EFFECT OF INSULIN ON A SERUM-FREE HYBRIDOMA CULTURE

Insulin is often included in serum-free media for animal cell cultivat ion. However, the necessity of insulin for a specific cell line is rat her uncertain. In this article we report the effects of insulin on the cultivation of a hybridoma cell line in a serum-free medium. It was f ound that insulin affected neither the cell growth nor the antibody pr oduction. The specific, growth rate and specific antibody production r ate were very similar in the cultures with or without insulin. However , the presence of insulin affected the nutrient consumption rate and c ell metabolism. Including insulin in the medium resulted in a higher s pecific glucose consumption rate, a shorter exponential growth stage, and a lower final antibody concentration. The elimination of insulin f rom the medium allowed antibody to accumulate to a concentration subst antially higher than that in the insulin-containing culture. (C) 1995 John Wiley and Sons, Inc.