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Sample records for dynamic cell culture

  1. Dynamized Preparations in Cell Culture

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    Ellanzhiyil Surendran Sunila

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Although reports on the efficacy of homeopathic medicines in animal models are limited, there are even fewer reports on the in vitro action of these dynamized preparations. We have evaluated the cytotoxic activity of 30C and 200C potencies of ten dynamized medicines against Dalton's Lymphoma Ascites, Ehrlich's Ascites Carcinoma, lung fibroblast (L929 and Chinese Hamster Ovary (CHO cell lines and compared activity with their mother tinctures during short-term and long-term cell culture. The effect of dynamized medicines to induce apoptosis was also evaluated and we studied how dynamized medicines affected genes expressed during apoptosis. Mother tinctures as well as some dynamized medicines showed significant cytotoxicity to cells during short and long-term incubation. Potentiated alcohol control did not produce any cytotoxicity at concentrations studied. The dynamized medicines were found to inhibit CHO cell colony formation and thymidine uptake in L929 cells and those of Thuja, Hydrastis and Carcinosinum were found to induce apoptosis in DLA cells. Moreover, dynamized Carcinosinum was found to induce the expression of p53 while dynamized Thuja produced characteristic laddering pattern in agarose gel electrophoresis of DNA. These results indicate that dynamized medicines possess cytotoxic as well as apoptosis-inducing properties.

  2. Bioreactors to influence stem cell fate: augmentation of mesenchymal stem cell signaling pathways via dynamic culture systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yeatts, Andrew B; Choquette, Daniel T; Fisher, John P

    2013-02-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising cell source for bone and cartilage tissue engineering as they can be easily isolated from the body and differentiated into osteoblasts and chondrocytes. A cell based tissue engineering strategy using MSCs often involves the culture of these cells on three-dimensional scaffolds; however the size of these scaffolds and the cell population they can support can be restricted in traditional static culture. Thus dynamic culture in bioreactor systems provides a promising means to culture and differentiate MSCs in vitro. This review seeks to characterize key MSC differentiation signaling pathways and provides evidence as to how dynamic culture is augmenting these pathways. Following an overview of dynamic culture systems, discussion will be provided on how these systems can effectively modify and maintain important culture parameters including oxygen content and shear stress. Literature is reviewed for both a highlight of key signaling pathways and evidence for regulation of these signaling pathways via dynamic culture systems. The ability to understand how these culture systems are affecting MSC signaling pathways could lead to a shear or oxygen regime to direct stem cell differentiation. In this way the efficacy of in vitro culture and differentiation of MSCs on three-dimensional scaffolds could be greatly increased. Bioreactor systems have the ability to control many key differentiation stimuli including mechanical stress and oxygen content. The further integration of cell signaling investigations within dynamic culture systems will lead to a quicker realization of the promise of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Biochemistry of Stem Cells. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. MEMS-based dynamic cell-to-cell culture platforms using electrochemical surface modifications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chang, Jiyoung; Lin, Liwei; Yoon, Sang-Hee; Mofrad, Mohammad R K

    2011-01-01

    MEMS-based biological platforms with the capability of both spatial placements and time releases of living cells for cell-to-cell culture experiments have been designed and demonstrated utilizing electrochemical surface modification effects. The spatial placement is accomplished by electrochemical surface modification of substrate surfaces to be either adhesive or non-adhesive for living cells. The time control is achieved by the electrical activation of the selective indium tin oxide co-culture electrode to allow the migration of living cells onto the electrode to start the cell-to-cell culture studies. Prototype devices have a three-electrode design with an electrode size of 50 × 50 µm 2 and the separation gaps of 2 µm between them. An electrical voltage of −1.5 V has been used to activate the electrodes independently and sequentially to demonstrate the dynamic cell-to-cell culture experiments of NIH 3T3 fibroblast and Madin Darby canine kidney cells. As such, this MEMS platform could be a basic yet versatile tool to characterize transient cell-to-cell interactions

  4. Dynamic cell culture system: a new cell cultivation instrument for biological experiments in space

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    Gmunder, F. K.; Nordau, C. G.; Tschopp, A.; Huber, B.; Cogoli, A.

    1988-01-01

    The prototype of a miniaturized cell cultivation instrument for animal cell culture experiments aboard Spacelab is presented (Dynamic cell culture system: DCCS). The cell chamber is completely filled and has a working volume of 200 microliters. Medium exchange is achieved with a self-powered osmotic pump (flowrate 1 microliter h-1). The reservoir volume of culture medium is 230 microliters. The system is neither mechanically stirred nor equipped with sensors. Hamster kidney (Hak) cells growing on Cytodex 3 microcarriers were used to test the biological performance of the DCCS. Growth characteristics in the DCCS, as judged by maximal cell density, glucose consumption, lactic acid secretion and pH, were similar to those in cell culture tubes.

  5. Dynamic cell culture system (7-IML-1)

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    Cogoli, Augusto

    1992-01-01

    This experiment is one of the Biorack experiments being flown on the International Microgravity Laboratory 1 (MIL-1) mission as part of an investigation studying cell proliferation and performance in space. One of the objectives of this investigation is to assess the potential benefits of bioprocessing in space with the ultimate goal of developing a bioreactor for continuous cell cultures in space. This experiment will test the operation of an automated culture chamber that was designed for use in a Bioreactor in space. The device to be tested is called the Dynamic Cell Culture System (DCCS). It is a simple device in which media are renewed or chemicals are injected automatically, by means of osmotic pumps. This experiment uses four Type I/O experiment containers. One DCCS unit, which contains a culture chamber with renewal of medium and a second chamber without a medium supply fits in each container. Two DCCS units are maintained under zero gravity conditions during the on-orbit period. The other two units are maintained under 1 gh conditions in a 1 g centrifuge. The schedule for incubator transfer is given.

  6. Turbulent Dynamics of Epithelial Cell Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Blanch-Mercader, C.; Yashunsky, V.; Garcia, S.; Duclos, G.; Giomi, L.; Silberzan, P.

    2018-05-01

    We investigate the large length and long time scales collective flows and structural rearrangements within in vitro human bronchial epithelial cell (HBEC) cultures. Activity-driven collective flows result in ensembles of vortices randomly positioned in space. By analyzing a large population of vortices, we show that their area follows an exponential law with a constant mean value and their rotational frequency is size independent, both being characteristic features of the chaotic dynamics of active nematic suspensions. Indeed, we find that HBECs self-organize in nematic domains of several cell lengths. Nematic defects are found at the interface between domains with a total number that remains constant due to the dynamical balance of nucleation and annihilation events. The mean velocity fields in the vicinity of defects are well described by a hydrodynamic theory of extensile active nematics.

  7. Ultra-soft PDMS-based magnetoactive elastomers as dynamic cell culture substrata.

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    Matthias Mayer

    Full Text Available Mechanical cues such as extracellular matrix stiffness and movement have a major impact on cell differentiation and function. To replicate these biological features in vitro, soft substrata with tunable elasticity and the possibility for controlled surface translocation are desirable. Here we report on the use of ultra-soft (Young's modulus <100 kPa PDMS-based magnetoactive elastomers (MAE as suitable cell culture substrata. Soft non-viscous PDMS (<18 kPa is produced using a modified extended crosslinker. MAEs are generated by embedding magnetic microparticles into a soft PDMS matrix. Both substrata yield an elasticity-dependent (14 vs. 100 kPa modulation of α-smooth muscle actin expression in primary human fibroblasts. To allow for static or dynamic control of MAE material properties, we devise low magnetic field (≈40 mT stimulation systems compatible with cell-culture environments. Magnetic field-instigated stiffening (14 to 200 kPa of soft MAE enhances the spreading of primary human fibroblasts and decreases PAX-7 transcription in human mesenchymal stem cells. Pulsatile MAE movements are generated using oscillating magnetic fields and are well tolerated by adherent human fibroblasts. This MAE system provides spatial and temporal control of substratum material characteristics and permits novel designs when used as dynamic cell culture substrata or cell culture-coated actuator in tissue engineering applications or biomedical devices.

  8. Dynamic gene expression for metabolic engineering of mammalian cells in culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Le, Huong; Vishwanathan, Nandita; Kantardjieff, Anne; Doo, Inseok; Srienc, Michael; Zheng, Xiaolu; Somia, Nikunj; Hu, Wei-Shou

    2013-11-01

    Recombinant mammalian cells are the major hosts for the production of protein therapeutics. In addition to high expression of the product gene, a hyper-producer must also harbor superior phenotypic traits related to metabolism, protein secretion, and growth control. Introduction of genes endowing the relevant hyper-productivity traits is a strategy frequently used to enhance the productivity. Most of such cell engineering efforts have been performed using constitutive expression systems. However, cells respond to various environmental cues and cellular events dynamically according to cellular needs. The use of inducible systems allows for time dependent expression, but requires external manipulation. Ideally, a transgene's expression should be synchronous to the host cell's own rhythm, and at levels appropriate for the objective. To that end, we identified genes with different expression dynamics and intensity ranges using pooled transcriptome data. Their promoters may be used to drive the expression of the transgenes following the desired dynamics. We isolated the promoter of the Thioredoxin-interacting protein (Txnip) gene and demonstrated its capability to drive transgene expression in concert with cell growth. We further employed this Chinese hamster promoter to engineer dynamic expression of the mouse GLUT5 fructose transporter in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, enabling them to utilize sugar according to cellular needs rather than in excess as typically seen in culture. Thus, less lactate was produced, resulting in a better growth rate, prolonged culture duration, and higher product titer. This approach illustrates a novel concept in metabolic engineering which can potentially be used to achieve dynamic control of cellular behaviors for enhanced process characteristics. © 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.

  9. Effect of Dynamic Culture and Periodic Compression on Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell Proliferation and Chondrogenesis.

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    Guo, Ting; Yu, Li; Lim, Casey G; Goodley, Addison S; Xiao, Xuan; Placone, Jesse K; Ferlin, Kimberly M; Nguyen, Bao-Ngoc B; Hsieh, Adam H; Fisher, John P

    2016-07-01

    We have recently developed a bioreactor that can apply both shear and compressive forces to engineered tissues in dynamic culture. In our system, alginate hydrogel beads with encapsulated human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were cultured under different dynamic conditions while subjected to periodic, compressive force. A customized pressure sensor was developed to track the pressure fluctuations when shear forces and compressive forces were applied. Compared to static culture, dynamic culture can maintain a higher cell population throughout the study. With the application of only shear stress, qRT-PCR and immunohistochemistry revealed that hMSCs experienced less chondrogenic differentiation than the static group. The second study showed that chondrogenic differentiation was enhanced by additional mechanical compression. After 14 days, alcian blue staining showed more extracellular matrix formed in the compression group. The upregulation of the positive chondrogenic markers such as Sox 9, aggrecan, and type II collagen were demonstrated by qPCR. Our bioreactor provides a novel approach to apply mechanical forces to engineered cartilage. Results suggest that a combination of dynamic culture with proper mechanical stimulation may promote efficient progenitor cell expansion in vitro, thereby allowing the culture of clinically relevant articular chondrocytes for the treatment of articular cartilage defects.

  10. Topological defects control collective dynamics in neural progenitor cell cultures

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    Kawaguchi, Kyogo; Kageyama, Ryoichiro; Sano, Masaki

    2017-04-01

    Cultured stem cells have become a standard platform not only for regenerative medicine and developmental biology but also for biophysical studies. Yet, the characterization of cultured stem cells at the level of morphology and of the macroscopic patterns resulting from cell-to-cell interactions remains largely qualitative. Here we report on the collective dynamics of cultured murine neural progenitor cells (NPCs), which are multipotent stem cells that give rise to cells in the central nervous system. At low densities, NPCs moved randomly in an amoeba-like fashion. However, NPCs at high density elongated and aligned their shapes with one another, gliding at relatively high velocities. Although the direction of motion of individual cells reversed stochastically along the axes of alignment, the cells were capable of forming an aligned pattern up to length scales similar to that of the migratory stream observed in the adult brain. The two-dimensional order of alignment within the culture showed a liquid-crystalline pattern containing interspersed topological defects with winding numbers of +1/2 and -1/2 (half-integer due to the nematic feature that arises from the head-tail symmetry of cell-to-cell interaction). We identified rapid cell accumulation at +1/2 defects and the formation of three-dimensional mounds. Imaging at the single-cell level around the defects allowed us to quantify the velocity field and the evolving cell density; cells not only concentrate at +1/2 defects, but also escape from -1/2 defects. We propose a generic mechanism for the instability in cell density around the defects that arises from the interplay between the anisotropic friction and the active force field.

  11. Magneto-responsive liquid crystalline elastomer nanocomposites as potential candidates for dynamic cell culture substrates

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    Herrera-Posada, Stephany; Mora-Navarro, Camilo; Ortiz-Bermudez, Patricia; Torres-Lugo, Madeline [Department of Chemical Engineering, Call Box 9000, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez PR 00681 (Puerto Rico); McElhinny, Kyle M.; Evans, Paul G. [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, 1509 University Avenue, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI 53706 (United States); Calcagno, Barbara O. [Department of General Engineering, Call Box 9000, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez PR 00681 (Puerto Rico); Acevedo, Aldo, E-mail: aldo.acevedo@upr.edu [Department of Chemical Engineering, Call Box 9000, University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez PR 00681 (Puerto Rico)

    2016-08-01

    Recently, liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) have been proposed as active substrates for cell culture due to their potential to attach and orient cells, and impose dynamic mechanical signals through the application of external stimuli. In this report, the preparation of anisotropic and oriented nematic magnetic-sensitized LCEs with iron oxide nanoparticles, and the evaluation of the effect of particle addition at low concentrations on the resultant structural, thermal, thermo-mechanical, and mechanical properties is presented. Phase transformations produced by heating in alternating magnetic fields were investigated in LCEs in contact with air, water, and a common liquid cell culture medium was also evaluated. The inclusion of nanoparticles into the elastomers displaced the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition, without affecting the nematic structure as evidenced by similar values of the order parameter, while reducing the maximum thermomechanical deformations. Remote and reversible deformations of the magnetic LCEs were achieved through the application of alternating magnetic fields, which induces the nematic–isotropic phase transition through nanoparticle heat generation. Formulation parameters can be modified to allow for remote actuation at values closer to the human physiological temperature range and within the range of deformations that can affect the cellular behavior of fibroblasts. Finally, a collagen surface treatment was performed to improve compatibility with NIH-3T3 fibroblast cultures, which enabled the attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on substrates with and without magnetic particles under quiescent conditions. The LCEs developed in this work, which are able to deform and experience stress changes by remote contact-less magnetic stimulation, may allow for further studies on the effect of substrate morphology changes and dynamic mechanical properties during in vitro cell culture. - Highlights: • Magnetic LCE nanocomposites were

  12. Magneto-responsive liquid crystalline elastomer nanocomposites as potential candidates for dynamic cell culture substrates

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Herrera-Posada, Stephany; Mora-Navarro, Camilo; Ortiz-Bermudez, Patricia; Torres-Lugo, Madeline; McElhinny, Kyle M.; Evans, Paul G.; Calcagno, Barbara O.; Acevedo, Aldo

    2016-01-01

    Recently, liquid crystalline elastomers (LCEs) have been proposed as active substrates for cell culture due to their potential to attach and orient cells, and impose dynamic mechanical signals through the application of external stimuli. In this report, the preparation of anisotropic and oriented nematic magnetic-sensitized LCEs with iron oxide nanoparticles, and the evaluation of the effect of particle addition at low concentrations on the resultant structural, thermal, thermo-mechanical, and mechanical properties is presented. Phase transformations produced by heating in alternating magnetic fields were investigated in LCEs in contact with air, water, and a common liquid cell culture medium was also evaluated. The inclusion of nanoparticles into the elastomers displaced the nematic-to-isotropic phase transition, without affecting the nematic structure as evidenced by similar values of the order parameter, while reducing the maximum thermomechanical deformations. Remote and reversible deformations of the magnetic LCEs were achieved through the application of alternating magnetic fields, which induces the nematic–isotropic phase transition through nanoparticle heat generation. Formulation parameters can be modified to allow for remote actuation at values closer to the human physiological temperature range and within the range of deformations that can affect the cellular behavior of fibroblasts. Finally, a collagen surface treatment was performed to improve compatibility with NIH-3T3 fibroblast cultures, which enabled the attachment and proliferation of fibroblasts on substrates with and without magnetic particles under quiescent conditions. The LCEs developed in this work, which are able to deform and experience stress changes by remote contact-less magnetic stimulation, may allow for further studies on the effect of substrate morphology changes and dynamic mechanical properties during in vitro cell culture. - Highlights: • Magnetic LCE nanocomposites were

  13. Definition and dynamic control of a continuous chromatography process independent of cell culture titer and impurities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chmielowski, Rebecca A; Mathiasson, Linda; Blom, Hans; Go, Daniel; Ehring, Hanno; Khan, Heera; Li, Hong; Cutler, Collette; Lacki, Karol; Tugcu, Nihal; Roush, David

    2017-12-01

    Advances in cell culture technology have enabled the production of antibody titers upwards of 30g/L. These highly productive cell culture systems can potentially lead to productivity bottlenecks in downstream purification due to lower column loadings, especially in the primary capture chromatography step. Alternative chromatography solutions to help remedy this bottleneck include the utilization of continuous processing systems such as periodic counter-current chromatography (PCC). Recent studies have provided methods to optimize and improve the design of PCC for cell culture titers up to about 3g/L. This paper defines a continuous loading strategy for PCC that is independent of cell culture background and encompasses cell culture titers up to about 31g/L. Initial experimentation showed a challenge with determining a difference in change in UV280nm signal (ie. ΔUV) between cell culture feed and monoclonal antibody (mAb) concentration. Further investigation revealed UV280nm absorbance of the cell culture feedstock without antibody was outside of the linear range of detection for a given cell pathlength. Additional experimentation showed the difference in ΔUV for various cell culture feeds can be either theoretically predicted by Beer's Law given a known absorbance of the media background and impurities or experimentally determined using various UV280nm cell pathlengths. Based on these results, a 0.35mm pathlength at UV280nm was chosen for dynamic control to overcome the background signal. The pore diffusion model showed good agreement with the experimental frontal analysis data, which resulted in definition of a ΔUV setpoint range between 20 and 70% for 3C-PCC experiments. Product quality of the elution pools was acceptable between various cell culture feeds and titers up to about 41g/L. Results indicated the following ΔUV setpoints to achieve robust dynamic control and maintain 3C-PCC yield: ∼20-45% for titers greater than 10g/L depending on UV absorbance of

  14. Dynamic 3D culture promotes spontaneous embryonic stem cell differentiation in vitro.

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    Gerlach, Jörg C; Hout, Mariah; Edsbagge, Josefina; Björquist, Petter; Lübberstedt, Marc; Miki, Toshio; Stachelscheid, Harald; Schmelzer, Eva; Schatten, Gerald; Zeilinger, Katrin

    2010-02-01

    Spontaneous in vitro differentiation of mouse embryonic stem cells (mESC) is promoted by a dynamic, three-dimensional (3D), tissue-density perfusion technique with continuous medium perfusion and exchange in a novel four-compartment, interwoven capillary bioreactor. We compared ectodermal, endodermal, and mesodermal immunoreactive tissue structures formed by mESC at culture day 10 with mouse fetal tissue development at gestational day E9.5. The results show that the bioreactor cultures more closely resemble mouse fetal tissue development at gestational day E9.5 than control mESC cultured in Petri dishes.

  15. Effect of dynamic 3-D culture on proliferation, distribution, and osteogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stiehler, Maik; Bünger, Cody; Baatrup, Anette

    2009-01-01

    Ex vivo engineering of autologous bone tissue as an alternative to bone grafting is a major clinical need. In the present study, we evaluated the effect of 3-D dynamic spinner flask culture on the proliferation, distribution, and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Immortalized...... human MSCs were cultured on porous 75:25 PLGA scaffolds for up to 3 weeks. Dynamically cultured cell/scaffold constructs demonstrated a 20% increase in DNA content (21 days), enhanced ALP specific activity (7 days and 21 days), a more than tenfold higher Ca2+ content (21 days), and significantly...

  16. Cryopreservation of testicular tissue before long-term testicular cell culture does not alter in vitro cell dynamics

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Baert, Yoni; Braye, Aude; Struijk, Robin B.; van Pelt, Ans M. M.; Goossens, Ellen

    2015-01-01

    To assess whether testicular cell dynamics are altered during long-term culture after testicular tissue cryopreservation. Experimental basic science study. Reproductive biology laboratory. Testicular tissue with normal spermatogenesis was obtained from six donors. None. Detection and comparison of

  17. Monitoring Dynamic Interactions between Breast Cancer Cells and Human Bone Tissue in a Co-Culture Model

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    Contag, Christopher H.; Lie, Wen-Rong; Bammer, Marie C.; Hardy, Jonathan W.; Schmidt, Tobi L.; Maloney, William J.; King, Bonnie L.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose Bone is a preferential site of breast cancer metastasis and models are needed to study this process at the level of the microenvironment. We have used bioluminescence imaging (BLI) and multiplex biomarker immunoassays to monitor dynamic breast cancer cell behaviors in co-culture with human bone tissue. Procedures Femur tissue fragments harvested from hip replacement surgeries were co-cultured with luciferase-positive MDA-MB-231-fLuc cells. BLI was performed to quantify breast cell division and track migration relative to bone tissue. Breast cell colonization of bone tissues was assessed with immunohistochemistry. Biomarkers in co-culture supernatants were profiled with MILLIPLEX® immunoassays. Results BLI demonstrated increased MDA-MB-231-fLuc proliferation (pbones, and revealed breast cell migration toward bone. Immunohistochemistry illustrated MDA-MB-231-fLuc colonization of bone, and MILLIPLEX® profiles of culture supernatants suggested breast/bone crosstalk. Conclusions Breast cell behaviors that facilitate metastasis occur reproducibly in human bone tissue co-cultures and can be monitored and quantified using BLI and multiplex immunoassays. PMID:24008275

  18. Dynamic culture induces a cell type-dependent response impacting on the thickness of engineered connective tissues.

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    Fortier, Guillaume Marceau; Gauvin, Robert; Proulx, Maryse; Vallée, Maud; Fradette, Julie

    2013-04-01

    Mesenchymal cells are central to connective tissue homeostasis and are widely used for tissue-engineering applications. Dermal fibroblasts and adipose-derived stromal cells (ASCs) allow successful tissue reconstruction by the self-assembly approach of tissue engineering. This method leads to the production of multilayered tissues, devoid of exogenous biomaterials, that can be used as stromal compartments for skin or vesical reconstruction. These tissues are formed by combining cell sheets, generated through cell stimulation with ascorbic acid, which favours the cell-derived production/organization of matrix components. Since media motion can impact on cell behaviour, we investigated the effect of dynamic culture on mesenchymal cells during tissue reconstruction, using the self-assembly method. Tissues produced using ASCs in the presence of a wave-like movement were nearly twice thicker than under standard conditions, while no difference was observed for tissues produced from dermal fibroblasts. The increased matrix deposition was not correlated with an increased proliferation of ASCs, or by higher transcript levels of fibronectin or collagens I and III. A 30% increase of type V collagen mRNA was observed. Interestingly, tissues engineered from dermal fibroblasts featured a four-fold higher level of MMP-1 transcripts under dynamic conditions. Mechanical properties were similar for tissues reconstructed using dynamic or static conditions. Finally, cell sheets produced using ASCs under dynamic conditions could readily be manipulated, resulting in a 2 week reduction of the production time (from 5 to 3 weeks). Our results describe a distinctive property of ASCs' response to media motion, indicating that their culture under dynamic conditions leads to optimized tissue engineering. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  19. Dynamic Support Culture of Murine Skeletal Muscle-Derived Stem Cells Improves Their Cardiogenic Potential In Vitro

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    Klaus Neef

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Ischemic heart disease is the main cause of death in western countries and its burden is increasing worldwide. It typically involves irreversible degeneration and loss of myocardial tissue leading to poor prognosis and fatal outcome. Autologous cells with the potential to regenerate damaged heart tissue would be an ideal source for cell therapeutic approaches. Here, we compared different methods of conditional culture for increasing the yield and cardiogenic potential of murine skeletal muscle-derived stem cells. A subpopulation of nonadherent cells was isolated from skeletal muscle by preplating and applying cell culture conditions differing in support of cluster formation. In contrast to static culture conditions, dynamic culture with or without previous hanging drop preculture led to significantly increased cluster diameters and the expression of cardiac specific markers on the protein and mRNA level. Whole-cell patch-clamp studies revealed similarities to pacemaker action potentials and responsiveness to cardiac specific pharmacological stimuli. This data indicates that skeletal muscle-derived stem cells are capable of adopting enhanced cardiac muscle cell-like properties by applying specific culture conditions. Choosing this route for the establishment of a sustainable, autologous source of cells for cardiac therapies holds the potential of being clinically more acceptable than transgenic manipulation of cells.

