Monoclonal anti-light chain idiotype as a tumor-specific probe for human neoplastic B lymphocytes.

Tumor cells from patients with B cell neoplasms often secrete small amounts of free monoclonal light chains that can be found in the urine. Such tumor-derived light chains of the lambda type from a patient with typical chronic lymphocytic leukemia have been used to raise mouse monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs). A hybridoma-secreting antibody that recognized the idiotypic lambda chain but not normal lambda chains by a preliminary screen but which also reacted with idiotypic IgM from the patient's tumor cells was selected. This MoAb in fact recognized 1 in 20 X 10(3) molecules of pooled normal lambda chains, thus establishing its specificity for a private idiotypic determinant. It failed to give a detectable reaction with normal IgM, normal serum, or a panel of IgM paraproteins. The antibody bound to the patient's neoplastic B cells but not to normal tonsillar cells. The site of binding of the antibody to idiotypic IgM is clearly separate from that of another MoAb specific for idiotypic determinants on heavy plus light chains, since the two showed additive binding curves. The determinant also appeared to be less available in dimeric lambda chains than in monomeric lambda chains or in idiotypic IgM. Antibodies to idiotypic determinants on light chains show some technical advantages and should be useful for monitoring and possibly treating B cell tumors, either alone or together with the more conventional anti-idiotypic antibodies that usually recognize the heavy and light chain combination.