Fusion between a plasma cell and a tumor cell creates a
a. Myeloma
b. Natural killer cell
c. Lymphoblast
d. Lymphoma
e. Hybridoma
The correct answer and explanation is :
Correct Answer: e. Hybridoma
A hybridoma is a cell line formed by the fusion of a plasma cell (B lymphocyte) with a tumor cell (usually a myeloma cell). This fusion combines the desirable properties of both parent cells: the ability of the plasma cell to produce a specific antibody and the ability of the myeloma cell to proliferate indefinitely in culture. The result is a hybrid cell line that can continuously produce large quantities of a single type of antibody, known as a monoclonal antibody.
This technique was developed in the 1970s by Georges Köhler and César Milstein, who were awarded the Nobel Prize for this work. The process involves isolating B cells from an immunized animal (usually a mouse) that is producing antibodies against a specific antigen. These B cells are then fused with immortal myeloma cells that have been modified so they cannot produce their own antibodies. The fusion is often facilitated using a chemical agent like polyethylene glycol (PEG).
After fusion, the hybrid cells are cultured in a selective medium, HAT medium (hypoxanthine-aminopterin-thymidine), which allows only the successfully fused hybridomas to survive. Unfused myeloma cells die because they are deficient in an enzyme required to survive in HAT, and unfused B cells naturally die after a few days.
Each hybridoma cell line is capable of producing a single type of antibody—making it monoclonal. These monoclonal antibodies have become indispensable tools in diagnostics, therapeutics (such as in cancer treatment or autoimmune diseases), and basic biomedical research due to their specificity.
Thus, option (e) Hybridoma is the correct answer as it specifically describes the fusion product of a plasma cell and a tumor cell.