  20. Dynamic Compression Promotes the Matrix Synthesis of Nucleus Pulposus Cells Through Up-Regulating N-CDH Expression in a Perfusion Bioreactor Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yichun; Yao, Hui; Li, Pei; Xu, Wenbin; Zhang, Junbin; Lv, Lulu; Teng, Haijun; Guo, Zhiliang; Zhao, Huiqing; Hou, Gang

    2018-01-01

    An adequate matrix production of nucleus pulposus (NP) cells is an important tissue engineering-based strategy to regenerate degenerative discs. Here, we mainly aimed to investigate the effects and mechanism of mechanical compression (i.e., static compression vs. dynamic compression) on the matrix synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) cultured NP cells in vitro. Rat NP cells seeded on small intestinal submucosa (SIS) cryogel scaffolds were cultured in the chambers of a self-developed, mechanically active bioreactor for 10 days. Meanwhile, the NP cells were subjected to compression (static compression or dynamic compression at a 10% scaffold deformation) for 6 hours once per day. Unloaded NP cells were used as controls. The cellular phenotype and matrix biosynthesis of NP cells were investigated by real-time PCR and Western blotting assays. Lentivirus-mediated N-cadherin (N-CDH) knockdown and an inhibitor, LY294002, were used to further investigate the role of N-CDH and the PI3K/Akt pathway in this process. Dynamic compression better maintained the expression of cell-specific markers (keratin-19, FOXF1 and PAX1) and matrix macromolecules (aggrecan and collagen II), as well as N-CDH expression and the activity of the PI3K/Akt pathway, in the 3D-cultured NP cells compared with those expression levels and activity in the cells grown under static compression. Further analysis showed that the N-CDH knockdown significantly down-regulated the expression of NP cell-specific markers and matrix macromolecules and inhibited the activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway under dynamic compression. However, inhibition of the PI3K/Akt pathway had no effects on N-CDH expression but down-regulated the expression of NP cell-specific markers and matrix macromolecules under dynamic compression. Dynamic compression increases the matrix synthesis of 3D-cultured NP cells compared with that of the cells under static compression, and the N-CDH-PI3K/Akt pathway is involved in this regulatory process

  1. Macroscopic Dynamic Modeling of Sequential Batch Cultures of Hybridoma Cells: An Experimental Validation

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    Laurent Dewasme

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available Hybridoma cells are commonly grown for the production of monoclonal antibodies (MAb. For monitoring and control purposes of the bioreactors, dynamic models of the cultures are required. However these models are difficult to infer from the usually limited amount of available experimental data and do not focus on target protein production optimization. This paper explores an experimental case study where hybridoma cells are grown in a sequential batch reactor. The simplest macroscopic reaction scheme translating the data is first derived using a maximum likelihood principal component analysis. Subsequently, nonlinear least-squares estimation is used to determine the kinetic laws. The resulting dynamic model reproduces quite satisfactorily the experimental data, as evidenced in direct and cross-validation tests. Furthermore, model predictions can also be used to predict optimal medium renewal time and composition.

  2. Effect of Cyclic Dynamic Compressive Loading on Chondrocytes and Adipose-Derived Stem Cells Co-Cultured in Highly Elastic Cryogel Scaffolds

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    Chih-Hao Chen

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available In this study, we first used gelatin/chondroitin-6-sulfate/hyaluronan/chitosan highly elastic cryogels, which showed total recovery from large strains during repeated compression cycles, as 3D scaffolds to study the effects of cyclic dynamic compressive loading on chondrocyte gene expression and extracellular matrix (ECM production. Dynamic culture of porcine chondrocytes was studied at 1 Hz, 10% to 40% strain and 1 to 9 h/day stimulation duration, in a mechanical-driven multi-chamber bioreactor for 14 days. From the experimental results, we could identify the optimum dynamic culture condition (20% and 3 h/day to enhance the chondrocytic phenotype of chondrocytes from the expression of marker (Col I, Col II, Col X, TNF-α, TGF-β1 and IGF-1 genes by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCR and production of ECM (GAGs and Col II by biochemical analysis and immunofluorescence staining. With up-regulated growth factor (TGF-β1 and IGF-1 genes, co-culture of chondrocytes with porcine adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs was employed to facilitate chondrogenic differentiation of ASCs during dynamic culture in cryogel scaffolds. By replacing half of the chondrocytes with ASCs during co-culture, we could obtain similar production of ECM (GAGs and Col II and expression of Col II, but reduced expression of Col I, Col X and TNF-α. Subcutaneous implantation of cells/scaffold constructs in nude mice after mono-culture (chondrocytes or ASCs or co-culture (chondrocytes + ASCs and subject to static or dynamic culture condition in vitro for 14 days was tested for tissue-engineering applications. The constructs were retrieved 8 weeks post-implantation for histological analysis by Alcian blue, Safranin O and Col II immunohistochemical staining. The most abundant ectopic cartilage tissue was found for the chondrocytes and chondrocytes + ASCs groups using dynamic culture, which showed similar neo-cartilage formation capability with half of the

  3. Basics elements for modelling the dynamics of cell migration in cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    FarIas, Ro; Vidal, Cs; Rapacioli, M; Flores, V

    2007-01-01

    This paper introduces some basic elements for modelling the dynamics of cell migration activity over a bi-dimensional substratum. A square matrix, representing the substratum, is implemented in order to generate virtual cells with an initial random uniform distribution, with the ability to freely move within the matrix and to interact with each others by mean of adhesive forces. Two different conditions were examined: A) cells can freely move and after contacting with another cell they both completely inhibit their migration; B) cells that come into contact have the ability to rotate respect to each other without losing their contacts and retaining the ability to move together but at a slower rate, being the decrease in the rate of movement proportional to the number of contacting cells. The dynamics of the migration process in these two conditions was evaluated by recording the evolution of several parameters as a function of time. Minor modifications in some parameters (mobility, intensity of cell-cell and cell-substratum adhesiveness) significantly change the dynamics and the final result of the virtual migrating cells

  4. Menaquinone-4 enhances osteogenic potential of human amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells cultured in 2D and 3D dynamic culture systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mandatori, Domitilla; Penolazzi, Letizia; Pipino, Caterina; Di Tomo, Pamela; Di Silvestre, Sara; Di Pietro, Natalia; Trevisani, Sara; Angelozzi, Marco; Ucci, Mariangela; Piva, Roberta; Pandolfi, Assunta

    2018-02-01

    Menaquinones, also known as Vitamin K2 family, regulate calcium homeostasis in a 'bone-vascular cross-talk' and recently received particular attention for their positive effect on bone formation. Given that the correlation between menaquinones and bone metabolism to date is still unclear, the objective of our study was to investigate the possible role of menaquinone-4 (MK-4), an isoform of the menaquinones family, in the modulation of osteogenesis. For this reason, we used a model of human amniotic fluid mesenchymal stem cells (hAFMSCs) cultured both in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D; RCCS™bioreactor) in vitro culture systems. Furthermore, to mimic the 'bone remodelling unit' in vitro, hAFMSCs were co-cultured in the 3D system with human monocyte cells (hMCs) as osteoclast precursors. The results showed that in a conventional 2D culture system, hAFMSCs were responsive to the MK-4, which significantly improved the osteogenic process through γ-glutamyl carboxylase-dependent pathway. The same results were obtained in the 3D dynamic system where MK-4 treatment supported the osteoblast-like formation promoting the extracellular bone matrix deposition and the expression of the osteogenic-related proteins (alkaline phosphatase, osteopontin, collagen type-1 and osteocalcin). Notably, when the hAFMSCs were co-cultured in a 3D dynamic system with the hMCs, the presence of MK-4 supported the cellular aggregate formation as well as the osteogenic function of hAFMSCs, but negatively affected the osteoclastogenic process. Taken together, our results demonstrate that MK-4 supported the aggregate formation of hAFMSCs and increased the osteogenic functions. Specifically, our data could help to optimize bone regenerative medicine combining cell-based approaches with MK-4 treatment. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Using white noise to gate organic transistors for dynamic monitoring of cultured cell layers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rivnay, Jonathan; Leleux, Pierre; Hama, Adel; Ramuz, Marc; Huerta, Miriam; Malliaras, George G; Owens, Roisin M

    2015-06-26

    Impedance sensing of biological systems allows for monitoring of cell and tissue properties, including cell-substrate attachment, layer confluence, and the "tightness" of an epithelial tissue. These properties are critical for electrical detection of tissue health and viability in applications such as toxicological screening. Organic transistors based on conducting polymers offer a promising route to efficiently transduce ionic currents to attain high quality impedance spectra, but collection of complete impedance spectra can be time consuming (minutes). By applying uniform white noise at the gate of an organic electrochemical transistor (OECT), and measuring the resulting current noise, we are able to dynamically monitor the impedance and thus integrity of cultured epithelial monolayers. We show that noise sourcing can be used to track rapid monolayer disruption due to compounds which interfere with dynamic polymerization events crucial for maintaining cytoskeletal integrity, and to resolve sub-second alterations to the monolayer integrity.

  6. Effect of dynamic three-dimensional culture on osteogenic potential of human periodontal ligament-derived mesenchymal stem cells entrapped in alginate microbeads.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vecchiatini, R; Penolazzi, L; Lambertini, E; Angelozzi, M; Morganti, C; Mazzitelli, S; Trombelli, L; Nastruzzi, C; Piva, R

    2015-08-01

    Bioreactors are devices that efficiently create an environment that enables cell cultures to grow in a three-dimensional (3D) context mimicking in vivo conditions. In this study, we investigate the effect of dynamic fluid flow on the osteogenic potential of human mesenchymal stem cells obtained from periodontal ligament and entrapped in alginate microbeads. After proper immunophenotyping, cells were encapsulated in barium alginate, cultured in 3D static or 3D dynamic conditions represented by a bioreactor system. Calcein-AM/propidium iodide staining was used to assess cellular viability. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to analyze the expression of osteogenic markers (Runx2 and COL1). Alizarin Red S staining and the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were used to assess mineral matrix deposition. Optimal encapsulation procedure, in terms of polymer pumping rate, distance from droplet generator to the gelling bath and atomizing airflow was assessed. Cell viability was not affected by encapsulation in alginate microbeads. Bioreactor cell exposure was effective in anticipating osteogenic differentiation and improving mineral matrix deposition. For the first time human mesenchymal stem cells obtained from periodontal ligaments encapsulated in alginate microbeads were cultured in a bioreactor system. This combination could represent a promising strategy to create a cell-based smart system with enhanced osteogenic potential useful for many different dental applications. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  7. Temperature-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone) cell culture platform with dynamically tunable nano-roughness and elasticity for control of myoblast morphology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Uto, Koichiro; Ebara, Mitsuhiro; Aoyagi, Takao

    2014-01-21

    We developed a dynamic cell culture platform with dynamically tunable nano-roughness and elasticity. Temperature-responsive poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) films were successfully prepared by crosslinking linear and tetra-branched PCL macromonomers. By optimizing the mixing ratios, the crystal-amorphous transition temperature (Tm) of the crosslinked film was adjusted to the biological relevant temperature (~33 °C). While the crosslinked films are relatively stiff (50 MPa) below the Tm, they suddenly become soft (1 MPa) above the Tm. Correspondingly, roughness of the surface was decreased from 63.4-12.4 nm. It is noted that the surface wettability was independent of temperature. To investigate the role of dynamic surface roughness and elasticity on cell adhesion, cells were seeded on PCL films at 32 °C. Interestingly, spread myoblasts on the film became rounded when temperature was suddenly increased to 37 °C, while significant changes in cell morphology were not observed for fibroblasts. These results indicate that cells can sense dynamic changes in the surrounding environment but the sensitivity depends on cell types.

  8. In vitro expansion and differentiation of rat pancreatic duct-derived stem cells into insulin secreting cells using a dynamicthree-dimensional cell culture system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, X C; Liu, H; Li, H; Cheng, Y; Yang, L; Liu, Y F

    2016-06-27

    In this study, a dynamic three-dimensional cell culture technology was used to expand and differentiate rat pancreatic duct-derived stem cells (PDSCs) into islet-like cell clusters that can secrete insulin. PDSCs were isolated from rat pancreatic tissues by in situ collagenase digestion and density gradient centrifugation. Using a dynamic three-dimensional culture technique, the cells were expanded and differentiated into functional islet-like cell clusters, which were characterized by morphological and phenotype analyses. After maintaining 1 x 108 isolated rat PDSCs in a dynamic three-dimensional cell culture for 7 days, 1.5 x 109 cells could be harvested. Passaged PDSCs expressed markers of pancreatic endocrine progenitors, including CD29 (86.17%), CD73 (90.73%), CD90 (84.13%), CD105 (78.28%), and Pdx-1. Following 14 additional days of culture in serum-free medium with nicotinamide, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF), and b fibroblast growth factor (FGF), the cells were differentiated into islet-like cell clusters (ICCs). The ICC morphology reflected that of fused cell clusters. During the late stage of differentiation, representative clusters were non-adherent and expressed insulin indicated by dithizone (DTZ)-positive staining. Insulin was detected in the extracellular fluid and cytoplasm of ICCs after 14 days of differentiation. Additionally, insulin levels were significantly higher at this time compared with the levels exhibited by PDSCs before differentiation (P cell culture system, PDSCs can be expanded in vitro and can differentiate into functional islet-like cell clusters.

  9. Spatio-temporal morphology changes in and quenching effects on the 2D spreading dynamics of cell colonies in both plain and methylcellulose-containing culture media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muzzio, N E; Pasquale, M A; Huergo, M A C; Bolzán, A E; González, P H; Arvia, A J

    2016-06-01

    To deal with complex systems, microscopic and global approaches become of particular interest. Our previous results from the dynamics of large cell colonies indicated that their 2D front roughness dynamics is compatible with the standard Kardar-Parisi-Zhang (KPZ) or the quenched KPZ equations either in plain or methylcellulose (MC)-containing gel culture media, respectively. In both cases, the influence of a non-uniform distribution of the colony constituents was significant. These results encouraged us to investigate the overall dynamics of those systems considering the morphology and size, the duplication rate, and the motility of single cells. For this purpose, colonies with different cell populations (N) exhibiting quasi-circular and quasi-linear growth fronts in plain and MC-containing culture media are investigated. For small N, the average radial front velocity and its change with time depend on MC concentration. MC in the medium interferes with cell mitosis, contributes to the local enlargement of cells, and increases the distribution of spatio-temporal cell density heterogeneities. Colony spreading in MC-containing media proceeds under two main quenching effects, I and II; the former mainly depending on the culture medium composition and structure and the latter caused by the distribution of enlarged local cell domains. For large N, colony spreading occurs at constant velocity. The characteristics of cell motility, assessed by measuring their trajectories and the corresponding velocity field, reflect the effect of enlarged, slow-moving cells and the structure of the medium. Local average cell size distribution and individual cell motility data from plain and MC-containing media are qualitatively consistent with the predictions of both the extended cellular Potts models and the observed transition of the front roughness dynamics from a standard KPZ to a quenched KPZ. In this case, quenching effects I and II cooperate and give rise to the quenched

  10. In vitro cartilage construct generation from silk fibroin- chitosan porous scaffold and umbilical cord blood derived human mesenchymal stem cells in dynamic culture condition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Parinita; Pramanik, Krishna; Biswas, Amit; Ku Patra, Ranjan

    2018-02-01

    Cartilage construct generation includes a scaffold with appropriate composition to mimic matrix of the damaged tissue on which the stem cells grow and differentiate. In this study, umbilical cord blood (UCB) derived human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) were seeded on freeze dried porous silk-fibroin (SF)/chitosan (CS) scaffolds. Influence of static and dynamic (spinner flask bioreactor) culture conditions on the developing cartilage construct were studied by in-vitro characterization for viability, proliferation, distribution, and chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs over the scaffold. Constructs developed in spinner flask consisted of 62% live cells, and exhibited 543% more cell density at the core than constructs cultured in static system. Quantification of DNA and glycosaminoglycans accumulation after 21 days showed the progression of chondrogenic differentiation of hMSCs was higher in dynamic culture compared to static one. In constructs generated under dynamic condition, histology staining for proteoglycan matrix, and fluorescence staining for collagen-II and aggrecan showed positive correlation between early and late stage chondrogenic markers, which was further confirmed by quantitative PCR analysis, showing low collagen-I expression and highly expressed Sox9, collagen-II and aggrecan. The present study demonstrated that construct generated by combining 3D SF/CS scaffold with UCB-hMSCs under dynamic condition using spinner flask bioreactor can be used for cartilage tissue regeneration for future medical treatments. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 397-407, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Bioimpedance monitoring of 3D cell culturing-Complementary electrode configurations for enhanced spatial sensitivity

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Canali, Chiara; Heiskanen, Arto; Muhammad, Haseena Bashir

    2015-01-01

    A bioimpedance platform is presented as a promising tool for non-invasive real-time monitoring of the entire process of three-dimensional (3D) cell culturing in a hydrogel scaffold. In this study, the dynamics involved in the whole process of 3D cell culturing, starting from polymerisation...... spectroscopic (EIS) characterisation were used to determine the configurations' sensitivity field localisation. The 2T setup gives insight into the interfacial phenomena at both electrode surfaces and covers the central part of the 3D cell culture volume, while the four 3T modes provide focus on the dynamics...... the tested biomimetic environment, paving the way to further developments in bioimpedance tracking of 3D cell cultures and tissue engineering....

  12. Development of a soft-sensor based on multi-wavelength fluorescence spectroscopy and a dynamic metabolic model for monitoring mammalian cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ohadi, Kaveh; Legge, Raymond L; Budman, Hector M

    2015-01-01

    A soft-sensor based on an Extended Kalman Filter (EKF) that combines data obtained using a fluorescence-based soft-sensor with a dynamic mechanistic model, was investigated as a tool for continuous monitoring of a Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultivation process. A standalone fluorescence based soft-sensor, which uses a combination of an empirical multivariate statistical model and measured spectra, was designed for predicting key culture variables including viable and dead cells, recombinant protein, glucose, and ammonia concentrations. The standalone fluorescence sensor was then combined with a dynamic mechanistic model within an EKF framework, for improving the prediction accuracy and generating predictions in-between sampling instances. The dynamic model used for the EKF framework was based on a structured metabolic flux analysis and mass balances. In order to calibrate the fluorescence-based empirical model and the dynamic mechanistic model, cells were grown in batch mode with different initial glucose and glutamine concentrations. To mitigate the uncertainty associated with the model structure and parameters, non-stationary disturbances were accounted for in the EKF by parameter-adaptation. It was demonstrated that the implementation of the EKF along with the dynamic model could improve the accuracy of the fluorescence-based predictions at the sampling instances. Additionally, it was shown that the major advantage of the EKF-based soft-sensor, compared to the standalone fluorescence-based counterpart, was its capability to track the temporal evolution of key process variables between measurement instances obtained by the fluorescence-based soft-sensor. This is crucial for designing control strategies of CHO cell cultures with the aim of guaranteeing product quality. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  13. Dynamic collection and analysis of volatile organic compounds from the headspace of cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baranska, A; Smolinska, A; Boots, A W; Dallinga, J W; van Schooten, F J

    2015-10-15

    Exhaled breath has proven to be a valuable source of information about human bodies. Subtle differences between volatile organic compounds (VOCs) formed endogenously can be detected and become a base for a potential monitoring tool for health and disease. Until now, there has been a lack of biological and mechanistic knowledge of the processes involved in the production of relevant VOCs. Among the possible sources of health-related and disease-related VOCs are microorganisms found in the respiratory tract and in the gut. Other VOCs in the body are produced by cells that are influenced by the disease, for instance, due to metabolic disorders and/or inflammation. To gain insight into the in vivo production of VOCs by human cells and thus the exhaled breath composition, in vitro experiments involving relevant cells should be studied because they may provide valuable information on the production of VOCs by the affected cells. To this aim we developed and validated a system for dynamically (continuously) collecting headspace air in vitro using a Caco-2 cell line. The system allows the application of different cell lines as well as different experimental setups, including varying exposure times and treatment options while preserving cell viability. Significant correlation (p  ⩽  0.0001) between collection outputs within each studied group confirmed high reproducibility of the collection system. An example of such an application is presented here. We studied the influence of oxidative stress on the VOC composition of the headspace air of Caco-2 cells. By comparing the VOC composition of air flushed through empty culture flasks (n  =  35), flasks with culture medium (n  =  35), flasks with medium and cells (n  =  20), flasks with medium and an oxidative stressor (H2O2) (n  =  20), and flasks with medium, stressor, and cells (n  =  20), we were able to separate the effects from the stressor on the cells from all other

  14. Insect Cell Culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Oers, van M.M.; Lynn, D.E.

    2010-01-01

    Insect cell cultures are widely used in studies on insect cell physiology, developmental biology and microbial pathology. In particular, insect cell culture is an indispensable tool for the study of insect viruses. The first continuously growing insect cell cultures were established from

  15. Oscillating Cell Culture Bioreactor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freed, Lisa E.; Cheng, Mingyu; Moretti, Matteo G.

    2010-01-01

    To better exploit the principles of gas transport and mass transport during the processes of cell seeding of 3D scaffolds and in vitro culture of 3D tissue engineered constructs, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor provides a flow of cell suspensions and culture media directly through a porous 3D scaffold (during cell seeding) and a 3D construct (during subsequent cultivation) within a highly gas-permeable closed-loop tube. This design is simple, modular, and flexible, and its component parts are easy to assemble and operate, and are inexpensive. Chamber volume can be very low, but can be easily scaled up. This innovation is well suited to work with different biological specimens, particularly with cells having high oxygen requirements and/or shear sensitivity, and different scaffold structures and dimensions. The closed-loop changer is highly gas permeable to allow efficient gas exchange during the cell seeding/culturing process. A porous scaffold, which may be seeded with cells, is fixed by means of a scaffold holder to the chamber wall with scaffold/construct orientation with respect to the chamber determined by the geometry of the scaffold holder. A fluid, with/without biological specimens, is added to the chamber such that all, or most, of the air is displaced (i.e., with or without an enclosed air bubble). Motion is applied to the chamber within a controlled environment (e.g., oscillatory motion within a humidified 37 C incubator). Movement of the chamber induces relative motion of the scaffold/construct with respect to the fluid. In case the fluid is a cell suspension, cells will come into contact with the scaffold and eventually adhere to it. Alternatively, cells can be seeded on scaffolds by gel entrapment prior to bioreactor cultivation. Subsequently, the oscillatory cell culture bioreactor will provide efficient gas exchange (i.e., of oxygen and carbon dioxide, as required for viability of metabolically active cells) and controlled levels of fluid

  16. Isolation and culture of larval cells from C. elegans.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sihui Zhang

    Full Text Available Cell culture is an essential tool to study cell function. In C. elegans the ability to isolate and culture cells has been limited to embryonically derived cells. However, cells or blastomeres isolated from mixed stage embryos terminally differentiate within 24 hours of culture, thus precluding post-embryonic stage cell culture. We have developed an efficient and technically simple method for large-scale isolation and primary culture of larval-stage cells. We have optimized the treatment to maximize cell number and minimize cell death for each of the four larval stages. We obtained up to 7.8×10(4 cells per microliter of packed larvae, and up to 97% of adherent cells isolated by this method were viable for at least 16 hours. Cultured larval cells showed stage-specific increases in both cell size and multinuclearity and expressed lineage- and cell type-specific reporters. The majority (81% of larval cells isolated by our method were muscle cells that exhibited stage-specific phenotypes. L1 muscle cells developed 1 to 2 wide cytoplasmic processes, while L4 muscle cells developed 4 to 14 processes of various thicknesses. L4 muscle cells developed bands of myosin heavy chain A thick filaments at the cell center and spontaneously contracted ex vivo. Neurons constituted less than 10% of the isolated cells and the majority of neurons developed one or more long, microtubule-rich protrusions that terminated in actin-rich growth cones. In addition to cells such as muscle and neuron that are high abundance in vivo, we were also able to isolate M-lineage cells that constitute less than 0.2% of cells in vivo. Our novel method of cell isolation extends C. elegans cell culture to larval developmental stages, and allows use of the wealth of cell culture tools, such as cell sorting, electrophysiology, co-culture, and high-resolution imaging of subcellular dynamics, in investigation of post-embryonic development and physiology.

  17. Microfluidic 3D cell culture: potential application for tissue-based bioassays

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, XiuJun (James); Valadez, Alejandra V.; Zuo, Peng; Nie, Zhihong

    2014-01-01

    Current fundamental investigations of human biology and the development of therapeutic drugs, commonly rely on two-dimensional (2D) monolayer cell culture systems. However, 2D cell culture systems do not accurately recapitulate the structure, function, physiology of living tissues, as well as highly complex and dynamic three-dimensional (3D) environments in vivo. The microfluidic technology can provide micro-scale complex structures and well-controlled parameters to mimic the in vivo environment of cells. The combination of microfluidic technology with 3D cell culture offers great potential for in vivo-like tissue-based applications, such as the emerging organ-on-a-chip system. This article will review recent advances in microfluidic technology for 3D cell culture and their biological applications. PMID:22793034

  18. Optimization of a pH-shift control strategy for producing monoclonal antibodies in Chinese hamster ovary cell cultures using a pH-dependent dynamic model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hogiri, Tomoharu; Tamashima, Hiroshi; Nishizawa, Akitoshi; Okamoto, Masahiro

    2018-02-01

    To optimize monoclonal antibody (mAb) production in Chinese hamster ovary cell cultures, culture pH should be temporally controlled with high resolution. In this study, we propose a new pH-dependent dynamic model represented by simultaneous differential equations including a minimum of six system component, depending on pH value. All kinetic parameters in the dynamic model were estimated using an evolutionary numerical optimization (real-coded genetic algorithm) method based on experimental time-course data obtained at different pH values ranging from 6.6 to 7.2. We determined an optimal pH-shift schedule theoretically. We validated this optimal pH-shift schedule experimentally and mAb production increased by approximately 40% with this schedule. Throughout this study, it was suggested that the culture pH-shift optimization strategy using a pH-dependent dynamic model is suitable to optimize any pH-shift schedule for CHO cell lines used in mAb production projects. Copyright © 2017 The Society for Biotechnology, Japan. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. A Novel Counter Sheet-flow Sandwich Cell Culture Device for Mammalian Cell Growth in Space

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shujin; Gao, Yuxin; Shu, Nanjiang; Tang, Zemei; Tao, Zulai; Long, Mian

    2008-08-01

    Cell culture and growth in space is crucial to understand the cellular responses under microgravity. The effects of microgravity were coupled with such environment restrictions as medium perfusion, in which the underlying mechanism has been poorly understood. In the present work, a customer-made counter sheet-flow sandwich cell culture device was developed upon a biomechanical concept from fish gill breathing. The sandwich culture unit consists of two side chambers where the medium flow is counter-directional, a central chamber where the cells are cultured, and two porous polycarbonate membranes between side and central chambers. Flow dynamics analysis revealed the symmetrical velocity profile and uniform low shear rate distribution of flowing medium inside the central culture chamber, which promotes sufficient mass transport and nutrient supply for mammalian cell growth. An on-orbit experiment performed on a recovery satellite was used to validate the availability of the device.

