An optimal assay of human B cell proliferation in vitro

The purpose of this work was to optimize an in vitro assay for measuring B cell proliferation in response to S. aureus Cowan I (SAC). It has been demonstrated that the best proliferative activity is obtained when 10(5) cells are cultured in flat-bottomed microtiter plates in the presence of 1:10,000 SAC dilution. Standard RPMI 1640 culture medium should be enriched with mercaptoethanol and 10% FCS or 0.5% human albumin. Human serum, found to be an optimal supplement for T lymphocyte responses, blocks B cell proliferation.