 antibody. Also, the hybridoma cells are cloned by a limiting dilution procedure to isolate even more potent sources of anti-IL-2 antibody. Anti-IL-2 antibody is then purified from either tissue culture medium conditioned by hybridoma cells, or from peritoneal ascites of mice challenged with hybridoma cells.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An anti-IL-2 antibody produced by: immunizing murine B-lymphocyte cells with IL-2;   activating said immunized murine B-lymphocyte cells with a B-cell mitogen;   fusing said activated murine B-lymphocyte cells with murine myeloma cells;   .[.culturing.]. .Iadd.cultivating .Iaddend.said hybridoma anti-IL-2 antibody producing cells under conditions suitable for antibody production; and   recovering the anti-IL-2 antibody produced by said anti-IL-2 antibody producing cells.   
     
     
       2. The anti-IL-2 antibody of claim 1, wherein said B-lymphocyte cells are from the BALB/c mice. .[.3. The anti-IL-2 antibody of claim 1, wherein said hybridoma anti-IL-2 antibody producing cells include cells selected from the group consisting essentially of 4E12, 4E12B2 and 4E12B2D10 
     
     
        cells..]. .Iadd.4.  A monoclonal antibody that specifically binds IL-2, wherein said antibody is produced by a murine hybridoma which is the fusion product of a murine B lymphocyte and a murine myeloma 
     
     
        cell..Iaddend. .Iadd.5.  A monoclonal antibody according to claim 4, wherein said antibody inhibits T-cell proliferation in the presence of interleukin-2. .Iaddend. .Iadd.6. A monoclonal antibody according to claim 4, wherein said antibody immunoprecipitates interleukin-2 molecules. .Iaddend. .Iadd.7. A monoclonal antibody produced by a cell line selected from the group consisting of ATCC HB8093, ATCC HB8092 and ATCC HB8091, and which specifically binds to IL-2. .Iaddend.