  20. Cytogenetic heterogeneity and their serial dynamic changes during acquisition of cytogenetic aberrations in cultured mesenchymal stem cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Jung-Ah [Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Im, Kyong Ok; Park, Si Nae; Kwon, Ji Seok [Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Seon Young [Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Keunhee; Lee, Dong-Sup [Laboratory of Immunology and Cancer Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Transplantation Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Min Kyung; Kim, Seong Who [Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Jang, Mi; Lee, Gene [Lab of Molecular Genetics, School of Dentistry and Dental Research Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Oh, Yeon-Mok; Lee, Sang Do [Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Asthma Center and Clinical Research Center for Chronic Obstructive Airway Diseases, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Dong Soon, E-mail: soonlee@snu.ac.kr [Department of Laboratory Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of); Cancer Research Institute, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-07-15

    Highlights: • We evaluated cytogenetic aberrations of MSC during culture using G-banding and FISH. • We tracked the quantitative changes of each clone among heterogeneity upon passages. • The changes of cytogenetic profile upon passages were similar to cancer stem cell. - Abstract: To minimize the risk of tumorigenesis in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), G-banding analysis is widely used to detect chromosomal aberrations in MSCs. However, a critical limitation of G-banding is that it only reflects the status of metaphase cells, which can represent as few as 0.01% of tested cells. During routine cytogenetic testing in MSCs, we often detect chromosomal aberrations in minor cell populations. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether such a minority of cells can expand over time or if they ultimately disappear during MSC passaging. We passaged MSCs serially while monitoring quantitative changes for each aberrant clone among heterogeneous MSCs. To investigate the cytogenetic status of interphase cells, which represent the main population, we also performed interphase FISH analysis, in combination with G-banding and telomere length determination. In human adipose tissue-derived MSCs, 4 types of chromosomal aberrations were found during culturing, and in umbilical cord MSCs, 2 types of chromosomal aberrations were observed. Sequential dynamic changes among heterogeneous aberrant clones during passaging were similar to the dynamic changes observed in cancer stem cells during disease progression. Throughout all passages, the quantitative G-banding results were inconsistent with those of the interphase FISH analysis. Interphase FISH revealed hidden aberrations in stem cell populations with normal karyotypes by G-banding analysis. We found that telomere length gradually decreased during passaging until the point at which cytogenetic aberrations appeared. The present study demonstrates that rare aberrant clones at earlier passages can become predominant clones during

  1. Cytogenetic heterogeneity and their serial dynamic changes during acquisition of cytogenetic aberrations in cultured mesenchymal stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jung-Ah; Im, Kyong Ok; Park, Si Nae; Kwon, Ji Seok; Kim, Seon Young; Oh, Keunhee; Lee, Dong-Sup; Kim, Min Kyung; Kim, Seong Who; Jang, Mi; Lee, Gene; Oh, Yeon-Mok; Lee, Sang Do; Lee, Dong Soon

    2015-01-01

    Highlights: • We evaluated cytogenetic aberrations of MSC during culture using G-banding and FISH. • We tracked the quantitative changes of each clone among heterogeneity upon passages. • The changes of cytogenetic profile upon passages were similar to cancer stem cell. - Abstract: To minimize the risk of tumorigenesis in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), G-banding analysis is widely used to detect chromosomal aberrations in MSCs. However, a critical limitation of G-banding is that it only reflects the status of metaphase cells, which can represent as few as 0.01% of tested cells. During routine cytogenetic testing in MSCs, we often detect chromosomal aberrations in minor cell populations. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether such a minority of cells can expand over time or if they ultimately disappear during MSC passaging. We passaged MSCs serially while monitoring quantitative changes for each aberrant clone among heterogeneous MSCs. To investigate the cytogenetic status of interphase cells, which represent the main population, we also performed interphase FISH analysis, in combination with G-banding and telomere length determination. In human adipose tissue-derived MSCs, 4 types of chromosomal aberrations were found during culturing, and in umbilical cord MSCs, 2 types of chromosomal aberrations were observed. Sequential dynamic changes among heterogeneous aberrant clones during passaging were similar to the dynamic changes observed in cancer stem cells during disease progression. Throughout all passages, the quantitative G-banding results were inconsistent with those of the interphase FISH analysis. Interphase FISH revealed hidden aberrations in stem cell populations with normal karyotypes by G-banding analysis. We found that telomere length gradually decreased during passaging until the point at which cytogenetic aberrations appeared. The present study demonstrates that rare aberrant clones at earlier passages can become predominant clones during

  2. Ultrasonic three-dimensional on-chip cell culture for dynamic studies of tumor immune surveillance by natural killer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christakou, Athanasia E; Ohlin, Mathias; Önfelt, Björn; Wiklund, Martin

    2015-08-07

    We demonstrate a simple method for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture controlled by ultrasonic standing waves in a multi-well microplate. The method gently arranges cells in a suspension into a single aggregate in each well of the microplate and, by this, nucleates 3D tissue-like cell growth for culture times between two and seven days. The microplate device is compatible with both high-resolution optical microscopy and maintenance in a standard cell incubator. The result is a scaffold- and coating-free method for 3D cell culture that can be used for controlling the cellular architecture, as well as the cellular and molecular composition of the microenvironment in and around the formed cell structures. We demonstrate the parallel production of one hundred synthetic 3D solid tumors comprising up to thousands of human hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) HepG2 cells, we characterize the tumor structure by high-resolution optical microscopy, and we monitor the functional behavior of natural killer (NK) cells migrating, docking and interacting with the tumor model during culture. Our results show that the method can be used for determining the collective ability of a given number of NK cells to defeat a solid tumor having a certain size, shape and composition. The ultrasound-based method itself is generic and can meet any demand from applications where it is advantageous to monitor cell culture from production to analysis of 3D tissue or tumor models using microscopy in one single microplate device.

  3. A fluid dynamics approach to bioreactor design for cell and tissue culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dusting, Jonathan; Sheridan, John; Hourigan, Kerry

    2006-08-20

    The problem of controlling cylindrical tank bioreactor conditions for cell and tissue culture purposes has been considered from a flow dynamics perspective. Simple laminar flows in the vortex breakdown region are proposed as being a suitable alternative to turbulent spinner flask flows and horizontally oriented rotational flows. Vortex breakdown flows have been measured using three-dimensional Stereoscopic particle image velocimetry, and non-dimensionalized velocity and stress distributions are presented. Regions of locally high principal stress occur in the vicinity of the impeller and the lower sidewall. Topological changes in the vortex breakdown region caused by an increase in Reynolds number are reflected in a redistribution of the peak stress regions. The inclusion of submerged scaffold models adds complexity to the flow, although vortex breakdown may still occur. Relatively large stresses occur along the edge of disks jutting into the boundary of the vortex breakdown region. Copyright 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. How can you capture cultural dynamics?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yoshihisa eKashima

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Cross-cultural comparison is a critical method by which we can examine the interaction between culture and psychological processes. However, comparative methods tend to overlook cultural dynamics – the formation, maintenance, and transformation of cultures over time. The present article gives a brief overview of four different types of research designs that have been used to examine cultural dynamics in the literature: (1 cross-temporal methods that trace medium- to long-term changes in a culture; (2 cross-generational methods that explore medium-term implications of cultural transmission; (3 experimental simulation methods that investigate micro-level mechanisms of cultural dynamics; and (4 formal models and computer simulation methods often used to investigate long-term and macro-level implications of micro-level mechanisms. These methods differ in terms of level of analysis for which they are designed (micro vs. macro-level, scale of time for which they are typically used (short-, medium-, or long-term, and direction of inference (deductive vs. empirical method that they imply. The paper describes examples of these methods, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and point to their complementarity in inquiries about cultural change. Because cultural dynamics research is about meaning over time, issues deriving from interpretation of meaning and temporal distance between researchers and objects of inquiry can pose threats to the validity of the research and its findings. The methodological question about hermeneutic circle is recalled and further inquiries are encouraged.

  5. How can you capture cultural dynamics?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kashima, Yoshihisa

    2014-01-01

    Cross-cultural comparison is a critical method by which we can examine the interaction between culture and psychological processes. However, comparative methods tend to overlook cultural dynamics – the formation, maintenance, and transformation of cultures over time. The present article gives a brief overview of four different types of research designs that have been used to examine cultural dynamics in the literature: (1) cross-temporal methods that trace medium- to long-term changes in a culture; (2) cross-generational methods that explore medium-term implications of cultural transmission; (3) experimental simulation methods that investigate micro-level mechanisms of cultural dynamics; and (4) formal models and computer simulation methods often used to investigate long-term and macro-level implications of micro-level mechanisms. These methods differ in terms of level of analysis for which they are designed (micro vs. macro-level), scale of time for which they are typically used (short-, medium-, or long-term), and direction of inference (deductive vs. empirical method) that they imply. The paper describes examples of these methods, discuss their strengths and weaknesses, and point to their complementarity in inquiries about cultural change. Because cultural dynamics research is about meaning over time, issues deriving from interpretation of meaning and temporal distance between researchers and objects of inquiry can pose threats to the validity of the research and its findings. The methodological question about hermeneutic circle is recalled and further inquiries are encouraged. PMID:25309476

  6. Rheological characteristics of cell suspension and cell culture of Perilla frutescens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, J J; Seki, T; Kinoshita, S; Yoshida, T

    1992-12-05

    Physical properties such as viscosity, fluid dynamic behavior of cell suspension, and size distribution of cell aggregates of a plant, Perilla frustescens, cultured in a liquid medium were studied. As a result of investigations using cells harvester after 12 days of cultivation in a flask, it was found that the apparent viscosity of the cell suspension did not change with any variation of cell concentration below 5 g dry cell/L but markedly increased when the cell concentration increased over 12.8 g dry cell/L. The cell suspension exhibited the characteristics of a Bingham plastic fluid with a small yield stress. The size of cell aggregates in the range 74 to 500 mum did not influence the rheological characteristics of the cell suspension. The rheological characteristics of cultivation mixtures of P. frutescens cultivated in a flask and in a bioreactor were also investigated. The results showed that the flow characteristics of the cell culture could be described by a Bingham plastic model. At the later stage of cultivation, the apparent viscosity increased steadily, even though the biomass concentration (by dry weight) decreased, due to the increase of individual cell size. (c) 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  7. Functional clustering in hippocampal cultures: relating network structure and dynamics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Feldt, S; Dzakpasu, R; Olariu, E; Żochowski, M; Wang, J X; Shtrahman, E

    2010-01-01

    In this work we investigate the relationship between gross anatomic structural network properties, neuronal dynamics and the resultant functional structure in dissociated rat hippocampal cultures. Specifically, we studied cultures as they developed under two conditions: the first supporting glial cell growth (high glial group), and the second one inhibiting it (low glial group). We then compared structural network properties and the spatio-temporal activity patterns of the neurons. Differences in dynamics between the two groups could be linked to the impact of the glial network on the neuronal network as the cultures developed. We also implemented a recently developed algorithm called the functional clustering algorithm (FCA) to obtain the resulting functional network structure. We show that this new algorithm is useful for capturing changes in functional network structure as the networks evolve over time. The FCA detects changes in functional structure that are consistent with expected dynamical differences due to the impact of the glial network. Cultures in the high glial group show an increase in global synchronization as the cultures age, while those in the low glial group remain locally synchronized. We additionally use the FCA to quantify the amount of synchronization present in the cultures and show that the total level of synchronization in the high glial group is stronger than in the low glial group. These results indicate an interdependence between the glial and neuronal networks present in dissociated cultures

  8. A 3D Sphere Culture System Containing Functional Polymers for Large-Scale Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Production

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tomomi G. Otsuji

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Utilizing human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs in cell-based therapy and drug discovery requires large-scale cell production. However, scaling up conventional adherent cultures presents challenges of maintaining a uniform high quality at low cost. In this regard, suspension cultures are a viable alternative, because they are scalable and do not require adhesion surfaces. 3D culture systems such as bioreactors can be exploited for large-scale production. However, the limitations of current suspension culture methods include spontaneous fusion between cell aggregates and suboptimal passaging methods by dissociation and reaggregation. 3D culture systems that dynamically stir carrier beads or cell aggregates should be refined to reduce shearing forces that damage hPSCs. Here, we report a simple 3D sphere culture system that incorporates mechanical passaging and functional polymers. This setup resolves major problems associated with suspension culture methods and dynamic stirring systems and may be optimal for applications involving large-scale hPSC production.

  9. An efficient 3D cell culture method on biomimetic nanostructured grids.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Wolun-Cholewa

    Full Text Available Current techniques of in vitro cell cultures are able to mimic the in vivo environment only to a limited extent, as they enable cells to grow only in two dimensions. Therefore cell culture approaches should rely on scaffolds that provide support comparable to the extracellular matrix. Here we demonstrate the advantages of novel nanostructured three-dimensional grids fabricated using electro-spinning technique, as scaffolds for cultures of neoplastic cells. The results of the study show that the fibers allow for a dynamic growth of HeLa cells, which form multi-layer structures of symmetrical and spherical character. This indicates that the applied scaffolds are nontoxic and allow proper flow of oxygen, nutrients, and growth factors. In addition, grids have been proven to be useful in in situ examination of cells ultrastructure.

  10. Transposable element dynamics and PIWI regulation impacts lncRNA and gene expression diversity in Drosophila ovarian cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sytnikova, Yuliya A; Rahman, Reazur; Chirn, Gung-Wei; Clark, Josef P; Lau, Nelson C

    2014-12-01

    Piwi proteins and Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) repress transposable elements (TEs) from mobilizing in gonadal cells. To determine the spectrum of piRNA-regulated targets that may extend beyond TEs, we conducted a genome-wide survey for transcripts associated with PIWI and for transcripts affected by PIWI knockdown in Drosophila ovarian somatic sheet (OSS) cells, a follicle cell line expressing the Piwi pathway. Despite the immense sequence diversity among OSS cell piRNAs, our analysis indicates that TE transcripts are the major transcripts associated with and directly regulated by PIWI. However, several coding genes were indirectly regulated by PIWI via an adjacent de novo TE insertion that generated a nascent TE transcript. Interestingly, we noticed that PIWI-regulated genes in OSS cells greatly differed from genes affected in a related follicle cell culture, ovarian somatic cells (OSCs). Therefore, we characterized the distinct genomic TE insertions across four OSS and OSC lines and discovered dynamic TE landscapes in gonadal cultures that were defined by a subset of active TEs. Particular de novo TEs appeared to stimulate the expression of novel candidate long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in a cell lineage-specific manner, and some of these TE-associated lncRNAs were associated with PIWI and overlapped PIWI-regulated genes. Our analyses of OSCs and OSS cells demonstrate that despite having a Piwi pathway to suppress endogenous mobile elements, gonadal cell TE landscapes can still dramatically change and create transcriptome diversity. © 2014 Sytnikova et al.; Published by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

  11. Dynamics of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cell/mesenchymal stem cell interaction in co-culture and its implications in angiogenesis

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Aguirre, A.; Planell, J.A.; Engel, E.

    2010-01-01

    Research highlights: → BM-EPCs and MSCs establish complex, self-organizing structures in co-culture. → Co-culture decreases proliferation by cellular self-regulatory mechanisms. → Co-cultured cells present an activated proangiogenic phenotype. → qRT-PCR and cluster analysis identify new target genes playing important roles. -- Abstract: Tissue engineering aims to regenerate tissues and organs by using cell and biomaterial-based approaches. One of the current challenges in the field is to promote proper vascularization in the implant to prevent cell death and promote host integration. Bone marrow endothelial progenitor cells (BM-EPCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are bone marrow resident stem cells widely employed for proangiogenic applications. In vivo, they are likely to interact frequently both in the bone marrow and at sites of injury. In this study, the physical and biochemical interactions between BM-EPCs and MSCs in an in vitro co-culture system were investigated to further clarify their roles in vascularization. BM-EPC/MSC co-cultures established close cell-cell contacts soon after seeding and self-assembled to form elongated structures at 3 days. Besides direct contact, cells also exhibited vesicle transport phenomena. When co-cultured in Matrigel, tube formation was greatly enhanced even in serum-starved, growth factor free medium. Both MSCs and BM-EPCs contributed to these tubes. However, cell proliferation was greatly reduced in co-culture and morphological differences were observed. Gene expression and cluster analysis for wide panel of angiogenesis-related transcripts demonstrated up-regulation of angiogenic markers but down-regulation of many other cytokines. These data suggest that cross-talk occurs in between BM-EPCs and MSCs through paracrine and direct cell contact mechanisms leading to modulation of the angiogenic response.

  12. Increasing cell culture population doublings for long-term growth of finite life span human cell cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stampfer, Martha R; Garbe, James C

    2015-02-24

    Cell culture media formulations for culturing human epithelial cells are herein described. Also described are methods of increasing population doublings in a cell culture of finite life span human epithelial cells and prolonging the life span of human cell cultures. Using the cell culture media disclosed alone and in combination with addition to the cell culture of a compound associated with anti-stress activity achieves extended growth of pre-stasis cells and increased population doublings and life span in human epithelial cell cultures.

  13. Cultured bovine granulosa cells rapidly lose important features of their identity and functionality but partially recover under long-term culture conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yenuganti, Vengala Rao; Vanselow, Jens

    2017-05-01

    Cell culture models are essential for the detailed study of molecular processes. We analyze the dynamics of changes in a culture model of bovine granulosa cells. The cells were cultured for up to 8 days and analyzed for steroid production and gene expression. According to the expression of the marker genes CDH1, CDH2 and VIM, the cells maintained their mesenchymal character throughout the time of culture. In contrast, the levels of functionally important transcripts and of estradiol and progesterone production were rapidly down-regulated but showed a substantial up-regulation from day 4. FOXL2, a marker for granulosa cell identity, was also rapidly down-regulated after plating but completely recovered towards the end of culture. In contrast, expression of the Sertoli cell marker SOX9 and the lesion/inflammation marker PTGS2 increased during the first 2 days after plating but gradually decreased later on. We conclude that only long-term culture conditions (>4 days) allow the cells to recover from plating stress and to re-acquire characteristic granulosa cell features.

  14. Dynamic quantitative analysis of adherent cell cultures by means of lens-free video microscopy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allier, C.; Vincent, R.; Navarro, F.; Menneteau, M.; Ghenim, L.; Gidrol, X.; Bordy, T.; Hervé, L.; Cioni, O.; Bardin, S.; Bornens, M.; Usson, Y.; Morales, S.

    2018-02-01

    We present our implementation of lens-free video microscopy setup for the monitoring of adherent cell cultures. We use a multi-wavelength LED illumination together with a dedicated holographic reconstruction algorithm that allows for an efficient removal of twin images from the reconstructed phase image for densities up to those of confluent cell cultures (>500 cells/mm2). We thereby demonstrate that lens-free video microscopy, with a large field of view ( 30 mm2) can enable us to capture the images of thousands of cells simultaneously and directly inside the incubator. It is then possible to trace and quantify single cells along several cell cycles. We thus prove that lens-free microscopy is a quantitative phase imaging technique enabling estimation of several metrics at the single cell level as a function of time, for example the area, dry mass, maximum thickness, major axis length and aspect ratio of each cell. Combined with cell tracking, it is then possible to extract important parameters such as the initial cell dry mass (just after cell division), the final cell dry mass (just before cell division), the average cell growth rate, and the cell cycle duration. As an example, we discuss the monitoring of a HeLa cell cultures which provided us with a data-set featuring more than 10 000 cell cycle tracks and more than 2x106 cell morphological measurements in a single time-lapse.

  15. Fabrication of hydrogels with elasticity changed by alkaline phosphatase for stem cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Toda, Hiroyuki; Yamamoto, Masaya; Uyama, Hiroshi; Tabata, Yasuhiko

    2016-01-01

    The objective of this study is to design hydrogels whose elasticity can be changed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in cell culture and evaluate the effect of hydrogel elasticity on an osteogenic gene expression of cells. Hydrogels were prepared by the radical polymerization of acrylamide (AAm), N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS), and Phosmer™M containing phosphate groups (PE-PAAm hydrogels). The storage modulus of PE-PAAm hydrogels prepared was changed by the preparation conditions. When human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were cultured on the ALP-responsive PE-PAAm hydrogels in the presence or absence of ALP, the morphology of hMSC was observed and one of the osteogenic differentiation markers, Runx2, was evaluated. By ALP addition into the culture medium, the morphology of hMSC was changed into an elongated shape without cell damage. ALP addition modified the level of Runx2 gene expression, which was influenced by the modulus of PE-PAAm hydrogels. It is concluded that the elasticity change of hydrogel substrates in cell culture had an influence on the Runx2 gene expression of hMSC. Stem cells sense the surface elasticity of culture substrates, and their differentiation fate is biologically modified by substrate properties. Most of experiments have been performed in static conditions during cell culture, while the in vivo microenvironment is dynamically changed. In this study, we established to design an enzyme-responsive hydrogel whose elasticity can be changed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in cell culture to mimic in vivo conditions. As a result, the cells were deformed and the gene expression level of an osteogenic maker, Runx2, was modified by ALP treatment. This is the novel report describing to demonstrate that the dynamic alteration of hydrogel substrate elasticity could modulate the osteoblastic gene expression of human MSC in vitro. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  16. Regeneration of Achilles' tendon: the role of dynamic stimulation for enhanced cell proliferation and mechanical properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jongman; Guarino, Vincenzo; Gloria, Antonio; Ambrosio, Luigi; Tae, Giyoong; Kim, Young Ha; Jung, Youngmee; Kim, Sang-Heon; Kim, Soo Hyun

    2010-01-01

    The tissue engineering of tendon was studied using highly elastic poly(L-lactide-co-epsilon-caprolactone) (PLCL) scaffolds and focusing on the effect of dynamic tensile stimulation. Tenocytes from rabbit Achilles tendon were seeded (1.0 x 10(6) cells/scaffold) onto porous PLCL scaffolds and cultured for periods of 2 weeks and 4 weeks. This was performed in a static system and also in a bioreactor equipped with tensile modulation which mimicked the environmental surroundings of tendons with respect to tensile extension. The degradation of the polymeric scaffolds during the culture was relatively slow. However, there was an indication that cells accelerated the degradation of PLCL scaffolds. The scaffold/cell adducts from the static culture exhibited inferior strength (at 2 weeks 350 kPa, 4 weeks 300 kPa) compared to the control without cells (at 2 weeks 460 kPa, 4 weeks 340 kPa), indicating that the cells contributed to the enhanced degradation. On the contrary, the corresponding values of the adducts from the dynamic culture (at 2 weeks 430 kPa, 4 weeks 370 kPa) were similar to, or higher than, those from the control. This could be explained by the increased quantity of cells and neo-tissues in the case of dynamic culture compensating for the loss in tensile strength. Compared with static and dynamic culture conditions, mechanical stimulation played a crucial role in the regeneration of tendon tissue. In the case of the dynamic culture system, cell proliferation was enhanced and secretion of collagen type I was increased, as evidenced by DNA assay and histological and immunofluorescence analysis. Thus, tendon regeneration, indicated by improved mechanical and biological properties, was demonstrated, confirming the effect of mechanical stimulation. It could be concluded that the dynamic tensile stimulation appeared to be an essential factor in tendon/ligament tissue engineering, and that elastic PLCL co-polymers could be very beneficial in this process.

  17. Cytotoxicity of TSP in 3D Agarose Gel Cultured Cell.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Song-I Chun

    Full Text Available A reference reagent, 3-(trimethylsilyl propionic-2, 2, 3, 3-d4 acid sodium (TSP, has been used frequently in nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR and magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS as an internal reference to identify cell and tissue metabolites, and determine chemical and protein structures. This reference material has been exploited for the quantitative and dynamic analyses of metabolite spectra acquired from cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxicity of TSP on three-dimensionally, agarose gel, cultured cells.A human osteosarcoma cell line (MG-63 was selected, and cells were three dimensionally cultured for two weeks in an agarose gel. The culture system contained a mixture of conventional culture medium and various concentrations (0, 1, 3, 5, 7, 10, 20 30 mM of TSP. A DNA quantification assay was conducted to assess cell proliferation using Quant-iT PicoGreen dsDNA reagent and kit, and cell viability was determined using a LIVE/DEAD Viability/Cytotoxicity kit. Both examinations were performed simultaneously at 1, 3, 7 and 14 days from cell seeding.In this study, the cytotoxicity of TSP in the 3D culture of MG-63 cells was evaluated by quantifying DNA (cell proliferation and cell viability. High concentrations of TSP (from 10 to 30 mM reduced both cell proliferation and viability (to 30% of the control after one week of exposure, but no such effects were found using low concentrations of TSP (0-10 mM.This study shows that low concentrations of TSP in 3D cell culture medium can be used for quantitative NMR or MRS examinations for up to two weeks post exposure.

