Selected amino acids protect hybridoma and CHO cells from elevated carbon dioxide and osmolality.

Elevated pCO(2) inhibits cell growth. This growth inhibition is accompanied by a decrease in intracellular pH (pHi), as well as a decrease in glycolysis. Elevated concentrations (mM) of some amino acids have been shown by others to protect cells exposed to two very different environmental stresses: nutrient starvation and hyperosmolality.

Characterization of hybridoma cell responses to elevated pCO(2) and osmolality: intracellular pH, cell size, apoptosis, and metabolism.

CO(2) partial pressure (pCO(2)) in industrial cell culture reactors may reach 150-200 mm Hg, which can significantly inhibit cell growth and recombinant protein production. The inhibitory effects of elevated pCO(2) at constant pH are due to a combination of the increases in pCO(2) and [HCO(-) (3)], per se, and the associated increase in osmolality. To decouple the effects of pCO(2) and osmolality, low-salt basal media have been used to compensate for this associated increase in osmolality.