EFFECTS OF SODIUM POLY(STYRENE SULFONATE) ON ANTIBODY-PRODUCTION AND CELL-GROWTH OF HB4C5 HYBRIDOMA CELLS

The effects of sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) on an antibody productio n and cell growth of a hybridoma cell were studied. Although sodium po ly(styrene sulfonate) inhibited the antibody production and cell growt h at lower concentration with increasing molecular weight in serum-fre e cultures, sodium poly(styrene sulfonate)s with medium weight-average molecular weights (M(w)) such as 35000 and 18000 suppressed antibody production without inhibiting cell growth at appropriate concentration s. Sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) (M(w)=35000) decreased the extracell ular concentration of a mu heavy chain forming an antibody, while it h ad no effect on an intracellular antibody or mu heavy chain concentrat ion. This suggests that the sodium poly(styrene sulfonate) suppresses secreting the antibody assembled by mu heavy chains and lambda light c hains out of the cell without inhibiting the synthesis and association of both chains in the cell.