  18. Dynamic culture of a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel as an extracellular matrix improves the construction of tissue-engineered peripheral nerve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lanfeng; Li, Rui; Liu, Wanguo; Dai, Jin; Du, Zhenwu; Wang, Xiaonan; Ma, Jianchao; Zhao, Jinsong

    2014-07-15

    Tissue engineering technologies offer new treatment strategies for the repair of peripheral nerve injury, but cell loss between seeding and adhesion to the scaffold remains inevitable. A thermosensitive collagen hydrogel was used as an extracellular matrix in this study and combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to construct tissue-engineered peripheral nerve composites in vitro. Dynamic culture was performed at an oscillating frequency of 0.5 Hz and 35° swing angle above and below the horizontal plane. The results demonstrated that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells formed membrane-like structures around the poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds and exhibited regular alignment on the composite surface. Collagen was used to fill in the pores, and seeded cells adhered onto the poly-L-lactic acid fibers. The DNA content of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was higher in the composites constructed with a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel compared with that in collagen I scaffold controls. The cellular DNA content was also higher in the thermosensitive collagen hydrogel composites constructed with the thermosensitive collagen hydrogel in dynamic culture than that in static culture. These results indicate that tissue-engineered composites formed with thermosensitive collagen hydrogel in dynamic culture can maintain larger numbers of seeded cells by avoiding cell loss during the initial adhesion stage. Moreover, seeded cells were distributed throughout the material.

  19. Peptide Hydrogelation and Cell Encapsulation for 3D Culture of MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Xiuzhi S.; Nguyen, Thu A.

    2013-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture plays an invaluable role in tumor biology by providing in vivo like microenviroment and responses to therapeutic agents. Among many established 3D scaffolds, hydrogels demonstrate a distinct property as matrics for 3D cell culture. Most of the existing pre-gel solutions are limited under physiological conditions such as undesirable pH or temperature. Here, we report a peptide hydrogel that shows superior physiological properties as an in vitro matrix for 3D cell culture. The 3D matrix can be accomplished by mixing a self-assembling peptide directly with a cell culture medium without any pH or temperature adjustment. Results of dynamic rheological studies showed that this hydrogel can be delivered multiple times via pipetting without permanently destroying the hydrogel architecture, indicating the deformability and remodeling ability of the hydrogel. Human epithelial cancer cells, MCF-7, are encapsulated homogeneously in the hydrogel matrix during hydrogelation. Compared with two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture, cells residing in the hydrogel matrix grow as tumor-like clusters in 3D formation. Relevant parameters related to cell morphology, survival, proliferation, and apoptosis were analyzed using MCF-7 cells in 3D hydrogels. Interestingly, treatment of cisplatin, an anti-cancer drug, can cause a significant decrease of cell viability of MCF-7 clusters in hydrogels. The responses to cisplatin were dose- and time-dependent, indicating the potential usage of hydrogels for drug testing. Results of confocal microscopy and Western blotting showed that cells isolated from hydrogels are suitable for downstream proteomic analysis. The results provided evidence that this peptide hydrogel is a promising 3D cell culture material for drug testing. PMID:23527204

  20. Establishment of three-dimensional cultures of human pancreatic duct epithelial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gutierrez-Barrera, Angelica M.; Menter, David G.; Abbruzzese, James L.; Reddy, Shrikanth A.G.

    2007-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) cultures of epithelial cells offer singular advantages for studies of morphogenesis or the role of cancer genes in oncogenesis. In this study, as part of establishing a 3D culture system of pancreatic duct epithelial cells, we compared human pancreatic duct epithelial cells (HPDE-E6E7) with pancreatic cancer cell lines. Our results show, that in contrast to cancer cells, HPDE-E6E7 organized into spheroids with what appeared to be apical and basal membranes and a luminal space. Immunostaining experiments indicated that protein kinase Akt was phosphorylated (Ser473) and CTMP, a negative Akt regulator, was expressed in both HPDE-E6E7 and cancer cells. However, a nuclear pool of CTMP was detectable in HPDE-E6E7 cells that showed a dynamic concentrated expression pattern, a feature that further distinguished HPDE-E637 cells from cancer cells. Collectively, these data suggest that 3D cultures of HPDE-E6E7 cells are useful for investigating signaling and morphological abnormalities in pancreatic cancer cells

  1. Micropit: a new cell culturing approach for characterization of solitary astrocytes and small networks of these glial cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    William Lee

    2008-12-01

    Full Text Available Astrocytes play an important role in cell-cell signaling in the mammalian central nervous system. The ability of astrocytes to communicate with surrounding cells through gap-junctional coupling or signaling via the release of transmitters makes characterization of these cells difficult in vitro and even more so in vivo. To simplify the complexity of common in vitro systems, introduced by intercellular communication between astrocytes, we developed a novel cell culturing method, in which purified rat visual cortical astrocytes were grown in spatially defined cell-adhesion wells which we termed micropits. We showed that astrocytes cultured in micropit regions were viable and exhibited similar characteristics of Ca2+ dynamics and astrocytic marker expression to those of cells cultured in non-micropit regions. Examination of intracellular Ca2+ oscillations in solitary astrocytes cultured in micropits revealed less variable oscillations than those of non-micropit grouped astrocytes, which were in contact with their neighbors. Solitary cells in micropit regions can undergo ATP-mediated astrocyte-microglia signaling, demonstrating that this culturing method can also be used to investigate glial-glial interactions in a spatially well-defined microenvironment.

  2. Application of speckle dynamics for studying metabolic activity of cell cultures with herpes virus

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vladimirov, A. P.; Bakharev, A. A.; Malygin, A. S.; Mikhaylova, J. A.; Borodin, E. M.; Poryvayeva, A. P.; Glinskikh, N. P.

    2014-05-01

    The report considers the results of the experiments in which digital values of light intensity I and the image area correlation index η values were recorded on a real-time basis for one or two days. Three cell cultures with viruses along with intact cultures were investigated. High correlation of dependence of η values on time t values was demonstrated for three cultures. The η=η(t) and I=I(t) dependences for cells with and without viruses differ considerably. It was shown that the presence of viruses could be determined as early as ten minutes after measurements were started.

  3. High-Throughput Cancer Cell Sphere Formation for Characterizing the Efficacy of Photo Dynamic Therapy in 3D Cell Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yu-Chih; Lou, Xia; Zhang, Zhixiong; Ingram, Patrick; Yoon, Euisik

    2015-07-01

    Photodynamic therapy (PDT), wherein light sensitive non-toxic agents are locally and selectively activated using light, has emerged as an appealing alternative to traditional cancer chemotherapy. Yet to date, PDT efficacy has been mostly characterized using 2D cultures. Compared to 2D cultures, 3D sphere culture generates unique spatial distributions of nutrients and oxygen for the cells that better mimics the in-vivo conditions. Using a novel polyHEMA (non-adherent polymer) fabrication process, we developed a microfluidic sphere formation platform that can (1) generate 1,024 uniform (size variation successfully characterized the different responses in 2D and 3D cell culture to PDT. Furthermore, we investigated the treatment resistance effect in cancer cells induced by tumor associated fibroblasts (CAF). Although the CAFs can enhance the resistance to traditional chemotherapy agents, no significant difference in PDT was observed. The preliminary results suggest that the PDT can be an attractive alternative cancer therapy, which is less affected by the therapeutic resistance induced by cancer associated cells.

  4. Culture of human intestinal epithelial cell using the dissociating enzyme thermolysin and endothelin-3

    OpenAIRE

    Liu, Z.; Zhang, P.; Zhou, Y.; Qin, H.; Shen, T.

    2010-01-01

    Epithelium, a highly dynamic system, plays a key role in the homeostasis of the intestine. However, thus far a human intestinal epithelial cell line has not been established in many countries. Fetal tissue was selected to generate viable cell cultures for its sterile condition, effective generation, and differentiated character. The purpose of the present study was to culture human intestinal epithelial cells by a relatively simple method. Thermolysin was added to improve the yield of epithel...

  5. Perfusion based cell culture chips

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Heiskanen, Arto; Emnéus, Jenny; Dufva, Martin

    2010-01-01

    Performing cell culture in miniaturized perfusion chambers gives possibilities to experiment with cells under near in vivo like conditions. In contrast to traditional batch cultures, miniaturized perfusion systems provide precise control of medium composition, long term unattended cultures...... and tissue like structuring of the cultures. However, as this chapter illustrates, many issues remain to be identified regarding perfusion cell culture such as design, material choice and how to use these systems before they will be widespread amongst biomedical researchers....

  6. Dynamic instability of genomic methylation patterns in pluripotent stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ooi Steen KT

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic methylation patterns are established during gametogenesis, and perpetuated in somatic cells by faithful maintenance methylation. There have been previous indications that genomic methylation patterns may be less stable in embryonic stem (ES cells than in differentiated somatic cells, but it is not known whether different mechanisms of de novo and maintenance methylation operate in pluripotent stem cells compared with differentiating somatic cells. Results In this paper, we show that ablation of the DNA methyltransferase regulator DNMT3L (DNA methyltransferase 3-like in mouse ES cells renders them essentially incapable of de novo methylation of newly integrated retroviral DNA. We also show that ES cells lacking DNMT3L lose DNA methylation over time in culture, suggesting that DNA methylation in ES cells is the result of dynamic loss and gain of DNA methylation. We found that wild-type female ES cells lose DNA methylation at a much faster rate than do male ES cells; this defect could not be attributed to sex-specific differences in expression of DNMT3L or of any DNA methyltransferase. We also found that human ES and induced pluripotent stem cell lines showed marked but variable loss of methylation that could not be attributed to sex chromosome constitution or time in culture. Conclusions These data indicate that DNA methylation in pluripotent stem cells is much more dynamic and error-prone than is maintenance methylation in differentiated cells. DNA methylation requires DNMT3L in stem cells, but DNMT3L is not expressed in differentiating somatic cells. Error-prone maintenance methylation will introduce unpredictable phenotypic variation into clonal populations of pluripotent stem cells, and this variation is likely to be much more pronounced in cultured female cells. This epigenetic variability has obvious negative implications for the clinical applications of stem cells.

  7. Fabrication of micropatterned hydrogels for neural culture systems using dynamic mask projection photolithography.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Curley, J Lowry; Jennings, Scott R; Moore, Michael J

    2011-02-11

    Increasingly, patterned cell culture environments are becoming a relevant technique to study cellular characteristics, and many researchers believe in the need for 3D environments to represent in vitro experiments which better mimic in vivo qualities. Studies in fields such as cancer research, neural engineering, cardiac physiology, and cell-matrix interaction have shown cell behavior differs substantially between traditional monolayer cultures and 3D constructs. Hydrogels are used as 3D environments because of their variety, versatility and ability to tailor molecular composition through functionalization. Numerous techniques exist for creation of constructs as cell-supportive matrices, including electrospinning, elastomer stamps, inkjet printing, additive photopatterning, static photomask projection-lithography, and dynamic mask microstereolithography. Unfortunately, these methods involve multiple production steps and/or equipment not readily adaptable to conventional cell and tissue culture methods. The technique employed in this protocol adapts the latter two methods, using a digital micromirror device (DMD) to create dynamic photomasks for crosslinking geometrically specific poly-(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels, induced through UV initiated free radical polymerization. The resulting "2.5D" structures provide a constrained 3D environment for neural growth. We employ a dual-hydrogel approach, where PEG serves as a cell-restrictive region supplying structure to an otherwise shapeless but cell-permissive self-assembling gel made from either Puramatrix or agarose. The process is a quick simple one step fabrication which is highly reproducible and easily adapted for use with conventional cell culture methods and substrates. Whole tissue explants, such as embryonic dorsal root ganglia (DRG), can be incorporated into the dual hydrogel constructs for experimental assays such as neurite outgrowth. Additionally, dissociated cells can be encapsulated in the

  8. Cell Culture Made Easy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dye, Frank J.

    1985-01-01

    Outlines steps to generate cell samples for observation and experimentation. The procedures (which use ordinary laboratory equipment) will establish a short-term primary culture of normal mammalian cells. Information on culture vessels and cell division and a list of questions to generate student interest and involvement in the topics are…

  9. Expression dynamics of self-renewal factors for spermatogonial stem cells in the mouse testis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Mizuki; Masaki, Kaito; Aiba, Shota; Tone, Masaaki; Takashima, Seiji

    2018-04-16

    Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) are bona fide self-renewal factors for spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs). Although GDNF is indispensable for the maintenance of SSCs, the role of FGF2 in the testis remains to be elucidated. To clarify this, the expression dynamics and regulatory mechanisms of Fgf2 and Gdnf in the mouse testes were analyzed. It is well known that Sertoli cells express Gdnf, and its receptor is expressed in a subset of undifferentiated spermatogonia, including SSCs. However, we found that Fgf2 was mainly expressed in the germ cells and its receptors were expressed not only in the cultured spermatogonial cell line, but also in testicular somatic cells. Aging, hypophysectomy, retinoic acid treatment, and testicular injury induced distinct Fgf2 and Gdnf expression dynamics, suggesting a difference in the expression mechanism of Fgf2 and Gdnf in the testis. Such differences might cause a dynamic fluctuation of Gdnf/Fgf2 ratio depending on the intrinsic/extrinsic cues. Considering that FGF2-cultured spermatogonia exhibit more differentiated phenotype than those cultured with GDNF, FGF2 might play a role distinct from that of GDNF in the testis, despite the fact that both factors are self-renewal factor for SSC in vitro.

  10. A biocompatible micro cell culture chamber (mu CCC) for the culturing and on-line monitoring of eukaryote cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stangegaard, Michael; Petronis, Sarunas; Jørgensen, Anders Michael

    2006-01-01

    culture chip compared to cell culture flasks. The cell culture chip could without further modification support cell growth of two other cell lines. Light coming from the microscope lamp during optical recordings of the cells was the only external factor identified, that could have a negative effect...... on cell survival. Low grade light exposure was however compatible with optical recordings as well as cell viability. These results strongly indicate that a cell culture chip could be constructed that allowed for on-line optical recording of cellular events without affecting the cell culturing condition...

  11. A biocompatible micro cell culture chamber (microCCC) for the culturing and on-line monitoring of eukaryote cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Stangegaard, Michael; Petronis, Sarunas; Jørgensen, A M

    2006-01-01

    culture chip compared to cell culture flasks. The cell culture chip could without further modification support cell growth of two other cell lines. Light coming from the microscope lamp during optical recordings of the cells was the only external factor identified, that could have a negative effect...... on cell survival. Low grade light exposure was however compatible with optical recordings as well as cell viability. These results strongly indicate that a cell culture chip could be constructed that allowed for on-line optical recording of cellular events without affecting the cell culturing condition...

  12. Reduced Osteogenesis of Human Osteogenic Precursors' Cells Cultured in the Random Positioning Machine

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gershovich, J. G.; Buravkova, L. B.

    2008-06-01

    Recent studies have shown that simulated microgravity (SMG) results in altered proliferation and differentiation not only osteoblasts but also affects on osteogenic capacity of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) from various sources. For present study we used system that simulates effects of microgravity produced by the Random Positioning Machine (RPM). Cultured MCSs from human bone marrow and human osteoblasts (OBs) were exposed to SMG at RPM for 10-40 days. Induced osteogenesis of these progenitor cells was compared with the appropriate static (1g) and dynamic (horizontal shaker) controls. Clinorotated OBs and MSCs showed proliferation rate lower than static and dynamic control groups of cells in the early terms of SMG. Significant reduction of ALP activity was detected after 10 days of clinorotation of MSCs. There was no such dramatic difference in ALP activity of MSCs derived cells between SMG and control groups after 20 days of clinorotation but the expression of ALP was still reduced. However, virtually no matrix mineralization was found in OBs cultured under SMG conditions in the presence of differentiation stimuli. The similar effect was observed when we assayed matrix calcification of MSCs derived cultures. Thus, our results confirm low gravity mediated reduction of osteogenesis of different osteogenic precursors' cells and can clarify the mechanisms of bone loss during spaceflight.

  13. Purinergic responses of chondrogenic stem cells to dynamic loading

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gađanski Ivana

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available In habitually loaded tissues, dynamic loading can trigger ATP (adenosine 5’- triphosphate release to extracellular environment, and result in calcium signaling via ATP binding to purine P2 receptors1. In the current study we have compared purinergic responses (ATP release of two types of cells: bovine chondrocytes (bCHs and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC that were encapsulated in agarose and subjected to dynamic loading. Both cell types were cultured under chondrogenic conditions, and their responses to loading were evaluated by ATP release assay in combination with connexin (Cx-sensitive fluorescent dye (Lucifer Yellow - LY and a Cx-hemichannel blocker (Flufenamic acid - FFA. In response to dynamic loading, chondrogenic hMSCs released significantly higher amounts of ATP (5-fold in comparison to the bCHs early in culture (day 2. Triggering of LY uptake in the bCHs and hMSCs by dynamic loading implies opening of the Cx-hemichannels. However, the number of LY-positive cells in hMSC-constructs was 2.5-fold lower compared to the loaded bCH-constructs, suggesting utilization of additional mechanisms of ATP release. Cx-reactive sites were detected in both bCHs and hMSCs-constructs. FFA application led to reduced ATP release both in bCHs and hMSCs, which confirms the involvement of connexin hemichannels, with more prominent effects in bCHs than in hMSCs, further implying the existence of additional mechanism of ATP release in chondrogenic hMSCs. Taken together, these results indicate stronger purinergic response to dynamic loading of chondrogenic hMSCs than primary chondrocytes, by activation of connexin hemichannels and additional mechanisms of ATP release. [Projekat Ministrastva nauke Republike Srbije, ON174028 i br. III41007

  14. Cell Culturing of Cytoskeleton

    Science.gov (United States)

    2004-01-01

    Biomedical research offers hope for a variety of medical problems, from diabetes to the replacement of damaged bone and tissues. Bioreactors, which are used to grow cells and tissue cultures, play a major role in such research and production efforts. Cell culturing, such as this bone cell culture, is an important part of biomedical research. The BioDyn payload includes a tissue engineering investigation. The commercial affiliate, Millenium Biologix, Inc., has been conducting bone implant experiments to better understand how synthetic bone can be used to treat bone-related illnesses and bone damaged in accidents. On STS-95, the BioDyn payload will include a bone cell culture aimed to help develop this commercial synthetic bone product. Millenium Biologix, Inc., is exploring the potential for making human bone implantable materials by seeding its proprietary artificial scaffold material with human bone cells. The product of this tissue engineering experiment using the Bioprocessing Modules (BPMs) on STS-95 is space-grown bone implants, which could have potential for dental implants, long bone grafts, and coating for orthopedic implants such as hip replacements.

  15. 9 CFR 101.6 - Cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-01-01

    ... 9 Animals and Animal Products 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Cell cultures. 101.6 Section 101.6..., SERUMS, TOXINS, AND ANALOGOUS PRODUCTS; ORGANISMS AND VECTORS DEFINITIONS § 101.6 Cell cultures. When used in conjunction with or in reference to cell cultures, which may be referred to as tissue cultures...

  16. Role of cell division and self-propulsion in self-organization of 2D cell co-cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Das, Moumita; Dey, Supravat; Wu, Mingming; Ma, Minglin

    Self-organization of cells is a key process in developmental and cancer biology. The differential adhesion hypothesis (DAH), which assumes cells as equilibrium liquid droplets and relates the self-assembly of cells to differences in inter-cellular adhesiveness, has been very successful in explaining cellular organization during morphogenesis where neighboring cells have the same non-equilibrium properties (motility, proliferation rate). However, recently it has been experimentally shown that for a co-culture of two different cell types proliferating at different rates, the resulting spatial morphologies cannot be explained using the DAH alone. Motivated by this, we develop and study a two-dimensional model of a cell co-culture that includes cell division and self-propulsion in addition to cell-cell adhesion, and systemically study how cells with significantly different adhesion, motility, and proliferation rate dynamically organize themselves in a spatiotemporal and context-dependent manner. Our results may help to understand how differential equilibrium and non-equilibrium properties cooperate and compete leading to different morphologies during tumor development, with important consequences for invasion and metastasis

  17. Bridging the gap between cell culture and live tissue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Stefan Przyborski

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Traditional in vitro two-dimensional (2-D culture systems only partly imitate the physiological and biochemical features of cells in their original tissue. In vivo, in organs and tissues, cells are surrounded by a three-dimensional (3-D organization of supporting matrix and neighbouring cells, and a gradient of chemical and mechanical signals. Furthermore, the presence of blood flow and mechanical movement provides a dynamic environment (Jong et al., 2011. In contrast, traditional in vitro culture, carried out on 2-D plastic or glass substrates, typically provides a static environment, which, however is the base of the present understanding of many biological processes, tissue homeostasis as well as disease. It is clear that this is not an exact representation of what is happening in vivo and the microenvironment provided by in vitro cell culture models are significantly different and can cause deviations in cell response and behaviour from those distinctive of in vivo tissues. In order to translate the present basic knowledge in cell control, cell repair and regeneration from the laboratory bench to the clinical application, we need a better understanding of the cell and tissue interactions. This implies a detailed comprehension of the natural tissue environment, with its organization and local signals, in order to more closely mimic what happens in vivo, developing more physiological models for efficient in vitro systems. In particular, it is imperative to understand the role of the environmental cues which can be mainly divided into those of a chemical and mechanical nature.

  18. Culture of human intestinal epithelial cell using the dissociating enzyme thermolysin and endothelin-3

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Z. Liu

    2010-05-01

    Full Text Available Epithelium, a highly dynamic system, plays a key role in the homeostasis of the intestine. However, thus far a human intestinal epithelial cell line has not been established in many countries. Fetal tissue was selected to generate viable cell cultures for its sterile condition, effective generation, and differentiated character. The purpose of the present study was to culture human intestinal epithelial cells by a relatively simple method. Thermolysin was added to improve the yield of epithelial cells, while endothelin-3 was added to stimulate their growth. By adding endothelin-3, the achievement ratio (viable cell cultures/total cultures was enhanced to 60% of a total of 10 cultures (initiated from 8 distinct fetal small intestines, allowing the generation of viable epithelial cell cultures. Western blot, real-time PCR and immunofluorescent staining showed that cytokeratins 8, 18 and mouse intestinal mucosa-1/39 had high expression levels in human intestinal epithelial cells. Differentiated markers such as sucrase-isomaltase, aminopeptidase N and dipeptidylpeptidase IV also showed high expression levels in human intestinal epithelial cells. Differentiated human intestinal epithelial cells, with the expression of surface markers (cytokeratins 8, 18 and mouse intestinal mucosa-1/39 and secretion of cytokines (sucrase-isomaltase, aminopeptidase N and dipeptidylpeptidase IV, may be cultured by the thermolysin and endothelin-3 method and maintained for at least 20 passages. This is relatively simple, requiring no sophisticated techniques or instruments, and may have a number of varied applications.

  19. Comparison of EBV DNA viral load in whole blood, plasma, B-cells and B-cell culture supernatant.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ouedraogo, David Eric; Bollore, Karine; Viljoen, Johannes; Foulongne, Vincent; Reynes, Jacques; Cartron, Guillaume; Vendrell, Jean-Pierre; Van de Perre, Philippe; Tuaillon, Edouard

    2014-05-01

    Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) genome quantitation in whole blood is used widely for therapeutic monitoring of EBV-associated disorders in immunosuppressed individuals and in patients with EBV-associated lymphoma. However, the most appropriate biological material to be used for EBV DNA quantitation remains a subject of debate. This study compare the detection rate and levels of EBV DNA from whole blood, plasma, enriched B-cells, and B-cell short-term culture supernatant using quantitative real-time PCR. Samples were collected from 33 subjects with either HIV infection or B-cell lymphoma. Overall, EBV DNA was detected in 100% of enriched B-cell samples, in 82% of B-cell culture supernatants, in 57% of plasma, and 42% of whole blood samples. A significant correlation for EBV viral load was found between enriched B-cell and B-cell culture supernatant material (ρ = 0.92; P cells (ρ = -0.02; P = 0.89), whole blood and plasma (ρ = 0.24; P = 0.24), or enriched B-cells and plasma (ρ = 0.08; P = 0.77). Testing of enriched B-cells appeared to be the most sensitive method for detection of EBV DNA as well as for exploration of the cellular reservoir. Quantitation of EBV DNA in plasma and B-cell culture supernatant may be of interest to assess EBV reactivation dynamics and response to treatment as well as to decipher EBV host-pathogen interactions in various clinical scenarios. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  20. Microfluidic cell culture systems for drug research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Min-Hsien; Huang, Song-Bin; Lee, Gwo-Bin

    2010-04-21

    In pharmaceutical research, an adequate cell-based assay scheme to efficiently screen and to validate potential drug candidates in the initial stage of drug discovery is crucial. In order to better predict the clinical response to drug compounds, a cell culture model that is faithful to in vivo behavior is required. With the recent advances in microfluidic technology, the utilization of a microfluidic-based cell culture has several advantages, making it a promising alternative to the conventional cell culture methods. This review starts with a comprehensive discussion on the general process for drug discovery and development, the role of cell culture in drug research, and the characteristics of the cell culture formats commonly used in current microfluidic-based, cell-culture practices. Due to the significant differences in several physical phenomena between microscale and macroscale devices, microfluidic technology provides unique functionality, which is not previously possible by using traditional techniques. In a subsequent section, the niches for using microfluidic-based cell culture systems for drug research are discussed. Moreover, some critical issues such as cell immobilization, medium pumping or gradient generation in microfluidic-based, cell-culture systems are also reviewed. Finally, some practical applications of microfluidic-based, cell-culture systems in drug research particularly those pertaining to drug toxicity testing and those with a high-throughput capability are highlighted.

