Effect of growth factors and antigen on hybridoma cell culture dynamics

The cell growth and monoclonal antibody production kinetics of hybridoma cell cultures continuously exposed to growth factors and the cognate antigen were investigated. The growth factors were the epidermal growth factor, fibroblast growth factor, and interleukin-2, whereas the antigen was the trinitrophenyl group conjugated to a carrier protein. The cultures were carried out in a protein-free medium in batch operation. During the entire cultivation period there was continuously available free, antibody-unbound antigen to interact with the cells. The produced antibody was measured with an ELISA after it was released from the antigen-protein conjugate by competitive elution with non-protein-conjugated antigen. Cultures with growth factors and without antigen increased the total antibody produced by up to 30%, whereas cell growth remained unaffacted. Soluble antigen-protein conjugates had no effect on the hybridoma cultures. In contrast, immobilized antigen-protein on sepharose beads in cultures with growth factors induced significant changes. Total antibody produced was higher by up to 40%. More importantly, the specific antibody production shifted from a growth-phase-independent to a growth-phase-dependent profile, with approximately twice as much specific antibody production during the late growth-early stationary phase relative to constant specific antibody production in the antigen-free, factor-free culture. The culture changes induced by the presence of immobilized antigen and growth factors were reversed when the antigen and the growth factors were removed from the cells' environment. (c) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Biotechnol Bioeng 54: 357-364, 1997.