Formation of Antibody in Tissue Culture : Effect of Certain Mucopolysaccharides and Hexosamine

Abstract

RECENT investigations have given insight on the mechanism of antibody synthesis in vitro^1–3. Fishman^4,5 has further developed in vitro systems in which a primary induction of antibody was achieved. The reports of Alfred and Pumper⁶ and of Ozzello⁷ have described the use of certain mucopolysaccharides and other non-protein substances for growth of primary isolations and established tissue culture cell lines. As a continuation of these investigations, the present communication aimed at testing the ability of two mucopolysaccharides and N-acetyl-d-glucosamine to promote the ‘growth’ and antibody formation by tissue cultures of chicken spleen fragments. It is obvious that an in vitro system that would permit a clearly defined examination of the antibody induction process and the sequence of biochemical events which occur during the differentiation of cells into antibody-forming clones is a major problem.