  1. Use of an adaptable cell culture kit for performing lymphocyte and monocyte cell cultures in microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hatton, J. P.; Lewis, M. L.; Roquefeuil, S. B.; Chaput, D.; Cazenave, J. P.; Schmitt, D. A.

    1998-01-01

    The results of experiments performed in recent years on board facilities such as the Space Shuttle/Spacelab have demonstrated that many cell systems, ranging from simple bacteria to mammalian cells, are sensitive to the microgravity environment, suggesting gravity affects fundamental cellular processes. However, performing well-controlled experiments aboard spacecraft offers unique challenges to the cell biologist. Although systems such as the European 'Biorack' provide generic experiment facilities including an incubator, on-board 1-g reference centrifuge, and contained area for manipulations, the experimenter must still establish a system for performing cell culture experiments that is compatible with the constraints of spaceflight. Two different cell culture kits developed by the French Space Agency, CNES, were recently used to perform a series of experiments during four flights of the 'Biorack' facility aboard the Space Shuttle. The first unit, Generic Cell Activation Kit 1 (GCAK-1), contains six separate culture units per cassette, each consisting of a culture chamber, activator chamber, filtration system (permitting separation of cells from supernatant in-flight), injection port, and supernatant collection chamber. The second unit (GCAK-2) also contains six separate culture units, including a culture, activator, and fixation chambers. Both hardware units permit relatively complex cell culture manipulations without extensive use of spacecraft resources (crew time, volume, mass, power), or the need for excessive safety measures. Possible operations include stimulation of cultures with activators, separation of cells from supernatant, fixation/lysis, manipulation of radiolabelled reagents, and medium exchange. Investigations performed aboard the Space Shuttle in six different experiments used Jurkat, purified T-cells or U937 cells, the results of which are reported separately. We report here the behaviour of Jurkat and U937 cells in the GCAK hardware in ground

  2. The metabolic dynamics of cartilage explants over a long-term culture period

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    E.K Moo

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: Although previous studies have been performed on cartilage explant cultures, the generalized dynamics of cartilage metabolism after extraction from the host are still poorly understood due to differences in the experimental setups across studies, which in turn prevent building a complete picture. METHODS: In this study, we investigated the response of cartilage to the trauma sustained during extraction and determined the time needed for the cartilage to stabilize. Explants were extracted aseptically from bovine metacarpal-phalangeal joints and cultured for up to 17 days. RESULTS: The cell viability, cell number, proteoglycan content, and collagen content of the harvested explants were analyzed at 0, 2, 10, and 17 days after explantation. A high percentage of the cartilage explants were found to be viable. The cell density initially increased significantly but stabilized after two days. The proteoglycan content decreased gradually over time, but it did not decrease to a significant level due to leakage through the distorted peripheral collagen network and into the bathing medium. The collagen content remained stable for most of the culture period until it dropped abruptly on day 17. CONCLUSION: Overall, the tested cartilage explants were sustainable over long-term culture. They were most stable from day 2 to day 10. The degradation of the collagen on day 17 did not reach diseased levels, but it indicated the potential of the cultures to develop into degenerated cartilage. These findings have implications for the application of cartilage explants in pathophysiological fields.

  3. Adhesion and endothelialization of endothelial cells on the surface of endovascular stents by the novel rotational culture of cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang Chaojun; Wang Guixue; Cao Yi; Wu Xue; Xie Xiang; Xiao Li

    2008-01-01

    Recent researches indicate that the initial event in the implantation of endovascular stents involves mechanical injury to the vessel wall. Confluent endothelialization of vascular grafts in vitro before implantation has been suggested as a way to reduce injury of the blood vessel. The purpose of this study is to establish a useful way to improve the adhesion of endothelial cells and accelerate endothelialization on the surface of endovascular stents by a novel rotational culture device. Numerical simulation was used to predict the shear stress on the surface of stents. The number of cellular adhesion was calculated by cell counting, the cell growth was observed by scanning electron microscope and fluorescence microscope. Numerical simulation results showed that the stents was exposed to shear stress of 2.66 x 10 -3 to 8.88 x 10 -2 Pa. Rotational culture of human umbilical vein endothelial cells could enhance the adhesion of cells and accelerate endothelialization on the surface of stents when the culture conditions for EC adhesion were intermediate rotation speed, higher dynamic incubation times, lower cell densities

  4. Three-dimensional simulated microgravity culture improves the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cell in PLGA scaffolds implanted in mice.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yanping; He, Lina; Pan, Shuang; Zhang, Lin; Zhang, Weiwei; Yi, Hong; Niu, Yumei

    2017-02-01

    Tooth regeneration through stem cell-based therapy is a promising treatment for tooth decay and loss. Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) have been widely identified as the stem cells with the most potential for tooth tissue regeneration. However, the culture of hDPSCs in vitro for tissue engineering is challenging, as cells may proliferate slowly or/and differentiate poorly in vivo. Dynamic three‑dimensional (3D) simulated microgravity (SMG) created using the rotary cell culture system is considered to an effective tool, which contributes to several cell functions. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of dynamic 3D SMG culture on the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation abilities of hDPSCs in poly (lactic‑co‑glycolic acid) (PLGA) scaffolds in nude mice. The hDPSCs on PLGA scaffolds were maintained separately in the 3D SMG culture system and static 3D cultures with osteogenic medium for 7 days in vitro. Subsequently, the cell‑PLGA complexes were implanted subcutaneously on the backs of nude mice for 4 weeks. The results of histological and immunohistochemical examinations of Ki‑67, type I collagen, dentin sialoprotein and DMP‑1 indicated that the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation abilities of the hDPSCs prepared in the 3D SMG culture system were higher, compared with those prepared in the static culture system. These findings suggested that dynamic 3D SMG culture likely contributes to tissue engineering by improving the proliferation and odontogenic differentiation abilities of hDPSCs in vivo.

  5. Rapid and dynamic arginylation of the leading edge β-actin is required for cell migration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pavlyk, Iuliia; Leu, Nicolae A; Vedula, Pavan; Kurosaka, Satoshi; Kashina, Anna

    2018-04-01

    β-actin plays key roles in cell migration. Our previous work demonstrated that β-actin in migratory non-muscle cells is N-terminally arginylated and that this arginylation is required for normal lamellipodia extension. Here, we examined the function of β-actin arginylation in cell migration. We found that arginylated β-actin is concentrated at the leading edge of lamellipodia and that this enrichment is abolished after serum starvation as well as in contact-inhibited cells in confluent cultures, suggesting that arginylated β-actin at the cell leading edge is coupled to active migration. Arginylated actin levels exhibit dynamic changes in response to cell stimuli, lowered after serum starvation and dramatically elevating within minutes after cell stimulation by readdition of serum or lysophosphatidic acid. These dynamic changes require active translation and are not seen in confluent contact-inhibited cell cultures. Microinjection of arginylated actin antibodies into cells severely and specifically inhibits their migration rates. Together, these data strongly suggest that arginylation of β-actin is a tightly regulated dynamic process that occurs at the leading edge of locomoting cells in response to stimuli and is integral to the signaling network that regulates cell migration. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  6. Principles of cancer cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cree, Ian A

    2011-01-01

    The basics of cell culture are now relatively common, though it was not always so. The pioneers of cell culture would envy our simple access to manufactured plastics, media and equipment for such studies. The prerequisites for cell culture are a well lit and suitably ventilated laboratory with a laminar flow hood (Class II), CO(2) incubator, benchtop centrifuge, microscope, plasticware (flasks and plates) and a supply of media with or without serum supplements. Not only can all of this be ordered easily over the internet, but large numbers of well-characterised cell lines are available from libraries maintained to a very high standard allowing the researcher to commence experiments rapidly and economically. Attention to safety and disposal is important, and maintenance of equipment remains essential. This chapter should enable researchers with little prior knowledge to set up a suitable laboratory to do basic cell culture, but there is still no substitute for experience within an existing well-run laboratory.

  7. Bacterial cell culture

    OpenAIRE

    sprotocols

    2014-01-01

    ### Materials 1. Glass culture tubes with metal caps and labels - Growth medium, from media room or customized - Glass pipette tubes - Parafilm ### Equipment 1. Vortexer - Fireboy or Bunsen burner - Motorized pipette - Micropipettes and sterile tips ### Procedure For a typical liquid culture, use 5 ml of appropriate medium. The amount in each tube does not have to be exact if you are just trying to culture cells for their precious DNA. 1. Streak an a...

  8. Replication of cultured lung epithelial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guzowski, D.; Bienkowski, R.

    1986-01-01

    The authors have investigated the conditions necessary to support replication of lung type 2 epithelial cells in culture. Cells were isolated from mature fetal rabbit lungs (29d gestation) and cultured on feeder layers of mitotically inactivated 3T3 fibroblasts. The epithelial nature of the cells was demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescent staining for keratin and by polyacid dichrome stain. Ultrastructural examination during the first week showed that the cells contained myofilaments, microvilli and lamellar bodies (markers for type 2 cells). The following changes were observed after the first week: increase in cell size; loss of lamellar bodies and appearance of multivesicular bodies; increase in rough endoplasmic reticulum and golgi; increase in tonafilaments and well-defined junctions. General cell morphology was good for up to 10 wk. Cells cultured on plastic surface degenerated after 1 wk. Cell replication was assayed by autoradiography of cultures exposed to ( 3 H)-thymidine and by direct cell counts. The cells did not replicate during the first week; however, between 2-10 wk the cells incorporated the label and went through approximately 6 population doublings. They have demonstrated that lung alveolar epithelial cells can replicate in culture if they are maintained on an appropriate substrate. The coincidence of ability to replicate and loss of markers for differentiation may reflect the dichotomy between growth and differentiation commonly observed in developing systems

  9. Reversible gelling culture media for in-vitro cell culture in three-dimensional matrices

    Science.gov (United States)

    An, Yuehuei H.; Mironov, Vladimir A.; Gutowska, Anna

    2000-01-01

    A gelling cell culture medium useful for forming a three dimensional matrix for cell culture in vitro is prepared by copolymerizing an acrylamide derivative with a hydrophilic comonomer to form a reversible (preferably thermally reversible) gelling linear random copolymer in the form of a plurality of linear chains having a plurality of molecular weights greater than or equal to a minimum gelling molecular weight cutoff, mixing the copolymer with an aqueous solvent to form a reversible gelling solution and adding a cell culture medium to the gelling solution to form the gelling cell culture medium. Cells such as chondrocytes or hepatocytes are added to the culture medium to form a seeded culture medium, and temperature of the medium is raised to gel the seeded culture medium and form a three dimensional matrix containing the cells. After propagating the cells in the matrix, the cells may be recovered by lowering the temperature to dissolve the matrix and centrifuging.

  10. Mammalian Cell Culture Process for Monoclonal Antibody Production: Nonlinear Modelling and Parameter Estimation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dan Selişteanu

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs are at present one of the fastest growing products of pharmaceutical industry, with widespread applications in biochemistry, biology, and medicine. The operation of mAbs production processes is predominantly based on empirical knowledge, the improvements being achieved by using trial-and-error experiments and precedent practices. The nonlinearity of these processes and the absence of suitable instrumentation require an enhanced modelling effort and modern kinetic parameter estimation strategies. The present work is dedicated to nonlinear dynamic modelling and parameter estimation for a mammalian cell culture process used for mAb production. By using a dynamical model of such kind of processes, an optimization-based technique for estimation of kinetic parameters in the model of mammalian cell culture process is developed. The estimation is achieved as a result of minimizing an error function by a particle swarm optimization (PSO algorithm. The proposed estimation approach is analyzed in this work by using a particular model of mammalian cell culture, as a case study, but is generic for this class of bioprocesses. The presented case study shows that the proposed parameter estimation technique provides a more accurate simulation of the experimentally observed process behaviour than reported in previous studies.

  11. Single molecule microscopy in 3D cell cultures and tissues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lauer, Florian M; Kaemmerer, Elke; Meckel, Tobias

    2014-12-15

    From the onset of the first microscopic visualization of single fluorescent molecules in living cells at the beginning of this century, to the present, almost routine application of single molecule microscopy, the method has well-proven its ability to contribute unmatched detailed insight into the heterogeneous and dynamic molecular world life is composed of. Except for investigations on bacteria and yeast, almost the entire story of success is based on studies on adherent mammalian 2D cell cultures. However, despite this continuous progress, the technique was not able to keep pace with the move of the cell biology community to adapt 3D cell culture models for basic research, regenerative medicine, or drug development and screening. In this review, we will summarize the progress, which only recently allowed for the application of single molecule microscopy to 3D cell systems and give an overview of the technical advances that led to it. While initially posing a challenge, we finally conclude that relevant 3D cell models will become an integral part of the on-going success of single molecule microscopy. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Effects of cell culture media on the dynamic formation of protein-nanoparticle complexes and influence on the cellular response.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maiorano, Gabriele; Sabella, Stefania; Sorce, Barbara; Brunetti, Virgilio; Malvindi, Maria Ada; Cingolani, Roberto; Pompa, Pier Paolo

    2010-12-28

    The development of appropriate in vitro protocols to assess the potential toxicity of the ever expanding range of nanoparticles represents a challenging issue, because of the rapid changes of their intrinsic physicochemical properties (size, shape, reactivity, surface area, etc.) upon dispersion in biological fluids. Dynamic formation of protein coating around nanoparticles is a key molecular event, which may strongly impact the biological response in nanotoxicological tests. In this work, by using citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) of different sizes as a model, we show, by several spectroscopic techniques (dynamic light scattering, UV-visible, plasmon resonance light scattering), that proteins-NP interactions are differently mediated by two widely used cellular media (i.e., Dulbecco Modified Eagle's medium (DMEM) and Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium (RPMI), supplemented with fetal bovine serum). We found that, while DMEM elicits the formation of a large time-dependent protein corona, RPMI shows different dynamics with reduced protein coating. Characterization of these nanobioentities was also performed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and mass spectroscopy, revealing that the average composition of protein corona does not reflect the relative abundance of serum proteins. To evaluate the biological impact of such hybrid bionanostructures, several comparative viability assays onto two cell lines (HeLa and U937) were carried out in the two media, in the presence of 15 nm AuNPs. We observed that proteins/NP complexes formed in RPMI are more abundantly internalized in cells as compared to DMEM, overall exerting higher cytotoxic effects. These results show that, beyond an in-depth NPs characterization before cellular experiments, a detailed understanding of the effects elicited by cell culture media on NPs is crucial for standardized nanotoxicology tests.

  13. Traditional and Modern Cell Culture in Virus Diagnosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hematian, Ali; Sadeghifard, Nourkhoda; Mohebi, Reza; Taherikalani, Morovat; Nasrolahi, Abbas; Amraei, Mansour; Ghafourian, Sobhan

    2016-04-01

    Cell cultures are developed from tissue samples and then disaggregated by mechanical, chemical, and enzymatic methods to extract cells suitable for isolation of viruses. With the recent advances in technology, cell culture is considered a gold standard for virus isolation. This paper reviews the evolution of cell culture methods and demonstrates why cell culture is a preferred method for identification of viruses. In addition, the advantages and disadvantages of both traditional and modern cell culture methods for diagnosis of each type of virus are discussed. Detection of viruses by the novel cell culture methods is considered more accurate and sensitive. However, there is a need to include some more accurate methods such as molecular methods in cell culture for precise identification of viruses.

  14. The Dynamics of Organizational Culture and Academic Planning

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willson, Richard

    2006-01-01

    Planning approaches are in a dynamic relationship with organizational culture. This article uses a case study of academic planning at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona to draw a correspondence between types of organizational culture and planning approaches. The case study shows the differing conceptions of organizational culture held…

  15. Interplay of differential cell mechanical properties, motility, and proliferation in emergent collective behavior of cell co-cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sutter, Leo; Kolbman, Dan; Wu, Mingming; Ma, Minglin; Das, Moumita

    The biophysics of cell co-cultures, i.e. binary systems of cell populations, is of great interest in many biological processes including formation of embryos, and tumor progression. During these processes, different types of cells with different physical properties are mixed with each other, with important consequences for cell-cell interaction, aggregation, and migration. The role of the differences in their physical properties in their collective behavior remains poorly understood. Furthermore, until recently most theoretical studies of collective cell migration have focused on two dimensional systems. Under physiological conditions, however, cells often have to navigate three dimensional and confined micro-environments. We study a confined, three-dimensional binary system of interacting, active, and deformable particles with different physical properties such as deformability, motility, adhesion, and division rates using Langevin Dynamics simulations. Our findings may provide insights into how the differences in and interplay between cell mechanical properties, division, and motility influence emergent collective behavior such as cell aggregation and segregation experimentally observed in co-cultures of breast cancer cells and healthy breast epithelial cells. This work was partially supported by a Cottrell College Science Award.

  16. Application of cell co-culture system to study fat and muscle cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pandurangan, Muthuraman; Hwang, Inho

    2014-09-01

    Animal cell culture is a highly complex process, in which cells are grown under specific conditions. The growth and development of these cells is a highly unnatural process in vitro condition. Cells are removed from animal tissues and artificially cultured in various culture vessels. Vitamins, minerals, and serum growth factors are supplied to maintain cell viability. Obtaining result homogeneity of in vitro and in vivo experiments is rare, because their structure and function are different. Living tissues have highly ordered complex architecture and are three-dimensional (3D) in structure. The interaction between adjacent cell types is quite distinct from the in vitro cell culture, which is usually two-dimensional (2D). Co-culture systems are studied to analyze the interactions between the two different cell types. The muscle and fat co-culture system is useful in addressing several questions related to muscle modeling, muscle degeneration, apoptosis, and muscle regeneration. Co-culture of C2C12 and 3T3-L1 cells could be a useful diagnostic tool to understand the muscle and fat formation in animals. Even though, co-culture systems have certain limitations, they provide a more realistic 3D view and information than the individual cell culture system. It is suggested that co-culture systems are useful in evaluating the intercellular communication and composition of two different cell types.

  17. Isolation and Characterization of Human Myoblast Culture In Vitro for Technologies of Cell and Gene Therapy of Skeletal Muscle Pathologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tabakov, V Yu; Zinov'eva, O E; Voskresenskaya, O N; Skoblov, M Yu

    2018-03-01

    We analyzed cultures of 5 independent myoblast lines from human skeletal muscles. It was shown that the content of desmin-positive cells in cultures at early passages exceeds 90%. Typical morphofunctional signs of myogenic differentiation disturbances were identified and their dynamics was studied. Signs of alternative adipogenic and chondrogenic differentiation of cells were revealed. Based on these data, limitations for the use of myoblast cultures of certain passages for biomedical research and cell therapy were evaluated.

  18. Differentiation of mammalian skeletal muscle cells cultured on microcarrier beads in a rotating cell culture system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Torgan, C. E.; Burge, S. S.; Collinsworth, A. M.; Truskey, G. A.; Kraus, W. E.

    2000-01-01

    The growth and repair of adult skeletal muscle are due in part to activation of muscle precursor cells, commonly known as satellite cells or myoblasts. These cells are responsive to a variety of environmental cues, including mechanical stimuli. The overall goal of the research is to examine the role of mechanical signalling mechanisms in muscle growth and plasticity through utilisation of cell culture systems where other potential signalling pathways (i.e. chemical and electrical stimuli) are controlled. To explore the effects of decreased mechanical loading on muscle differentiation, mammalian myoblasts are cultured in a bioreactor (rotating cell culture system), a model that has been utilised to simulate microgravity. C2C12 murine myoblasts are cultured on microcarrier beads in a bioreactor and followed throughout differentiation as they form a network of multinucleated myotubes. In comparison with three-dimensional control cultures that consist of myoblasts cultured on microcarrier beads in teflon bags, myoblasts cultured in the bioreactor exhibit an attenuation in differentiation. This is demonstrated by reduced immunohistochemical staining for myogenin and alpha-actinin. Western analysis shows a decrease, in bioreactor cultures compared with control cultures, in levels of the contractile proteins myosin (47% decrease, p < 0.01) and tropomyosin (63% decrease, p < 0.01). Hydrodynamic measurements indicate that the decrease in differentiation may be due, at least in part, to fluid stresses acting on the myotubes. In addition, constraints on aggregate size imposed by the action of fluid forces in the bioreactor affect differentiation. These results may have implications for muscle growth and repair during spaceflight.

  19. Influence of Different Three-Dimensional Open Porous Titanium Scaffold Designs on Human Osteoblasts Behavior in Static and Dynamic Cell Investigations

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jana Markhoff

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available In the treatment of osseous defects micro-structured three-dimensional materials for bone replacement serve as leading structure for cell migration, proliferation and bone formation. The scaffold design and culture conditions are crucial for the limited diffusion distance of nutrients and oxygen. In static culture, decreased cell activity and irregular distribution occur within the scaffold. Dynamic conditions entail physical stimulation and constant medium perfusion imitating physiological nutrient supply and metabolite disposal. Therefore, we investigated the influence of different scaffold configurations and cultivation methods on human osteoblasts. Cells were seeded on three-dimensional porous Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds manufactured with selective laser melting (SLM or electron beam melting (EBM varying in porosity, pore size and basic structure (cubic, diagonal, pyramidal and cultured under static and dynamic conditions. Cell viability, migration and matrix production were examined via mitochondrial activity assay, fluorescence staining and ELISA. All scaffolds showed an increasing cell activity and matrix production under static conditions over time. Expectations about the dynamic culture were only partially fulfilled, since it enabled proliferation alike the static one and enhanced cell migration. Overall, the SLM manufactured scaffold with the highest porosity, small pore size and pyramidal basic structure proved to be the most suitable structure for cell proliferation and migration.

  20. Influence of Different Three-Dimensional Open Porous Titanium Scaffold Designs on Human Osteoblasts Behavior in Static and Dynamic Cell Investigations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markhoff, Jana; Wieding, Jan; Weissmann, Volker; Pasold, Juliane; Jonitz-Heincke, Anika; Bader, Rainer

    2015-08-24

    In the treatment of osseous defects micro-structured three-dimensional materials for bone replacement serve as leading structure for cell migration, proliferation and bone formation. The scaffold design and culture conditions are crucial for the limited diffusion distance of nutrients and oxygen. In static culture, decreased cell activity and irregular distribution occur within the scaffold. Dynamic conditions entail physical stimulation and constant medium perfusion imitating physiological nutrient supply and metabolite disposal. Therefore, we investigated the influence of different scaffold configurations and cultivation methods on human osteoblasts. Cells were seeded on three-dimensional porous Ti-6Al-4V scaffolds manufactured with selective laser melting (SLM) or electron beam melting (EBM) varying in porosity, pore size and basic structure (cubic, diagonal, pyramidal) and cultured under static and dynamic conditions. Cell viability, migration and matrix production were examined via mitochondrial activity assay, fluorescence staining and ELISA. All scaffolds showed an increasing cell activity and matrix production under static conditions over time. Expectations about the dynamic culture were only partially fulfilled, since it enabled proliferation alike the static one and enhanced cell migration. Overall, the SLM manufactured scaffold with the highest porosity, small pore size and pyramidal basic structure proved to be the most suitable structure for cell proliferation and migration.

