Mishell–Dutton culture (also called the Mishell–Dutton technique) is an in-vitro primary antibody response system using dissociated mouse spleen cells. First reported in 1966–1967 by Robert I. Mishell and Richard W. Dutton, it enabled reliable in-vitro immunization and enumeration of antibody-forming cells via plaque-forming cell (PFC) assays, facilitating studies of B–T cell cooperation and accessory cell requirements.
Background The culture's quantitative readout relied on single-cell antibody detection methods: the PFC assay of Jerne and Nordin and later refinements by Cunningham and Szenberg.
Methods manual A widely used bench manual that compiled many related procedures is Selected Methods in Cellular Immunology (1980), edited by Barbara B. Mishell and Stanley M. Shiigi.
Impact The system was central to dissecting cellular cooperation in primary antibody responses, including evidence for two-cell requirements and antigen-presenting cell–dependent clustering in vitro. Subsequent optimizations—notably the addition of 2-mercaptoethanol to culture media—further enhanced response magnitude and reproducibility.
See also Current Protocols in Immunology
References
Further reading Ban, M.; Hettich, D.; Cavelier, C. (November 1995). "Use of Mishell-Dutton culture for the detection of the immunosuppressive effect of iron-containing compounds". Toxicology Letters. 81 (2–3): 183–188. doi:10.1016/0378-4274(95)03427-7.
