COLONY FORMATION BY HUMAN FIBROBLASTS - INHIBITION BY MULTITRANSFUSION AND MULTIPAROUS ANTISERA

Human isoantisera from various sources were evaluated as potential selective agents for human diploid fibroblasts. Antisera inhibiting colony formation of some fibroblast strains were obtained from among subjects receiving multiple transfusions and also from multiparous women. Of 18 multitransfusion sera tested, 6 inhibited colony formation by some strains of a test panel of fibroblast strains. Thirty sera from multiparous women were tested for colony-inhibiting antibody against fibroblast strains from their offspring; two were positive. Antiserum fractionated by density gradient centrifugation contained colony-inhibiting activity in both the IgG and the IgM fractions. Multiparous antiserum reacted with a smaller proportion of tests strains than any of the multi-transfusion sera, suggesting that it had fewer antibody specificities. From studies of survival of mixtures of cells from an antiserum-sensitive and an antiserum-resistant strain in the presence of antiserum, it appeared that human isoantisera would be effective selective agents for human diploid fibroblasts. © 1968 Plenum Publishing Corporation.