  1. A population balance equation model of aggregation dynamics in Taxus suspension cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolewe, Martin E; Roberts, Susan C; Henson, Michael A

    2012-02-01

    The nature of plant cells to grow as multicellular aggregates in suspension culture has profound effects on bioprocess performance. Recent advances in the measurement of plant cell aggregate size allow for routine process monitoring of this property. We have exploited this capability to develop a conceptual model to describe changes in the aggregate size distribution that are observed over the course of a Taxus cell suspension batch culture. We utilized the population balance equation framework to describe plant cell aggregates as a particulate system, accounting for the relevant phenomenological processes underlying aggregation, such as growth and breakage. We compared model predictions to experimental data to select appropriate kernel functions, and found that larger aggregates had a higher breakage rate, biomass was partitioned asymmetrically following a breakage event, and aggregates grew exponentially. Our model was then validated against several datasets with different initial aggregate size distributions and was able to quantitatively predict changes in total biomass and mean aggregate size, as well as actual size distributions. We proposed a breakage mechanism where a fraction of biomass was lost upon each breakage event, and demonstrated that even though smaller aggregates have been shown to produce more paclitaxel, an optimum breakage rate was predicted for maximum paclitaxel accumulation. We believe this is the first model to use a segregated, corpuscular approach to describe changes in the size distribution of plant cell aggregates, and represents an important first step in the design of rational strategies to control aggregation and optimize process performance. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Laser-assisted modification of polystyrene surfaces for cell culture applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pfleging, Wilhelm; Bruns, Michael; Welle, Alexander; Wilson, Sandra

    2007-01-01

    Laser-assisted patterning and modification of polystyrene (PS) was investigated with respect to applications in micro-fluidics and cell culture. For this purpose the wettability, the adsorption of proteins and the adhesion of animal cells were investigated as function of laser- and processing parameters. The change of surface chemistry was characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The local formation of chemical structures suitable for improved cell adhesion was realized on PS surfaces by UV laser irradiation. Above and below the laser ablation threshold two different mechanisms affecting cell adhesion were detected. In the first case the debris deposited on and along laser irradiated areas was responsible for improved cell adhesion, while in the second case a photolytic activation of the polymer surface including a subsequent oxidization in oxygen or ambient air is leading to a highly localized alteration of protein adsorption from cell culture media and finally to increased cell adhesion. Laser modifications of PS using suitable exposure doses and an appropriate choice of the processing gas (helium or oxygen) enabled a highly localized control of wetting. The dynamic advancing contact angle could be adjusted between 2 o and 150 o . The hydrophilic and hydrophobic behaviour are caused by chemical and topographical surface changes

  3. Rotating three-dimensional dynamic culture of adult human bone marrow-derived cells for tissue engineering of hyaline cartilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sakai, Shinsuke; Mishima, Hajime; Ishii, Tomoo; Akaogi, Hiroshi; Yoshioka, Tomokazu; Ohyabu, Yoshimi; Chang, Fei; Ochiai, Naoyuki; Uemura, Toshimasa

    2009-04-01

    The method of constructing cartilage tissue from bone marrow-derived cells in vitro is considered a valuable technique for hyaline cartilage regenerative medicine. Using a rotating wall vessel (RWV) bioreactor developed in a NASA space experiment, we attempted to efficiently construct hyaline cartilage tissue from human bone marrow-derived cells without using a scaffold. Bone marrow aspirates were obtained from the iliac crest of nine patients during orthopedic operation. After their proliferation in monolayer culture, the adherent cells were cultured in the RWV bioreactor with chondrogenic medium for 2 weeks. Cells from the same source were cultured in pellet culture as controls. Histological and immunohistological evaluations (collagen type I and II) and quantification of glycosaminoglycan were performed on formed tissues and compared. The engineered constructs obtained using the RWV bioreactor showed strong features of hyaline cartilage in terms of their morphology as determined by histological and immunohistological evaluations. The glycosaminoglycan contents per microg DNA of the tissues were 10.01 +/- 3.49 microg/microg DNA in the case of the RWV bioreactor and 6.27 +/- 3.41 microg/microg DNA in the case of the pellet culture, and their difference was significant. The RWV bioreactor could provide an excellent environment for three-dimensional cartilage tissue architecture that can promote the chondrogenic differentiation of adult human bone marrow-derived cells.

  4. Photoresponsive biomaterials for targeted drug delivery and 4D cell culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ruskowitz, Emily R.; Deforest, Cole A.

    2018-02-01

    Biological signalling is regulated through a complex and tightly choreographed interplay between cells and their extracellular matrix. The spatiotemporal control of these interactions is essential for tissue function, and disruptions to this dialogue often result in aberrant cell fate and disease. When disturbances are well understood, correct biological function can be restored through the precise introduction of therapeutics. Moreover, model systems with modifiable physiochemical properties are needed to probe the effects of therapeutic molecules and to investigate cell-matrix interactions. Photoresponsive biomaterials benefit from spatiotemporal tunability, which allows for site-specific therapeutic delivery in vivo and 4D modulation of synthetic cell culture platforms to mimic the dynamic heterogeneity of the human body in vitro. In this Review, we discuss how light can be exploited to modify different biomaterials in the context of photomediated drug delivery and phototunable cell culture platforms. We survey various photochemistries for their applicability in vitro and in vivo and for the biochemical and biophysical modification of materials. Finally, we highlight emerging tools and provide an outlook for the field of photoresponsive biomaterials.

  5. Testicular Sertoli cells influence the proliferation and immunogenicity of co-cultured endothelial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Ping; He, Lan; Pu, Dan; Lv, Xiaohong; Zhou, Wenxu; Sun, Yining; Hu, Nan

    2011-01-01

    Research highlights: → The proliferation of dramatic increased by co-cultured with Sertoli cells. → VEGF receptor-2 expression of ECs was up-regulated by co-cultured with Sertoli cells. → The MHC expression of ECs induced by INF-γ and IL-6, IL-8 and sICAM induced by TNF-α decreased respectively after co-cultured with Sertoli cells. → ECs co-cultured with Sertoli cells also didn't increase the stimulation index of spleen lymphocytes. -- Abstract: The major problem of the application of endothelial cells (ECs) in transplantation is the lack of proliferation and their immunogenicity. In this study, we co-cultured ECs with Sertoli cells to monitor whether Sertoli cells can influence the proliferation and immunogenicity of co-cultured ECs. Sertoli cells were isolated from adult testicular tissue. ECs were divided into the control group and the experimental group, which included three sub-groups co-cultured with 1 x 10 3 , 1 x 10 4 or 1 x 10 5 cell/ml of Sertoli cells. The growth and proliferation of ECs were observed microscopically, and the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptor-2 (KDR) was examined by Western blotting. In another experiment, ECs were divided into the control group, the single culture group and the co-culture group with the optimal concentration of Sertoli cells. After INF-γ and TNF-α were added to the culture medium, MHC II antigen expression was detected by immunofluorescence staining and western blotting; interleukin (IL)-6, IL-8 and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule (sICAM) were measured in the culture medium by ELISA. We demonstrated that 1 x 10 4 cell/ml Sertoli cells promoted the proliferation of co-cultured ECs more dramatically than that in other groups (P 4 cell/ml of the Sertoli cells was most effective in the up-regulation of KDR expression in the co-cultured ECs (P < 0.05). Sertoli cells can effectively suppress INF-γ-induced MHC II antigen expression in co-cultured ECs compared with single

  6. Role of differential physical properties in emergent behavior of 3D cell co-cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kolbman, Dan; Das, Moumita

    2015-03-01

    The biophysics of binary cell populations is of great interest in many biological processes, whether the formation of embryos or the initiation of tumors. During these processes, cells are surrounded by other cell types with different physical properties, often with important consequences. For example, recent experiments on a co-culture of breast cancer cells and healthy breast epithelial cells suggest that the mechanical mismatch between the two cell types may contribute to enhanced migration of the cancer cells. Here we explore how the differential physical properties of different cell types may influence cell-cell interaction, aggregation, and migration. To this end, we study a proof of concept model- a three-dimensional binary system of interacting, active, and deformable particles with different physical properties such as elastic stiffness, contractility, and particle-particle adhesion, using Langevin Dynamics simulations. Our results may provide insights into emergent behavior such as segregation and differential migration in cell co-cultures in three dimensions.

  7. Long-term culture and differentiation of porcine red bone marrow hematopoietic cells co-cultured with immortalized mesenchymal cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garba, Abubakar; Acar, Delphine D; Roukaerts, Inge D M; Desmarets, Lowiese M B; Devriendt, Bert; Nauwynck, Hans J

    2017-09-01

    Mesenchymal cells are multipotent stromal cells with self-renewal, differentiation and immunomodulatory capabilities. We aimed to develop a co-culture model for differentiating hematopoietic cells on top of immortalized mesenchymal cells for studying interactions between hematopoietic and mesenchymal cells, useful for adequately exploring the therapeutic potential of mesenchymal cells. In this study, we investigated the survival, proliferation and differentiation of porcine red bone marrow hematopoietic cells co-cultured with immortalized porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells for a period of five weeks. Directly after collection, primary porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells adhered firmly to the bottom of the culture plates and showed a fibroblast-like appearance, one week after isolation. Upon immortalization, porcine bone marrow mesenchymal cells were continuously proliferating. They were positive for simian virus 40 (SV40) large T antigen and the mesenchymal cell markers CD44 and CD55. Isolated red bone marrow cells were added to these immortalized mesenchymal cells. Five weeks post-seeding, 92±6% of the red bone marrow hematopoietic cells were still alive and their number increased 3-fold during five weekly subpassages on top of the immortalized mesenchymal cells. The red bone marrow hematopoietic cells were originally small and round; later, the cells increased in size. Some of them became elongated, while others remained round. Tiny dendrites appeared attaching hematopoietic cells to the underlying immortalized mesenchymal cells. Furthermore, weekly differential-quick staining of the cells indicated the presence of monoblasts, monocytes, macrophages and lymphocytes in the co-cultures. At three weeks of co-culture, flow cytometry analysis showed an increased surface expression of CD172a, CD14, CD163, CD169, CD4 and CD8 up to 37±0.8%, 40±8%, 41±4%, 23±3% and 19±5% of the hematopoietic cells, respectively. In conclusion, continuous mesenchymal cell

  8. 3D Cell Culture in Alginate Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Therese Andersen

    2015-03-01

    Full Text Available This review compiles information regarding the use of alginate, and in particular alginate hydrogels, in culturing cells in 3D. Knowledge of alginate chemical structure and functionality are shown to be important parameters in design of alginate-based matrices for cell culture. Gel elasticity as well as hydrogel stability can be impacted by the type of alginate used, its concentration, the choice of gelation technique (ionic or covalent, and divalent cation chosen as the gel inducing ion. The use of peptide-coupled alginate can control cell–matrix interactions. Gelation of alginate with concomitant immobilization of cells can take various forms. Droplets or beads have been utilized since the 1980s for immobilizing cells. Newer matrices such as macroporous scaffolds are now entering the 3D cell culture product market. Finally, delayed gelling, injectable, alginate systems show utility in the translation of in vitro cell culture to in vivo tissue engineering applications. Alginate has a history and a future in 3D cell culture. Historically, cells were encapsulated in alginate droplets cross-linked with calcium for the development of artificial organs. Now, several commercial products based on alginate are being used as 3D cell culture systems that also demonstrate the possibility of replacing or regenerating tissue.

  9. Intravital Microscopy Reveals Differences in the Kinetics of Endocytic Pathways between Cell Cultures and Live Animals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Roberto Weigert

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Intravital microscopy has enabled imaging of the dynamics of subcellular structures in live animals, thus opening the door to investigating membrane trafficking under physiological conditions. Here, we sought to determine whether the architecture and the environment of a fully developed tissue influences the dynamics of endocytic processes. To this aim, we imaged endocytosis in the stromal cells of rat salivary glands both in situ and after they were isolated and cultured on a solid surface. We found that the internalization of transferrin and dextran, two molecules that traffic via distinct mechanisms, is substantially altered in cultured cells, supporting the idea that the three dimensional organization of the tissue and the cues generated by the surrounding environment strongly affect membrane trafficking events.

  10. In-Culture Cross-Linking of Bacterial Cells Reveals Large-Scale Dynamic Protein-Protein Interactions at the Peptide Level.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Jong, Luitzen; de Koning, Edward A; Roseboom, Winfried; Buncherd, Hansuk; Wanner, Martin J; Dapic, Irena; Jansen, Petra J; van Maarseveen, Jan H; Corthals, Garry L; Lewis, Peter J; Hamoen, Leendert W; de Koster, Chris G

    2017-07-07

    Identification of dynamic protein-protein interactions at the peptide level on a proteomic scale is a challenging approach that is still in its infancy. We have developed a system to cross-link cells directly in culture with the special lysine cross-linker bis(succinimidyl)-3-azidomethyl-glutarate (BAMG). We used the Gram-positive model bacterium Bacillus subtilis as an exemplar system. Within 5 min extensive intracellular cross-linking was detected, while intracellular cross-linking in a Gram-negative species, Escherichia coli, was still undetectable after 30 min, in agreement with the low permeability in this organism for lipophilic compounds like BAMG. We were able to identify 82 unique interprotein cross-linked peptides with cross-links occur in assemblies involved in transcription and translation. Several of these interactions are new, and we identified a binding site between the δ and β' subunit of RNA polymerase close to the downstream DNA channel, providing a clue into how δ might regulate promoter selectivity and promote RNA polymerase recycling. Our methodology opens new avenues to investigate the functional dynamic organization of complex protein assemblies involved in bacterial growth. Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD006287.

  11. Cell culture experiments planned for the space bioreactor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morrison, Dennis R.; Cross, John H.

    1987-01-01

    Culturing of cells in a pilot-scale bioreactor remains to be done in microgravity. An approach is presented based on several studies of cell culture systems. Previous and current cell culture research in microgravity which is specifically directed towards development of a space bioprocess is described. Cell culture experiments planned for a microgravity sciences mission are described in abstract form.

  12. Advances in cell culture: anchorage dependence

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merten, Otto-Wilhelm

    2015-01-01

    Anchorage-dependent cells are of great interest for various biotechnological applications. (i) They represent a formidable production means of viruses for vaccination purposes at very large scales (in 1000–6000 l reactors) using microcarriers, and in the last decade many more novel viral vaccines have been developed using this production technology. (ii) With the advent of stem cells and their use/potential use in clinics for cell therapy and regenerative medicine purposes, the development of novel culture devices and technologies for adherent cells has accelerated greatly with a view to the large-scale expansion of these cells. Presently, the really scalable systems—microcarrier/microcarrier-clump cultures using stirred-tank reactors—for the expansion of stem cells are still in their infancy. Only laboratory scale reactors of maximally 2.5 l working volume have been evaluated because thorough knowledge and basic understanding of critical issues with respect to cell expansion while retaining pluripotency and differentiation potential, and the impact of the culture environment on stem cell fate, etc., are still lacking and require further studies. This article gives an overview on critical issues common to all cell culture systems for adherent cells as well as specifics for different types of stem cells in view of small- and large-scale cell expansion and production processes. PMID:25533097

  13. Flow field measurements in the cell culture unit

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walker, Stephen; Wilder, Mike; Dimanlig, Arsenio; Jagger, Justin; Searby, Nancy

    2002-01-01

    The cell culture unit (CCU) is being designed to support cell growth for long-duration life science experiments on the International Space Station (ISS). The CCU is a perfused loop system that provides a fluid environment for controlled cell growth experiments within cell specimen chambers (CSCs), and is intended to accommodate diverse cell specimen types. Many of the functional requirements depend on the fluid flow field within the CSC (e.g., feeding and gas management). A design goal of the CCU is to match, within experimental limits, all environmental conditions, other than the effects of gravity on the cells, whether the hardware is in microgravity ( micro g), normal Earth gravity, or up to 2g on the ISS centrifuge. In order to achieve this goal, two steps are being taken. The first step is to characterize the environmental conditions of current 1g cell biology experiments being performed in laboratories using ground-based hardware. The second step is to ensure that the design of the CCU allows the fluid flow conditions found in 1g to be replicated from microgravity up to 2g. The techniques that are being used to take these steps include flow visualization, particle image velocimetry (PIV), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD). Flow visualization using the injection of dye has been used to gain a global perspective of the characteristics of the CSC flow field. To characterize laboratory cell culture conditions, PIV is being used to determine the flow field parameters of cell suspension cultures grown in Erlenmeyer flasks on orbital shakers. These measured parameters will be compared to PIV measurements in the CSCs to ensure that the flow field that cells encounter in CSCs is within the bounds determined for typical laboratory experiments. Using CFD, a detailed simulation is being developed to predict the flow field within the CSC for a wide variety of flow conditions, including microgravity environments. Results from all these measurements and analyses of the

  14. Stress relaxing hyaluronic acid-collagen hydrogels promote cell spreading, fiber remodeling, and focal adhesion formation in 3D cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Junzhe; Stowers, Ryan; Nam, Sungmin; Xia, Yan; Chaudhuri, Ovijit

    2018-02-01

    The physical and architectural cues of the extracellular matrix (ECM) play a critical role in regulating important cellular functions such as spreading, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Natural ECM is a complex viscoelastic scaffold composed of various distinct components that are often organized into a fibrillar microstructure. Hydrogels are frequently used as synthetic ECMs for 3D cell culture, but are typically elastic, due to covalent crosslinking, and non-fibrillar. Recent work has revealed the importance of stress relaxation in viscoelastic hydrogels in regulating biological processes such as spreading and differentiation, but these studies all utilize synthetic ECM hydrogels that are non-fibrillar. Key mechanotransduction events, such as focal adhesion formation, have only been observed in fibrillar networks in 3D culture to date. Here we present an interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogel system based on HA crosslinked with dynamic covalent bonds and collagen I that captures the viscoelasticity and fibrillarity of ECM in tissues. The IPN hydrogels exhibit two distinct processes in stress relaxation, one from collagen and the other from HA crosslinking dynamics. Stress relaxation in the IPN hydrogels can be tuned by modulating HA crosslinker affinity, molecular weight of the HA, or HA concentration. Faster relaxation in the IPN hydrogels promotes cell spreading, fiber remodeling, and focal adhesion (FA) formation - behaviors often inhibited in other hydrogel-based materials in 3D culture. This study presents a new, broadly adaptable materials platform for mimicking key ECM features of viscoelasticity and fibrillarity in hydrogels for 3D cell culture and sheds light on how these mechanical and structural cues regulate cell behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Macrophage involvement affects matrix stiffness-related influences on cell osteogenesis under three-dimensional culture conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    He, Xiao-Tao; Wu, Rui-Xin; Xu, Xin-Yue; Wang, Jia; Yin, Yuan; Chen, Fa-Ming

    2018-04-15

    Accumulating evidence indicates that the physicochemical properties of biomaterials exert profound influences on stem cell fate decisions. However, matrix-based regulation selected through in vitro analyses based on a given cell population do not genuinely reflect the in vivo conditions, in which multiple cell types are involved and interact dynamically. This study constitutes the first investigation of how macrophages (Mφs) in stiffness-tunable transglutaminase cross-linked gelatin (TG-gel) affect the osteogenesis of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs). When a single cell type was cultured, low-stiffness TG-gels promoted BMMSC proliferation, whereas high-stiffness TG-gels supported cell osteogenic differentiation. However, Mφs in high-stiffness TG-gels were more likely to polarize toward the pro-inflammatory M1 phenotype. Using either conditioned medium (CM)-based incubation or Transwell-based co-culture, we found that Mφs encapsulated in the low-stiffness matrix exerted a positive effect on the osteogenesis of co-cultured BMMSCs. Conversely, Mφs in high-stiffness TG-gels negatively affected cell osteogenic differentiation. When both cell types were cultured in the same TG-gel type and placed into the Transwell system, the stiffness-related influences of Mφs on BMMSCs were significantly altered; both the low- and high-stiffness matrix induced similar levels of BMMSC osteogenesis. Although the best material parameter for synergistically affecting Mφs and BMMSCs remains unknown, our data suggest that Mφ involvement in the co-culture system alters previously identified material-related influences on BMMSCs, such as matrix stiffness-related effects, which were identified based on a culture system involving a single cell type. Such Mφ-stem cell interactions should be considered when establishing proper matrix parameter-associated cell regulation in the development of biomimetic biomaterials for regenerative applications. The substrate stiffness

  16. Suspension culture of pluripotent stem cells: effect of shear on stem cell fate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keller, Kevin C; Rodrigues, Beatriz; zur Nieden, Nicole I

    2014-01-01

    Despite significant promise, the routine usage of suspension cell culture to manufacture stem cell-derived differentiated cells has progressed slowly. Suspension culture is an innovative way of either expanding or differentiating cells and sometimes both are combined into a single bioprocess. Its advantages over static 2D culturing include a homogeneous and controllable culture environment and producing a large quantity of cells in a fraction of time. This feature makes suspension cell culture ideal for use in stem cell research and eventually ideal in the large-scale production of differentiated cells for regenerative medicine. Because of their tremendous differentiation capacities and unlimited growth properties, pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in particular are considered potential sources for future cell-replacement therapies. Currently, expansion of PSCs is accomplished in 2D, which only permits a limited amount of cell growth per culture flask before cells need to be passaged. However, before stem cells can be applied clinically, several aspects of their expansion, such as directed growth, but also differentiation, need to be better controlled. This review will summarize recent advantages in suspension culture of PSCs, while at the same time highlighting current challenges.

  17. Controlling the diversity of cell populations in a stem cell culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Heo, Inha; Clevers, Hans

    2015-01-01

    Culturing intestinal stem cells into 3D organoids results in heterogeneous cell populations, reflecting the in vivo cell type diversity. In a recent paper published in Nature, Wang et al. established a culture condition for a highly homogeneous population of intestinal stem cells.

  18. The evolution of chicken stem cell culture methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farzaneh, M; Attari, F; Mozdziak, P E; Khoshnam, S E

    2017-12-01

    1. The avian embryo is an excellent model for studying embryology and the production of pharmaceutical proteins in transgenic chickens. Furthermore, chicken stem cells have the potential for proliferation and differentiation and emerged as an attractive tool for various cell-based technologies. 2. The objective of these studies is the derivation and culture of these stem cells is the production of transgenic birds for recombinant biomaterials and vaccine manufacture, drug and cytotoxicity testing, as well as to gain insight into basic science, including cell tracking. 3. Despite similarities among the established chicken stem cell lines, fundamental differences have been reported between their culture conditions and applications. Recent conventional protocols used for expansion and culture of chicken stem cells mostly depend on feeder cells, serum-containing media and static culture. 4. Utilising chicken stem cells for generation of cell-based transgenic birds and a variety of vaccines requires large-scale cell production. However, scaling up the conventional adherent chicken stem cells is challenging and labour intensive. Development of a suspension cell culture process for chicken embryonic stem cells (cESCs), chicken primordial germ cells (PGCs) and chicken induced pluripotent stem cells (ciPSCs) will be an important advance for increasing the growth kinetics of these cells. 6. This review describes various approaches and suggestions to achieve optimal cell growth for defined chicken stem cells cultures and use in future manufacturing applications.

  19. Mammalian Cell Culture Simplified.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moss, Robert; Solomon, Sondra

    1991-01-01

    A tissue culture experiment that does not require elaborate equipment and that can be used to teach sterile technique, the principles of animal cell line maintenance, and the concept of cell growth curves is described. The differences between cancerous and normal cells can be highlighted. The procedure is included. (KR)

  20. Exposure of cultured astroglial and microglial brain cells to 900 MHz microwave radiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorlin, Thorleif; Rouquette, Jean-Michel; Hamnerius, Yngve; Hansson, Elisabeth; Persson, Mikael; Björklund, Ulrika; Rosengren, Lars; Rönnbäck, Lars; Persson, Mikael

    2006-08-01

    The rapid rise in the use of mobile communications has raised concerns about health issues related to low-level microwave radiation. The head and brain are usually the most exposed targets in mobile phone users. In the brain, two types of glial cells, the astroglial and the microglial cells, are interesting in the context of biological effects from microwave exposure. These cells are widely distributed in the brain and are directly involved in the response to brain damage as well as in the development of brain cancer. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether 900 MHz radiation could affect these two different glial cell types in culture by studying markers for damage-related processes in the cells. Primary cultures enriched in astroglial cells were exposed to 900 MHz microwave radiation in a temperature-controlled exposure system at specific absorption rates (SARs) of 3 W/kg GSM modulated wave (mw) for 4, 8 and 24 h or 27 W/kg continuous wave (cw) for 24 h, and the release into the extracellular medium of the two pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin 6 (Il6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (Tnfa) was analyzed. In addition, levels of the astroglial cell-specific reactive marker glial fibrillary acidic protein (Gfap), whose expression dynamics is different from that of cytokines, were measured in astroglial cultures and in astroglial cell-conditioned cell culture medium at SARs of 27 and 54 W/kg (cw) for 4 or 24 h. No significant differences could be detected for any of the parameters studied at any time and for any of the radiation characteristics. Total protein levels remained constant during the experiments. Microglial cell cultures were exposed to 900 MHz radiation at an SAR of 3 W/kg (mw) for 8 h, and I16, Tnfa, total protein and the microglial reactivity marker ED-1 (a macrophage activation antigen) were measured. No significant differences were found. The morphology of the cultured astroglial cells and microglia was studied and appeared to be

  1. Biomimetic and enzyme-responsive dynamic hydrogels for studying cell-matrix interactions in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hung-Yi; Korc, Murray; Lin, Chien-Chi

    2018-04-01

    The tumor microenvironment (TME) governs all aspects of cancer progression and in vitro 3D cell culture platforms are increasingly developed to emulate the interactions between components of the stromal tissues and cancer cells. However, conventional cell culture platforms are inadequate in recapitulating the TME, which has complex compositions and dynamically changing matrix mechanics. In this study, we developed a dynamic gelatin-hyaluronic acid hybrid hydrogel system through integrating modular thiol-norbornene photopolymerization and enzyme-triggered on-demand matrix stiffening. In particular, gelatin was dually modified with norbornene and 4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid to render this bioactive protein photo-crosslinkable (through thiol-norbornene gelation) and responsive to tyrosinase-triggered on-demand stiffening (through HPA dimerization). In addition to the modified gelatin that provides basic cell adhesive motifs and protease cleavable sequences, hyaluronic acid (HA), an essential tumor matrix, was modularly and covalently incorporated into the cell-laden gel network. We systematically characterized macromer modification, gel crosslinking, as well as enzyme-triggered stiffening and degradation. We also evaluated the influence of matrix composition and dynamic stiffening on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cell fate in 3D. We found that either HA-containing matrix or a dynamically stiffened microenvironment inhibited PDAC cell growth. Interestingly, these two factors synergistically induced cell phenotypic changes that resembled cell migration and/or invasion in 3D. Additional mRNA expression array analyses revealed changes unique to the presence of HA, to a stiffened microenvironment, or to the combination of both. Finally, we presented immunostaining and mRNA expression data to demonstrate that these irregular PDAC cell phenotypes were a result of matrix-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights

  2. Rabbit uterine epithelial cells: Co-culture with spermatozoa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Boice, M.L.

