Active Hypothermic Growth: A Novel Means For Increasing Total Interferon-γ Production by Chinese Hamster Ovary Cells

Abstract

When grown under hypothermic conditions, Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO) cells become growth arrested in the G₀/G₁ phase of the cell cycle and also often exhibit increased recombinant protein production. In this study, we have validated this hypothesis by stimulating hypothermic growth using basic fibroblast growth factor and fetal bovine serum supplementation. This method led to 7.7- and 4.9-fold increase in total production compared to the 37°C and 32°C control cultures, respectively. This proof-of-concept study will motivate the creation of cell lines capable of growing at low temperatures for use in industrial processes.