Comparison of microtitre plates with flat-bottomed and round-bottomed wells for mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC).

To compare microtitre plates with flat-bottomed and round-bottomed wells and to standardize a method for mixed lymphocyte culture (MLC), the effects of cell number, culture time, 3H-thymidine concentration and labelling time were studied. On both plates, allogeneic cells induced increased RNA synthesis beginning at about 30 hours and increased DNA synthesis beginning at about 50 hours, if suitable cell numbers were used. On plates with flat-bottomed wells, 1.5 X 10(5) responding and stimulating cells per well had near-exponential growth on day four and five, often through day six; on plates with round-bottomed wells the corresponding cell number was 0.25-1.0 (optimally 0.5) X 10(5). Near these cell numbers, the response depended closely on the number of responding cells. On plates with flat-bottomed wells, stimulating cells had a dose-dependent effect on the response, whereas on plates with round-bottomed wells, increasing the stimulating cell dose did not consistently strengthen the response. Both plate types proved suitable for MLC experiments; plates with round-bottomed wells have the obvious advantage of requiring smaller cell numbers. 3H-thymidine (spec, act 2000 mCi/mmol) self-suppressed its incorporation, which increased only slightly or even decreased if labelling time exceeded 12-18 hours. Relative responses remained virtually unaltered, however, with 3H-concentrations of 0.5 and 2.0 micronCi/ml and with labelling times of 8 and 24 hours.