    1988-01-01

    A primary culture of rabbit uterine epithelial cells was established and their effects on sperm function were examined in vitro. Epithelial cells were isolated from uteri of estrous rabbits and cultured on floating collagen gels in phenol red-free medium supplemented with 5% fetal bovine serum. Light microscopy and keratin staining showed that the epithelial cell population established in culture had morphological characteristics similar to that seen in the intact endometrium. Cells were cultured with 3 H-leucine and uptake of label by cells and its incorporation into cellular and secretory proteins determined. When compared to cells cultured for 24-48 h, incorporation of label into cellular protein was lower at 72-96 h, but secretion increased. Estradiol 17-β did not affect label uptake or incorporation, but did enhance proliferation of cells as judged by total DNA content of the cell population. Analysis of proteins in media by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and fluorography suggested that epithelial and stromal cells synthesis proteins that may be secretory in nature during 72-96 h culture. Twenty-nine to thirty-one h after initiation of epithelial cultures, 1-2 x 10 6 sperm were co-incubated with cells and sperm viability, motility, loss of acrosome and fertilizing ability determined

  3. Imaging the Dynamics of Cell Wall Polymer Deposition in the Unicellular Model Plant, Penium margaritaceum.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Domozych, David; Lietz, Anna; Patten, Molly; Singer, Emily; Tinaz, Berke; Raimundo, Sandra C

    2017-01-01

    The unicellular green alga, Penium margaritaceum, represents a novel and valuable model organism for elucidating cell wall dynamics in plants. This organism's cell wall contains several polymers that are highly similar to those found in the primary cell walls of land plants. Penium is easily grown in laboratory culture and is effectively manipulated in various experimental protocols including microplate assays and correlative microscopy. Most importantly, Penium can be live labeled with cell wall-specific antibodies or other probes and returned to culture where specific cell wall developmental events can be monitored. Additionally, live cells can be rapidly cryo-fixed and cell wall surface microarchitecture can be observed with variable pressure scanning electron microscopy. Here, we describe the methodology for maintaining Penium for experimental cell wall enzyme studies.

  4. X-ray microanalysis of single and cultured cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wroblewski, J.; Roomans, G.M.

    1984-01-01

    X-ray microanalysis of single or cultured cells is often a useful alternative or complement to the analysis of the corresponding tissue. It also allows the analysis of individual cells in a cell population. Preparation for X-ray microanalysis poses a number of typical problems. Suspensions of single cells can be prepared by either of two pathways: (1) washing - mounting - drying, or (2) centrifugation - freezing or fixation - sectioning. The washing step in the preparation of single or cultured cells presents the most severe problems. Cultured cells are generally grown on a substrate that is compatible with both the analysis and the culture, washed and dried. In some cases, sectioning of cultured cell monolayers has been performed. Special problems in quantitative analysis occur in those cases where the cells are analyzed on a thick substrate, since the substrate contributes to the spectral background

  5. Dissolution of short and long rockwool and glasswool fibers by macrophages in flowthrough cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Luoto, K; Holopainen, M; Kangas, J; Kalliokoski, P; Savolainen, K

    1998-07-01

    Dissolution of MMVF (man-made vitreous fibers) by macrophages has previously been studied utilizing cell cultures in wells. A new, more dynamic method has been developed to explore the effects of macrophages on MMVF dissolution. In this method, the culture medium flows through a membrane on which the macrophages and fibers are placed. The dissolution of short and long rockwool and glasswool fibers was investigated in the present study by macrophages by assessing the dissolution of Si (silicon), Fe (iron), and Al (aluminium) from the fibers. Dissolution of these elements usually increased as a function of time. Generally, the dissolution of elements from the fibers in the flowthrough culture exceeded that observed with the culture in wells system. The dissolution of glasswool fibers was greater in medium than in cell culture, whereas the opposite was true for rockwool fibers. Dissolution of Si was greater from glasswool than from rockwool fibers, while the opposite was true for Fe and Al. Macrophages that had phagocytized fibers in flowthrough culture contained Si, and there were also precipitations with Si in the samples. The fibers in the flowthrough culture also exhibited surface changes such as breakings, pittings, etching, and peeling. The short rockwool fibers tended to fracture more than short glasswool fibers, while long glasswool fibers were more extensively broken than short glasswool fibers. The results with this new, dynamic, flowthrough culture method with macrophages demonstrate that this method provides valuable information on the abilities of macrophages to dissolve MMVF leading to subsequent morphological changes of fibers.

  6. Particle Trajectories in Rotating Wall Cell Culture Devices

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ramachandran N.; Downey, J. P.

    1999-01-01

    Cell cultures are extremely important to the medical community since such cultures provide an opportunity to perform research on human tissue without the concerns inherent in experiments on individual humans. Development of cells in cultures has been found to be greatly influenced by the conditions of the culture. Much work has focused on the effect of the motions of cells in the culture relative to the solution. Recently rotating wall vessels have been used with success in achieving improved cellular cultures. Speculation and limited research have focused on the low shear environment and the ability of rotating vessels to keep cells suspended in solution rather than floating or sedimenting as the primary reasons for the improved cellular cultures using these devices. It is widely believed that the cultures obtained using a rotating wall vessel simulates to some degree the effect of microgravity on cultures. It has also been speculated that the microgravity environment may provide the ideal acceleration environment for culturing of cellular tissues due to the nearly negligible levels of sedimentation and shear possible. This work predicts particle trajectories of cells in rotating wall vessels of cylindrical and annular design consistent with the estimated properties of typical cellular cultures. Estimates of the shear encountered by cells in solution and the interactions with walls are studied. Comparisons of potential experiments in ground and microgravity environments are performed.

  7. Usability and Applicability of Microfluidic Cell Culture Systems

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hemmingsen, Mette

    possibilities for, for example, precise control of the chemical environment, 3D cultures, controlled co-culture of different cell types or automated, individual control of up to 96 cell culture chambers in one integrated system. Despite the great new opportunities to perform novel experimental designs......Microfluidic cell culture has been a research area with great attention the last decade due to its potential to mimic the in vivo cellular environment more closely compared to what is possible by conventional cell culture methods. Many exciting and complex devices have been presented providing......, these devices still lack general implementation into biological research laboratories. In this project, the usability and applicability of microfluidic cell culture systems have been investigated. The tested systems display good properties regarding optics and compatibility with standard laboratory equipment...

  8. Information feedback and mass media effects in cultural dynamics

    OpenAIRE

    Gonzalez-Avella, J. C.; Cosenza, M. G.; Klemm, K.; Eguiluz, V. M.; Miguel, M. San

    2007-01-01

    We study the effects of different forms of information feedback associated with mass media on an agent-agent based model of the dynamics of cultural dissemination. In addition to some processes previously considered, we also examine a model of local mass media influence in cultural dynamics. Two mechanisms of information feedback are investigated: (i) direct mass media influence, where local or global mass media act as an additional element in the network of interactions of each agent, and (i...

  9. Ho:YAG laser: intervertebral disk cell interaction using three-dimensional cell culture system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, Masato; Ishihara, Miya; Arai, Tsunenori; Asazuma, Takashi; Kikuchi, Toshiyuki; Kikuchi, Makoto; Fujikawa, Kyosuke

    2000-06-01

    The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence on the intervertebral disc cells after laser irradiation using three- dimensional culture system and to clarify the optimum Ho:YAG laser irradiation condition on percutaneous laser disc decompression (PLDD) for lumbar disc herniation. Since the Ho:YAG laser ablation is characterized by water-vapor bubble dynamics, not only thermal effect but also acoustic effect on cell metabolism might occur in the intervertebral disc. We studied the disc cell reaction from the metabolic point of view to investigate photothermal and photoacoustic effects on three-dimensional cultured disc cell. Intervertebral discs were obtained from female 30 Japanese white rabbits weighing about 1 kg. A pulsed Ho:YAG laser (wavelength: 2.1 micrometer, pulse width: about 200 microseconds) was delivered through a 200 micrometer-core diameter single silica glass fiber. We used the Ho:YAG laser irradiation fluence ranging from 60 to approximately 800 J/cm2 at the fiber end. To investigate acoustic effect, the acoustic transducer constructed with polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF) film and acoustic absorber was used to detect the stress wave. Thermocouple and thermography were used to investigate thermal effect. Concerning damage of plasma membrane and ability of matrix synthesis, thermal effect might mainly affect cell reaction in total energy of 54 J (closed to practically used condition), but in 27 J, acoustic effect might contribute to it. We found that total energy was key parameter among the optimum condition, so that temperature and/or stress wave may influence Ho:YAG laser-disc cell interactions.

  10. Dynamic metabolic flux analysis using B-splines to study the effects of temperature shift on CHO cell metabolism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Verónica S. Martínez

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Metabolic flux analysis (MFA is widely used to estimate intracellular fluxes. Conventional MFA, however, is limited to continuous cultures and the mid-exponential growth phase of batch cultures. Dynamic MFA (DMFA has emerged to characterize time-resolved metabolic fluxes for the entire culture period. Here, the linear DMFA approach was extended using B-spline fitting (B-DMFA to estimate mass balanced fluxes. Smoother fits were achieved using reduced number of knots and parameters. Additionally, computation time was greatly reduced using a new heuristic algorithm for knot placement. B-DMFA revealed that Chinese hamster ovary cells shifted from 37 °C to 32 °C maintained a constant IgG volume-specific productivity, whereas the productivity for the controls peaked during mid-exponential growth phase and declined afterward. The observed 42% increase in product titer at 32 °C was explained by a prolonged cell growth with high cell viability, a larger cell volume and a more stable volume-specific productivity. Keywords: Dynamic, Metabolism, Flux analysis, CHO cells, Temperature shift, B-spline curve fitting

  11. Good Cell Culture Practice for stem cells and stem-cell-derived models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pamies, David; Bal-Price, Anna; Simeonov, Anton; Tagle, Danilo; Allen, Dave; Gerhold, David; Yin, Dezhong; Pistollato, Francesca; Inutsuka, Takashi; Sullivan, Kristie; Stacey, Glyn; Salem, Harry; Leist, Marcel; Daneshian, Mardas; Vemuri, Mohan C; McFarland, Richard; Coecke, Sandra; Fitzpatrick, Suzanne C; Lakshmipathy, Uma; Mack, Amanda; Wang, Wen Bo; Yamazaki, Daiju; Sekino, Yuko; Kanda, Yasunari; Smirnova, Lena; Hartung, Thomas

    2017-01-01

    The first guidance on Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) dates back to 2005. This document expands this to include aspects of quality assurance for in vitro cell culture focusing on the increasingly diverse cell types and culture formats used in research, product development, testing and manufacture of biotechnology products and cell-based medicines. It provides a set of basic principles of best practice that can be used in training new personnel, reviewing and improving local procedures, and helping to assure standard practices and conditions for the comparison of data between laboratories and experimentation performed at different times. This includes recommendations for the documentation and reporting of culture conditions. It is intended as guidance to facilitate the generation of reliable data from cell culture systems, and is not intended to conflict with local or higher level legislation or regulatory requirements. It may not be possible to meet all recommendations in this guidance for practical, legal or other reasons. However, when it is necessary to divert from the principles of GCCP, the risk of decreasing the quality of work and the safety of laboratory staff should be addressed and any conclusions or alternative approaches justified. This workshop report is considered a first step toward a revised GCCP 2.0.

  12. Long-term maintenance of human induced pluripotent stem cells by automated cell culture system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Konagaya, Shuhei; Ando, Takeshi; Yamauchi, Toshiaki; Suemori, Hirofumi; Iwata, Hiroo

    2015-11-17

    Pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, are regarded as new sources for cell replacement therapy. These cells can unlimitedly expand under undifferentiated conditions and be differentiated into multiple cell types. Automated culture systems enable the large-scale production of cells. In addition to reducing the time and effort of researchers, an automated culture system improves the reproducibility of cell cultures. In the present study, we newly designed a fully automated cell culture system for human iPS maintenance. Using an automated culture system, hiPS cells maintained their undifferentiated state for 60 days. Automatically prepared hiPS cells had a potency of differentiation into three germ layer cells including dopaminergic neurons and pancreatic cells.

  13. High-Throughput Cancer Cell Sphere Formation for 3D Cell Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yu-Chih; Yoon, Euisik

    2017-01-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture is critical in studying cancer pathology and drug response. Though 3D cancer sphere culture can be performed in low-adherent dishes or well plates, the unregulated cell aggregation may skew the results. On contrary, microfluidic 3D culture can allow precise control of cell microenvironments, and provide higher throughput by orders of magnitude. In this chapter, we will look into engineering innovations in a microfluidic platform for high-throughput cancer cell sphere formation and review the implementation methods in detail.

  14. Liver Cell Culture Devices

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Andria, B.; Bracco, A.; Cirino, G.; Chamuleau, R. A. F. M.

    2010-01-01

    In the last 15 years many different liver cell culture devices, consisting of functional liver cells and artificial materials, have been developed. They have been devised for numerous different applications, such as temporary organ replacement (a bridge to liver transplantation or native liver

  15. Culture of equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes on synthetic tissue scaffolds towards meniscal tissue engineering: a preliminary cell-seeding study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jennifer J. Warnock

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available Introduction. Tissue engineering is a new methodology for addressing meniscal injury or loss. Synovium may be an ideal source of cells for in vitro meniscal fibrocartilage formation, however, favorable in vitro culture conditions for synovium must be established in order to achieve this goal. The objective of this study was to determine cellularity, cell distribution, and extracellular matrix (ECM formation of equine fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS cultured on synthetic scaffolds, for potential application in synovium-based meniscal tissue engineering. Scaffolds included open-cell poly-L-lactic acid (OPLA sponges and polyglycolic acid (PGA scaffolds cultured in static and dynamic culture conditions, and PGA scaffolds coated in poly-L-lactic (PLLA in dynamic culture conditions.Materials and Methods. Equine FLS were seeded on OPLA and PGA scaffolds, and cultured in a static environment or in a rotating bioreactor for 12 days. Equine FLS were also seeded on PGA scaffolds coated in 2% or 4% PLLA and cultured in a rotating bioreactor for 14 and 21 days. Three scaffolds from each group were fixed, sectioned and stained with Masson’s Trichrome, Safranin-O, and Hematoxylin and Eosin, and cell numbers and distribution were analyzed using computer image analysis. Three PGA and OPLA scaffolds from each culture condition were also analyzed for extracellular matrix (ECM production via dimethylmethylene blue (sulfated glycosaminoglycan assay and hydroxyproline (collagen assay. PLLA coated PGA scaffolds were analyzed using double stranded DNA quantification as areflection of cellularity and confocal laser microscopy in a fluorescent cell viability assay.Results. The highest cellularity occurred in PGA constructs cultured in a rotating bioreactor, which also had a mean sulfated glycosaminoglycan content of 22.3 µg per scaffold. PGA constructs cultured in static conditions had the lowest cellularity. Cells had difficulty adhering to OPLA and the PLLA

  16. Geometry optimization of a fibrous scaffold based on mathematical modelling and CFD simulation of a dynamic cell culture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tajsoleiman, Tannaz; J. Abdekhodaie, Mohammad; Gernaey, Krist

    2016-01-01

    simulation of cartilage cell culture under a perfusion flow, which allows not only to characterize the supply of nutrients and metabolic products inside a fibrous scaffold, but also to assess the overall culture condition and predict the cell growth rate. Afterwards, the simulation results supported finding...... an optimized design of the scaffold within a new mathematical optimization algorithm that is proposed. The main concept of this optimization routine isto maintain a large effective surface while simultaneously keeping the shear stress levelin an operating range that is expected to be supporting growth....... Therewith, it should bepossible to gradually reach improved culture efficiency as defined in the objective function....

  17. Characterization of glucocerebrosidase in peripheral blood cells and cultured blastoid cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Aerts, J. M.; Heikoop, J.; van Weely, S.; Donker-Koopman, W. E.; Barranger, J. A.; Tager, J. M.; Schram, A. W.

    1988-01-01

    We have characterized glucocerebrosidase in various cell types of peripheral blood of control subjects and in cultured human blastoid cells. The intracellular level of glucocerebrosidase in cultured blastoid cells (10-30 nmol substrate hydrolyzed/h.mg protein) resembles closely values observed for

  18. Radiation damage, repopulation and cell recovery analysis of in vitro tumour cell megacolony culture data using a non-Poissonian cell repopulation TCP model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stavrev, P; Weldon, M; Warkentin, B; Stavreva, N; Fallone, B G

    2005-01-01

    The effects of radiation damage, tumour repopulation and cell sublethal damage repair and the possibility of extracting information about the model parameters describing them are investigated in this work. Previously published data on two different cultured cell lines were analysed with the help of a tumour control probability (TCP) model that describes tumour cell dynamics properly. Different versions of a TCP model representing the cases of full or partial cell recovery between fractions of radiation, accompanied by repopulation or no repopulation were used to fit the data and were ranked according to statistical criteria. The data analysis shows the importance of the linear-quadratic mechanism of cell damage for the description of the in vitro cell dynamics. In a previous work where in vivo data were analysed, the employment of the single hit model of cell kill and cell repopulation produced the best fit, while ignoring the quadratic term of cell damage in the current analysis leads to poor fits. It is also concluded that more experiments using different fractionation regimes producing diverse data are needed to help model analysis and better ranking of the models

  19. Isolation and Identification of Proteins Secreted by Cells Cultured within Synthetic Hydrogel-Based Matrices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sawicki, Lisa A; Choe, Leila H; Wiley, Katherine L; Lee, Kelvin H; Kloxin, April M

    2018-03-12

    Cells interact with and remodel their microenvironment, degrading large extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins (e.g., fibronectin, collagens) and secreting new ECM proteins and small soluble factors (e.g., growth factors, cytokines). Synthetic mimics of the ECM have been developed as controlled cell culture platforms for use in both fundamental and applied studies. However, how cells broadly remodel these initially well-defined matrices remains poorly understood and difficult to probe. In this work, we have established methods for widely examining both large and small proteins that are secreted by cells within synthetic matrices. Specifically, human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), a model primary cell type, were cultured within well-defined poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-peptide hydrogels, and these cell-matrix constructs were decellularized and degraded for subsequent isolation and analysis of deposited proteins. Shotgun proteomics using liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry identified a variety of proteins, including the large ECM proteins fibronectin and collagen VI. Immunostaining and confocal imaging confirmed these results and provided visualization of protein organization within the synthetic matrices. Additionally, culture medium was collected from the encapsulated hMSCs, and a Luminex assay was performed to identify secreted soluble factors, including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), endothelial growth factor (EGF), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF-2), interleukin 8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α). Together, these methods provide a unique approach for studying dynamic reciprocity between cells and synthetic microenvironments and have the potential to provide new biological insights into cell responses during three-dimensional (3D) controlled cell culture.

  20. Biosynthesis of 14C-phytoene from tomato cell suspension cultures (Lycopersicon esculentum) for utilization in prostate cancer cell culture studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campbell, Jessica K; Rogers, Randy B; Lila, Mary Ann; Erdman, John W

    2006-02-08

    This work describes the development and utilization of a plant cell culture production approach to biosynthesize and radiolabel phytoene and phytofluene for prostate cancer cell culture studies. The herbicide norflurazon was added to established cell suspension cultures of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum cv. VFNT cherry), to induce the biosynthesis and accumulation of the lycopene precursors, phytoene and phytofluene, in their natural isomeric forms (15-cis-phytoene and two cis-phytofluene isomers). Norflurazon concentrations, solvent carrier type and concentration, and duration of culture exposure to norflurazon were screened to optimize phytoene and phytofluene synthesis. Maximum yields of both phytoene and phytofluene were achieved after 7 days of treatment with 0.03 mg norflurazon/40 mL fresh medium, provided in 0.07% solvent carrier. Introduction of 14C-sucrose to the tomato cell culture medium enabled the production of 14C-labeled phytoene for subsequent prostate tumor cell uptake studies. In DU 145 prostate tumor cells, it was determined that 15-cis-phytoene and an oxidized product of phytoene were taken up and partially metabolized by the cells. The ability to biosynthesize, radiolabel, and isolate these carotenoids from tomato cell cultures is a novel, valuable methodology for further in vitro and in vivo investigations into the roles of phytoene and phytofluene in cancer chemoprevention.

  1. Advantages and challenges of microfluidic cell culture in polydimethylsiloxane devices.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Halldorsson, Skarphedinn; Lucumi, Edinson; Gómez-Sjöberg, Rafael; Fleming, Ronan M T

    2015-01-15

    Culture of cells using various microfluidic devices is becoming more common within experimental cell biology. At the same time, a technological radiation of microfluidic cell culture device designs is currently in progress. Ultimately, the utility of microfluidic cell culture will be determined by its capacity to permit new insights into cellular function. Especially insights that would otherwise be difficult or impossible to obtain with macroscopic cell culture in traditional polystyrene dishes, flasks or well-plates. Many decades of heuristic optimization have gone into perfecting conventional cell culture devices and protocols. In comparison, even for the most commonly used microfluidic cell culture devices, such as those fabricated from polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), collective understanding of the differences in cellular behavior between microfluidic and macroscopic culture is still developing. Moving in vitro culture from macroscopic culture to PDMS based devices can come with unforeseen challenges. Changes in device material, surface coating, cell number per unit surface area or per unit media volume may all affect the outcome of otherwise standard protocols. In this review, we outline some of the advantages and challenges that may accompany a transition from macroscopic to microfluidic cell culture. We focus on decisive factors that distinguish macroscopic from microfluidic cell culture to encourage a reconsideration of how macroscopic cell culture principles might apply to microfluidic cell culture. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Defined Essential 8™ Medium and Vitronectin Efficiently Support Scalable Xeno-Free Expansion of Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells in Stirred Microcarrier Culture Systems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badenes, Sara M.; Fernandes, Tiago G.; Cordeiro, Cláudia S. M.; Boucher, Shayne; Kuninger, David; Vemuri, Mohan C.; Diogo, Maria Margarida; Cabral, Joaquim M. S.

    2016-01-01

    Human induced pluripotent stem (hiPS) cell culture using Essential 8™ xeno-free medium and the defined xeno-free matrix vitronectin was successfully implemented under adherent conditions. This matrix was able to support hiPS cell expansion either in coated plates or on polystyrene-coated microcarriers, while maintaining hiPS cell functionality and pluripotency. Importantly, scale-up of the microcarrier-based system was accomplished using a 50 mL spinner flask, under dynamic conditions. A three-level factorial design experiment was performed to identify optimal conditions in terms of a) initial cell density b) agitation speed, and c) to maximize cell yield in spinner flask cultures. A maximum cell yield of 3.5 is achieved by inoculating 55,000 cells/cm2 of microcarrier surface area and using 44 rpm, which generates a cell density of 1.4x106 cells/mL after 10 days of culture. After dynamic culture, hiPS cells maintained their typical morphology upon re-plating, exhibited pluripotency-associated marker expression as well as tri-lineage differentiation capability, which was verified by inducing their spontaneous differentiation through embryoid body formation, and subsequent downstream differentiation to specific lineages such as neural and cardiac fates was successfully accomplished. In conclusion, a scalable, robust and cost-effective xeno-free culture system was successfully developed and implemented for the scale-up production of hiPS cells. PMID:26999816

  3. Introducing Mammalian Cell Culture and Cell Viability Techniques in the Undergraduate Biology Laboratory.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bowey-Dellinger, Kristen; Dixon, Luke; Ackerman, Kristin; Vigueira, Cynthia; Suh, Yewseok K; Lyda, Todd; Sapp, Kelli; Grider, Michael; Crater, Dinene; Russell, Travis; Elias, Michael; Coffield, V McNeil; Segarra, Verónica A

    2017-01-01

    Undergraduate students learn about mammalian cell culture applications in introductory biology courses. However, laboratory modules are rarely designed to provide hands-on experience with mammalian cells or teach cell culture techniques, such as trypsinization and cell counting. Students are more likely to learn about cell culture using bacteria or yeast, as they are typically easier to grow, culture, and manipulate given the equipment, tools, and environment of most undergraduate biology laboratories. In contrast, the utilization of mammalian cells requires a dedicated biological safety cabinet and rigorous antiseptic techniques. For this reason, we have devised a laboratory module and method herein that familiarizes students with common cell culture procedures, without the use of a sterile hood or large cell culture facility. Students design and perform a time-efficient inquiry-based cell viability experiment using HeLa cells and tools that are readily available in an undergraduate biology laboratory. Students will become familiar with common techniques such as trypsinizing cells, cell counting with a hemocytometer, performing serial dilutions, and determining cell viability using trypan blue dye. Additionally, students will work with graphing software to analyze their data and think critically about the mechanism of death on a cellular level. Two different adaptations of this inquiry-based lab are presented-one for non-biology majors and one for biology majors. Overall, these laboratories aim to expose students to mammalian cell culture and basic techniques and help them to conceptualize their application in scientific research.

  4. Multizone Paper Platform for 3D Cell Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Derda, Ratmir; Hong, Estrella; Mwangi, Martin; Mammoto, Akiko; Ingber, Donald E.; Whitesides, George M.

