Flow cytometric study of hybridoma cell culture: correlation between cell surface fluorescence and IgG production rate.

Flow cytometry was applied to measure the fluorescence of IgG molecules on hybridoma cell surface stained with FITC-conjugated anti-mouse IgG F(ab')2. Using light scattering to exclude the dead cell population from the analysis, the surface fluorescence intensity allows for the differentiation between producing and nonproducing cells. A linear correlation has been found between the intensity of mean surface fluorescence of the cell population and the specific antibody production rate.