Intracellular flux analysis in hybridomas using mass balances and in vitro (13)C nmr

Intracellular fluxes are important in defining cellular physiology and its changes in response to environmental variations. Stoichiometric balances combined with extra cellular metabolite measurements were applied to the estimation of intracellular fluxes and the study of energy metabolism in the hybridoma cell line ATCC CRL 1606. Redundant measurements allowed the evaluation of the consistency of the stoichiometry, measurements, and pseudo-steady-state assumption leading to refinement of the assumed biochemistry and identification of measurement errors. To validate the flux estimates, two batch experiments were performed with glucose labeled in the 1 position with (13)C. The distribution of (13)C in secreted lactate was measured via nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) and compared to that predicted from the estimated intracellular fluxes. There was good agreement between the measured and estimated isotope distributions, demonstrating the validity of the flux estimates obtained from stoichiometric balances. (c) 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.