[Quantitative evaluation of the stability of antibody production by human-mouse hybridoma clones with flow cytometry analysis].

The paper described a method of quantitative stability analysis of antibody production by hybridoma clones with flow cytometry (FACS). Through FACS analysis the frequency of antibody-negative variants was measured. The rate of generation of antibody-negative variants/cell/generation (mu) could be calculated through Luria-Delbrück fluctuation analysis. The results showed that the value of mu was correlated to the antibody production of hybridoma clones: the larger was the mu value, the more unstable was the antibody production by the hybridoma clones. The experimental results suggested that the clone was stable if its mu value was on the magnitude of 10(-3), while the clone was not stable if its mu value was on the magnitude of 10(-2). According to requirements of single cell for FACS analysis and presence of a variety of methods for dispersing cell aggregates to single cells, the authors regard that this method is fully suitable for analysis of cells in suspension or even in the form of aggregate.