ABSTRACT
As part of an ongoing effort to define parameters regulating the induction and expression of IgA antibodies at mucosal surfaces, particularly in the eye, we have utilized rat hybridomas and monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) and the rat experimental animal model. The relationship between some ocular subcompartments and the mucosal immune system has been explored through studies described here, on the sources of IgA in rat tears, the production of B cell hybridomas from rat lacrimal glands, and the production of monoclonal anti-idiotypic antibodies to probe the expression of antibody subpopulations at diverse mucosal sites.
