C57BL/6 x BALB/c hybridomas produce IgA which assembles into molecules with covalent bonds between heavy chains (H) and light chains (L), and into molecules lacking covalent bonds between H and L.

Examination of the gel electrophoresis patterns of 14C-biosynthetically labeled immunoglobulin from C57BL/6 X BALB/c IgA hybridomas reveals that each of the monoclonal cell populations produces two different forms of IgA: molecules with heavy chains (H) and light chains (L) joined by disulfide bonds, as well as molecules with H and L being noncovalently associated. The possible origin of this was explored: Southern blot analysis of the hybridoma DNA indicated that only one alpha gene is expressed by each cell line; hybridoma cells labeled in the presence of the N-glycosylation inhibitor tunicamycin exhibit both forms; and electrophoresis of biosynthetically labeled spleen cell IgA from C57BL/6, BALB/c and (C57BL/6 X BALB/c) F1 mice shows that BALB/c mice produce only the noncovalently associated form, while C57BL/6 and (C57BL/6 X BALB/c) F1 mice produce both. Possible mechanisms by which two types of IgA may be assembled by the same hybridoma cell are discussed.