Cell cycle dependency of monoclonal antibody production in asynchronous serum-free hybridoma cultures.

The cell cycle kinetics of F3(B6) mouse hybridoma was examined by immunocytochemical staining of bromodeoxyuridine incorporated into the DNA of exponentially growing cells in three different cultures: one supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum and two adapted to serum-free media, TABIES and BITES. The serum-free cultures, particularly the BITES, had longer cycling times and higher specific antibody production rate. Both observations were correlated to the prolongation of the G1 phase traverse time and substantiated with a starvation blocking experiment.