Cloning and expression of human CD20 gene on NIH-3T3 cell membrane

CD20 is a specific antigen expressed on normal and neoplastic B cells exclusively. Recent researches showed that in B cell leukemia, CD20 was over-expressed. Therefore monoclonal antibody (McAb) to CD20 may be of clinical value in diagnosis and treatment of some leukemias and lymphomas. In this study, the full length gene of CD20 cDNA were cloned from total RNA of Raji cells, inserted into an eukaryotic expression vector pcDNA3.1, forming a recombinant plasmid pcDNA3.1/CD20. NIH-3T3 cells were transfected with pcDNA3.1/CD20 and selected with G418 for the transfected cells. Alkaline phosphatase against alkaline phosphatase assay(APAAP) experiments showed that the selected cells could express the human CD20 onto its surface. Balb/c mice were immunized with CD20(+) NIH-3T3 cells once three weeks for 3 shuts. Indirect immunofluorescence experiments were done with the Raji cells and the serum of the immunized mice, and the results showed that the spleen of the immunized mice could be used to prepare the McAb to CD20.