Mouse monoclonal antibody 17-1A is specific for an antigen expressed on cells of human gastrointestinal malignancies and has been used in radioimmune imaging and therapy trials for patients with colon and pancreatic cancer. The cell line SG3/5 was generated by transfection of a nonproducing mouse myeloma line (SP2/0) with a chimeric gene construct composed of variable regions from the mouse 17-1A immunoglobulin (gamma 2a, kappa) and constant regions of human k and gamma 3 immunoglobulin genes. The secreted immunoglobulin was bound by mouse monoclonal antibodies to human IgG(Fc) and IgG3 but not by staphylococcal protein A. Gel filtration HPLC profiles of purified chimeric antibody were similar to normal human IgG3 but quite different from native 17-1A and normal human IgG1, 2, and 4. Native and chimeric 17-1A had similar patterns of reactivity with colon cancer, other adenocarcinoma, and leukemic cell lines. Competitive inhibition documented that native and chimeric 17-1A had identical capacities to inhibit radiolabeled native 17-1A binding to colon cancer cell lines. Thus, the chimeric 17-1A exhibits molecular characteristics of normal human IgG3 but retains the specificity and binding affinity of the native 17-1A murine monoclonal antibody. The native and chimeric 17-1A mediated similar modest degrees of human lymphocyte and monocyte ADCC in a 4-hr 51Cr release assay, and both failed to mediate complement lysis of colon carcinoma cell lines in the presence of human complement. This human/mouse chimeric monoclonal antibody may be a good candidate for use in clinical trials because it retains the tumor antigen specificity and human effector cell recognition of the native 17-1A, would presumably have a fivefold to 10-fold longer circulating half-life in man, and should be considerably less immunogenic as compared with native murine immunoglobulins.