A simplified method for the in vitro induction of IgG antibody in collagen coated dishes

Culture dishes precoated with thin layers of acid soluble rat tail collagen simplify conditions necessary to obtain in vitro high IgG anti-DNP responses from primed and boosted mice. In contrast to Mishell-Dutton type cultures the use of collagen precludes the need to continually rock cultures and to add nutrients. Reduction of the cell density in collagen dishes to 10(6) cells/ml is without detriment to the antibody response. Cells adhering to collagen coated dishes after 24 h incubation provide an enriched population of IgG anti-DNP precursor cells; which will mature to antibody secretion at very low cell density (10(4) -10(5) cells/ml). However, as changes in the adhesive properties of cells to collagen occur during cell maturation, attempts to adapt the technique to obtain clones of antibody secreting cells were not wholly successful.