    2011-01-01

    In vitro 3D culture is an important model for tissues in vivo. Cells in different locations of 3D tissues are physiologically different, because they are exposed to different concentrations of oxygen, nutrients, and signaling molecules, and to other environmental factors (temperature, mechanical stress, etc). The majority of high-throughput assays based on 3D cultures, however, can only detect the average behavior of cells in the whole 3D construct. Isolation of cells from specific regions of 3D cultures is possible, but relies on low-throughput techniques such as tissue sectioning and micromanipulation. Based on a procedure reported previously (“cells-in-gels-in-paper” or CiGiP), this paper describes a simple method for culture of arrays of thin planar sections of tissues, either alone or stacked to create more complex 3D tissue structures. This procedure starts with sheets of paper patterned with hydrophobic regions that form 96 hydrophilic zones. Serial spotting of cells suspended in extracellular matrix (ECM) gel onto the patterned paper creates an array of 200 micron-thick slabs of ECM gel (supported mechanically by cellulose fibers) containing cells. Stacking the sheets with zones aligned on top of one another assembles 96 3D multilayer constructs. De-stacking the layers of the 3D culture, by peeling apart the sheets of paper, “sections” all 96 cultures at once. It is, thus, simple to isolate 200-micron-thick cell-containing slabs from each 3D culture in the 96-zone array. Because the 3D cultures are assembled from multiple layers, the number of cells plated initially in each layer determines the spatial distribution of cells in the stacked 3D cultures. This capability made it possible to compare the growth of 3D tumor models of different spatial composition, and to examine the migration of cells in these structures. PMID:21573103

  5. Morphology of primary human venous endothelial cell cultures before and after culture medium exchange.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krüger-Genge, A; Fuhrmann, R; Jung, F; Franke, R P

    2015-01-01

    The evaluation of the interaction of human, venous endothelial cells (HUVEC) with body foreign materials on the cellular level cannot be performed in vivo, but is investigated in vitro under standard culture conditions. To maintain the vitality, proliferation and morphology of HUVEC seeded on body foreign substrates over days, the cell culture medium is usually exchanged every second day. It is well known, that alterations in the microenvironment of cells bear the risk of influencing cell morphology and function. In the current study the influence of cell culture medium exchange on HUVEC cytoskeletal microfilament structure and function was investigated. HUVEC in the third passage were seeded on extracellular matrix (ECM) - which was secreted from bovine corneal endothelial cells on glass- until functional confluence was reached. The experiment started 11 days after HUVEC seeding with an exchange of the cell culture medium followed by a staining of the actin microfilaments with phalloidin-rhodamin 1.5 and 5 minutes after medium exchange. The microfilaments were documented by use of an Olympus microscope (IMT-2) equipped with a UV lamp and online connected to a TV chain (Sony XC 50 ST/monochrome) implying an OPTIMAS - Image analysis system. Prostacyclin was analysed in the cell culture supernatant. 1.5 min after culture medium exchange in the functionally confluent cultures a slight disturbance of the actin microfilament structure with a broadening of the marginal filament band, a partial disconnection of cell-cell contacts and the appearance of intercellular fenestrations were observed. 5 minutes after medium exchange a redevelopment of the slightly disturbed microfilament structure with a condensation and narrowing of the marginal filament band was seen. 12 h later a further consolidation of the microfilament structure occurred. In addition, a perturbation of the cultured HUVEC occurred after cell culture medium exchange. The prostacyclin concentration in the

  6. Melanosomal dynamics assessed with a live-cell fluorescent melanosomal marker.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan M Bruder

    Full Text Available Melanocytes present in skin and other organs synthesize and store melanin pigment within membrane-delimited organelles called melanosomes. Exposure of human skin to ultraviolet radiation (UV stimulates melanin production in melanosomes, followed by transfer of melanosomes from melanocytes to neighboring keratinocytes. Melanosomal function is critical for protecting skin against UV radiation, but the mechanisms underlying melanosomal movement and transfer are not well understood. Here we report a novel fluorescent melanosomal marker, which we used to measure real-time melanosomal dynamics in live human epidermal melanocytes (HEMs and transfer in melanocyte-keratinocyte co-cultures. A fluorescent fusion protein of Ocular Albinism 1 (OA1 localized to melanosomes in both B16-F1 cells and HEMs, and its expression did not significantly alter melanosomal distribution. Live-cell tracking of OA1-GFP-tagged melanosomes revealed a bimodal kinetic profile, with melanosomes exhibiting combinations of slow and fast movement. We also found that exposure to UV radiation increased the fraction of melanosomes exhibiting fast versus slow movement. In addition, using OA1-GFP in live co-cultures, we monitored melanosomal transfer using time-lapse microscopy. These results highlight OA1-GFP as a specific and effective melanosomal marker for live-cell studies, reveal new aspects of melanosomal dynamics and transfer, and are relevant to understanding the skin's physiological response to UV radiation.

  7. Microfluidically supported biochip design for culture of endothelial cell layers with improved perfusion conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raasch, Martin; Rennert, Knut; Jahn, Tobias; Peters, Sven; Henkel, Thomas; Huber, Otmar; Schulz, Ingo; Becker, Holger; Lorkowski, Stefan; Funke, Harald; Mosig, Alexander

    2015-03-02

    Hemodynamic forces generated by the blood flow are of central importance for the function of endothelial cells (ECs), which form a biologically active cellular monolayer in blood vessels and serve as a selective barrier for macromolecular permeability. Mechanical stimulation of the endothelial monolayer induces morphological remodeling in its cytoskeleton. For in vitro studies on EC biology culture devices are desirable that simulate conditions of flow in blood vessels and allow flow-based adhesion/permeability assays under optimal perfusion conditions. With this aim we designed a biochip comprising a perfusable membrane that serves as cell culture platform multi-organ-tissue-flow (MOTiF biochip). This biochip allows an effective supply with nutrition medium, discharge of catabolic cell metabolites and defined application of shear stress to ECs under laminar flow conditions. To characterize EC layers cultured in the MOTiF biochip we investigated cell viability, expression of EC marker proteins and cell adhesion molecules of ECs dynamically cultured under low and high shear stress, and compared them with an endothelial culture in established two-dimensionally perfused flow chambers and under static conditions. We show that ECs cultured in the MOTiF biochip form a tight EC monolayer with increased cellular density, enhanced cell layer thickness, presumably as the result of a rapid and effective adaption to shear stress by remodeling of the cytoskeleton. Moreover, endothelial layers in the MOTiF biochip express higher amounts of EC marker proteins von-Willebrand-factor and PECAM-1. EC layers were highly responsive to stimulation with TNFα as detected at the level of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin expression and modulation of endothelial permeability in response to TNFα/IFNγ treatment under flow conditions. Compared to static and two-dimensionally perfused cell culture condition we consider MOTiF biochips as a valuable tool for studying EC biology in vitro under

  8. Mutation in cultured mammalian cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakamura, N.; Okada, S.

    1982-01-01

    Mammalian cell cultures were exposed to gamma-rays at various dose rates. Dose-rate effects were observed in cultured somatic cells of the mouse for cell killing and mutations resistant to 6-thioguanine (TGsup(r)) and to methotrexate (MTXsup(r)). Linear quadratic model may be applied to cell killing and TGsup(r) mutations in some cases but can not explain the whole data. Results at low doses with far low dose-rate were not predictable from data at high doses with acute or chronic irradiation. Radioprotective effects of dimethyl sulfoxide were seen only after acute exposure but not after chronic one, suggesting that damages by indirect action of radiations may be potentially reparable by cells. TGsup(r) mutations seem to contain gross structural changes whereas MTXsup(r) ones may have smaller alterations. (Namekawa, K.)

  9. Cell-free DNA in a three-dimensional spheroid cell culture model

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Aucamp, Janine; Calitz, Carlemi; Bronkhorst, Abel J.

    2017-01-01

    Background Investigating the biological functions of cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is limited by the interference of vast numbers of putative sources and causes of DNA release into circulation. Utilization of three-dimensional (3D) spheroid cell cultures, models with characteristics closer to the in vivo...... cultures can serve as effective, simplified in vivo-simulating “closed-circuit” models since putative sources of cfDNA are limited to only the targeted cells. In addition, cfDNA can also serve as an alternative or auxiliary marker for tracking spheroid growth, development and culture stability. Biological...... significance 3D cell cultures can be used to translate “closed-circuit” in vitro model research into data that is relevant for in vivo studies and clinical applications. In turn, the utilization of cfDNA during 3D culture research can optimize sample collection without affecting the stability of the growth...

  10. Cell culture techniques in honey bee research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cell culture techniques are indispensable in most if not all life science disciplines to date. Wherever cell culture models are lacking scientific development is hampered. Unfortunately this has been and still is the case in honey bee research because permanent honey bee cell lines have not yet been...

  11. Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) Control of Secreted Factors for Blood Stem Cell Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Caldwell, Julia; Wang, Weijia; Zandstra, Peter W

    2015-01-01

    Clinical use of umbilical cord blood has typically been limited by the need to expand hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) ex vivo. This expansion is challenging due to the accumulation of secreted signaling factors in the culture that have a negative regulatory effect on HSPC output. Strategies for global regulation of these factors through dilution have been developed, but do not accommodate the dynamic nature or inherent variability of hematopoietic cell culture. We have developed a mathematical model to simulate the impact of feedback control on in vitro hematopoiesis, and used it to design a proportional-integral-derivative (PID) control algorithm. This algorithm was implemented with a fed-batch bioreactor to regulate the concentrations of secreted factors. Controlling the concentration of a key target factor, TGF-β1, through dilution limited the negative effect it had on HSPCs, and allowed global control of other similarly-produced inhibitory endogenous factors. The PID control algorithm effectively maintained the target soluble factor at the target concentration. We show that feedback controlled dilution is predicted to be a more cost effective dilution strategy compared to other open-loop strategies, and can enhance HSPC expansion in short term culture. This study demonstrates the utility of secreted factor process control strategies to optimize stem cell culture systems, and motivates the development of multi-analyte protein sensors to automate the manufacturing of cell therapies.

  12. Microfluidic engineered high cell density three-dimensional neural cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cullen, D. Kacy; Vukasinovic, Jelena; Glezer, Ari; La Placa, Michelle C.

    2007-06-01

    Three-dimensional (3D) neural cultures with cells distributed throughout a thick, bioactive protein scaffold may better represent neurobiological phenomena than planar correlates lacking matrix support. Neural cells in vivo interact within a complex, multicellular environment with tightly coupled 3D cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions; however, thick 3D neural cultures at cell densities approaching that of brain rapidly decay, presumably due to diffusion limited interstitial mass transport. To address this issue, we have developed a novel perfusion platform that utilizes forced intercellular convection to enhance mass transport. First, we demonstrated that in thick (>500 µm) 3D neural cultures supported by passive diffusion, cell densities =104 cells mm-3), continuous medium perfusion at 2.0-11.0 µL min-1 improved viability compared to non-perfused cultures (p death and matrix degradation. In perfused cultures, survival was dependent on proximity to the perfusion source at 2.00-6.25 µL min-1 (p 90% viability in both neuronal cultures and neuronal-astrocytic co-cultures. This work demonstrates the utility of forced interstitial convection in improving the survival of high cell density 3D engineered neural constructs and may aid in the development of novel tissue-engineered systems reconstituting 3D cell-cell/cell-matrix interactions.

  13. Cell sources for in vitro human liver cell culture models

    Science.gov (United States)

    Freyer, Nora; Damm, Georg; Seehofer, Daniel; Knöspel, Fanny

    2016-01-01

    In vitro liver cell culture models are gaining increasing importance in pharmacological and toxicological research. The source of cells used is critical for the relevance and the predictive value of such models. Primary human hepatocytes (PHH) are currently considered to be the gold standard for hepatic in vitro culture models, since they directly reflect the specific metabolism and functionality of the human liver; however, the scarcity and difficult logistics of PHH have driven researchers to explore alternative cell sources, including liver cell lines and pluripotent stem cells. Liver cell lines generated from hepatomas or by genetic manipulation are widely used due to their good availability, but they are generally altered in certain metabolic functions. For the past few years, adult and pluripotent stem cells have been attracting increasing attention, due their ability to proliferate and to differentiate into hepatocyte-like cells in vitro. However, controlling the differentiation of these cells is still a challenge. This review gives an overview of the major human cell sources under investigation for in vitro liver cell culture models, including primary human liver cells, liver cell lines, and stem cells. The promises and challenges of different cell types are discussed with a focus on the complex 2D and 3D culture approaches under investigation for improving liver cell functionality in vitro. Finally, the specific application options of individual cell sources in pharmacological research or disease modeling are described. PMID:27385595

  14. Growth of melanocytes in human epidermal cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Staiano-Coico, L.; Hefton, J.M.; Amadeo, C.; Pagan-Charry, I.; Madden, M.R.; Cardon-Cardo, C.

    1990-01-01

    Epidermal cell cultures were grown in keratinocyte-conditioned medium for use as burn wound grafts; the melanocyte composition of the grafts was studied under a variety of conditions. Melanocytes were identified by immunohistochemistry based on a monoclonal antibody (MEL-5) that has previously been shown to react specifically with melanocytes. During the first 7 days of growth in primary culture, the total number of melanocytes in the epidermal cultures decreased to 10% of the number present in normal skin. Beginning on day 2 of culture, bipolar melanocytes were present at a mean cell density of 116 +/- 2/mm2; the keratinocyte to melanocyte ratio was preserved during further primary culture and through three subpassages. Moreover, exposure of cultures to mild UVB irradiation stimulated the melanocytes to proliferate, suggesting that the melanocytes growing in culture maintained their responsiveness to external stimuli. When the sheets of cultured cells were enzymatically detached from the plastic culture flasks before grafting, melanocytes remained in the basal layer of cells as part of the graft applied to the patient

  15. Cell Culture as an Alternative in Education.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nardone, Roland M.

    1990-01-01

    Programs that are intended to inform and provide "hands-on" experience for students and to facilitate the introduction of cell culture-based laboratory exercises into the high school and college laboratory are examined. The components of the CellServ Program and the Cell Culture Toxicology Training Programs are described. (KR)

  16. The usefulness of three-dimensional cell culture in induction of cancer stem cells from esophageal squamous cell carcinoma cell lines

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujiwara, Daisuke; Kato, Kazunori; Nohara, Shigeo; Iwanuma, Yoshimi; Kajiyama, Yoshiaki

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: •Spheroids were created from esophageal carcinoma cells using NanoCulture® Plates. •The proportion of strongly ALDH-positive cells increased in 3-D culture. •Expression of cancer stem cell-related genes was enhanced in 3-D culture. •CA-9 expression was enhanced, suggesting hypoxia had been induced in 3-D culture. •Drug resistance was increased. 3-D culture is useful for inducing cancer stem cells. -- Abstract: In recent years, research on resistance to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in cancer treatment has come under the spotlight, and researchers have also begun investigating the relationship between resistance and cancer stem cells. Cancer stem cells are assumed to be present in esophageal cancer, but experimental methods for identification and culture of these cells have not yet been established. To solve this problem, we created spheroids using a NanoCulture® Plate (NCP) for 3-dimensional (3-D) cell culture, which was designed as a means for experimentally reproducing the 3-D structures found in the body. We investigated the potential for induction of cancer stem cells from esophageal cancer cells. Using flow cytometry we analyzed the expression of surface antigen markers CD44, CD133, CD338 (ABCG2), CD318 (CDCP1), and CD326 (EpCAM), which are known cancer stem cell markers. None of these surface antigen markers showed enhanced expression in 3-D cultured cells. We then analyzed aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH) enzymatic activity using the ALDEFLUOR reagent, which can identify immature cells such as stem cells and precursor cells. 3-D-cultured cells were strongly positive for ALDH enzyme activity. We also analyzed the expression of the stem cell-related genes Sox-2, Nanog, Oct3/4, and Lin28 using RT-PCR. Expression of Sox-2, Nanog, and Lin28 was enhanced. Analysis of expression of the hypoxic surface antigen marker carbonic anhydrase-9 (CA-9), which is an indicator of cancer stem cell induction and maintenance, revealed that CA-9 expression

  17. PECULIARITIES OF SECONDARY METABOLITES BIOSYNTHESIS IN PLANT CELL CULTURES

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    A.M. NOSOV

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available metabolites formation in plant cell cultures of Panax spp., (ginsenosides; Dioscorea deltoidea (steroid glycosides; Ajuga reptans, Serratula coronata, Rhaponticum carthamoides (ecdisteroids; Polyscias spp., (triterpene glycosides, Taxus spp. (taxoids, Stevia rebaudiana (diterpene steviol-glycosides, Stephania glabra (alkaloids. They are some regular trends of secondary metabolites synthesis in the plant cell culture:It can be noted the stable synthesis of the compound promoting cell proliferation. Indeed, cell cultures of Dioscorea deltoidea were demonstrated to accumulate only furostanol glycosides, which promoted cell division. Furostanol glycoside content of Dioscorea strain DM-0.5 was up to 6 - 12% by dry biomass.Panax ginseng and P. japonicus plant cell cultures synthesize as minimum seven triterpene glycosides (ginsenosides, the productivity of these compounds was up to 6.0 - 8.0% on dry biomass.By contrast, the detectable synthesis of diterpene steviol-glycosides in cultivated cells of Stevia rebaudiana initiated in the mixotrophic cultures during chloroplast formation only.Despite these differences, or mainly due to them, plant cell cultures have become an attractive source of phytochemicals in alternative to collecting wild plants. It provides a guideline to bioreactor-based production of isoprenoids using undifferentiated plant cell cultures

  18. Substrate utilisation by plant-cell cultures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fowler, M W

    1982-01-01

    Plant cell cultures have been grown on a wide range of carbon sources in addition to the traditional ones of sucrose and glucose. Biomass yields and growth rates vary greatly between the different carbon sources and there is a variation in response between different cell cultures to individual carbon sources. Some attempts have been made to grow cell cultures on 'waste' and related carbon sources, such as lactose, maltose, starch, molasses and milk whey. Only maltose was found to support growth to anything near the levels observed with glucose and sucrose. In the case of molasses carbon source cell growth was either non-existent or only just measurable. All the data point to glucose as being the most suitable carbon source, principally on the grounds of biomass yield and growth rate. It should be noted, however, that other carbon sources do appear to have a major (positive) influence on natural product synthesis. Uptake into the cell is an important aspect of carbohydrate utilisation. There is strong evidence that from disaccharides upwards, major degradation to smaller units occurs before uptake. In some cases the necessary enzymes appear to be excreted into the culture broth, in others they may be located within the cell wall; invertase that hydrolyses sucrose is a good example. Once the products of carbohydrate degradation and mobilisation enter the cell they may suffer one of two fates, oxidation or utilisation for biosynthesis. The precise split between these two varies depending on such factors as cell growth rate, cell size, nutrient broth composition and carbohydrate status of the cells. In general rapidly growing cells have a high rate of oxidation, whereas cells growing more slowly tend to be more directed towards biosynthesis. Carbohydrate utilisation is a key area of study, underpinning as it does both biomass yield and natural product synthesis. (Refs. 13).

  19. Biona-C Cell Culture pH Monitoring System

    Science.gov (United States)

    Friedericks, C.

    1999-01-01

    Sensors 2000! is developing a system to demonstrate the ability to perform accurate, real-time measurements of pH and CO2 in a cell culture media in Space. The BIONA-C Cell Culture pH Monitoring System consists of S2K! developed ion selective sensors and control electronics integrated with the fluidics of a cell culture system. The integrated system comprises a "rail" in the Cell Culture Module (CCM) of WRAIR (Space Biosciences of Walter Read Army Institute of Research). The CCM is a Space Shuttle mid-deck locker experiment payload. The BIONA-C is displayed along with associated graphics and text explanations. The presentation will stimulate interest in development of sensor technology for real-time cell culture measurements. The transfer of this technology to other applications will also be of interest. Additional information is contained in the original document.

  20. The effects of dynamic and three-dimensional environments on chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jung, Youngmee; Kim, Sang-Heon; Kim, Soo Hyun [Biomaterials Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, PO Box 131, Cheonryang, Seoul, 130-650 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Young Ha, E-mail: soohkim@kist.re.k [Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, 261 Cheomdan-gwagiro, Buk-gu, Gwangju 500-712 (Korea, Republic of)

    2009-10-15

    Articular cartilage is subjected to complex loading, which plays a major role in its growth, development and maintenance. Previously, we found that mechanical stimuli enhanced the development and function of engineered cartilage tissues in elastic mechano-active poly(lactide-co-caprolactone) (PLCL) scaffolds. In addition, it is well known that the three-dimensional spatial organization of cells and extracellular matrices in hydrogels is crucial to chondrogenesis. This study was conducted to enhance the chondrogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in the hybrid scaffolds of fibrin gels and PLCL scaffolds in dynamic environments by compression. A highly elastic scaffold was fabricated from very elastic PLCL with 85% porosity and a 300-500{mu}m pore size using a gel-pressing method. A mixture of rabbit BMSCs and fibrin gels was then seeded onto the PLCL scaffolds and subjected to continuous compressive deformation of 5% strain at 0.1 Hz for 10 days in a chondrogenic medium containing 10 ng ml{sup -1} TGF-beta{sub 1}. The BMSCs-seeded scaffold constructs were then implanted subcutaneously into nude mice. As a control, the cell-PLCL scaffold constructs were cultured under dynamic conditions or the cell-PLCL/fibrin hybrid scaffold constructs and the cell-PLCL scaffold constructs were cultured under static conditions for 10 days in vitro. The results revealed that cells adhered onto the hybrid scaffolds of fibrin gels and PLCL scaffolds cultured under dynamic conditions. In addition, the accumulation of the extracellular matrix of cell-scaffold constructs, which was increased through mechanical stimulation, showed that chondrogenic differentiation was sustained and enhanced significantly in the stimulated hybrid scaffold constructs. Overall, the results of this study indicate that the proper periodic application of dynamic compression and the three-dimensional environments of the hybrid scaffolds composed of fibrin gels and elastic PLCL can encourage

  1. Dynamic changes in transcriptome and cell wall composition underlying brassinosteroid-mediated lignification of switchgrass suspension cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rao, Xiaolan; Shen, Hui; Pattathil, Sivakumar; Hahn, Michael G; Gelineo-Albersheim, Ivana; Mohnen, Debra; Pu, Yunqiao; Ragauskas, Arthur J; Chen, Xin; Chen, Fang; Dixon, Richard A

    2017-01-01

    Plant cell walls contribute the majority of plant biomass that can be used to produce transportation fuels. However, the complexity and variability in composition and structure of cell walls, particularly the presence of lignin, negatively impacts their deconstruction for bioenergy. Metabolic and genetic changes associated with secondary wall development in the biofuel crop switchgrass ( Panicum virgatum ) have yet to be reported. Our previous studies have established a cell suspension system for switchgrass, in which cell wall lignification can be induced by application of brassinolide (BL). We have now collected cell wall composition and microarray-based transcriptome profiles for BL-induced and non-induced suspension cultures to provide an overview of the dynamic changes in transcriptional reprogramming during BL-induced cell wall modification. From this analysis, we have identified changes in candidate genes involved in cell wall precursor synthesis, cellulose, hemicellulose, and pectin formation and ester-linkage generation. We have also identified a large number of transcription factors with expression correlated with lignin biosynthesis genes, among which are candidates for control of syringyl (S) lignin accumulation. Together, this work provides an overview of the dynamic compositional changes during brassinosteroid-induced cell wall remodeling, and identifies candidate genes for future plant genetic engineering to overcome cell wall recalcitrance.

  2. The Stationary-Phase Cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Display Dynamic Actin Filaments Required for Processes Extending Chronological Life Span.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasicova, Pavla; Lejskova, Renata; Malcova, Ivana; Hasek, Jiri

    2015-11-01

    Stationary-growth-phase Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cultures consist of nondividing cells that undergo chronological aging. For their successful survival, the turnover of proteins and organelles, ensured by autophagy and the activation of mitochondria, is performed. Some of these processes are engaged in by the actin cytoskeleton. In S. cerevisiae stationary-phase cells, F actin has been shown to form static aggregates named actin bodies, subsequently cited to be markers of quiescence. Our in vivo analyses revealed that stationary-phase cultures contain cells with dynamic actin filaments, besides the cells with static actin bodies. The cells with dynamic actin displayed active endocytosis and autophagy and well-developed mitochondrial networks. Even more, stationary-phase cell cultures grown under calorie restriction predominantly contained cells with actin cables, confirming that the presence of actin cables is linked to successful adaptation to stationary phase. Cells with actin bodies were inactive in endocytosis and autophagy and displayed aberrations in mitochondrial networks. Notably, cells of the respiratory activity-deficient cox4Δ strain displayed the same mitochondrial aberrations and actin bodies only. Additionally, our results indicate that mitochondrial dysfunction precedes the formation of actin bodies and the appearance of actin bodies corresponds to decreased cell fitness. We conclude that the F-actin status reflects the extent of damage that arises from exponential growth. Copyright © 2015, American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

  3. Rotary orbital suspension culture of embryonic stem cell-derived neural stem/progenitor cells: impact of hydrodynamic culture on aggregate yield, morphology and cell phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laundos, Tiago L; Silva, Joana; Assunção, Marisa; Quelhas, Pedro; Monteiro, Cátia; Oliveira, Carla; Oliveira, Maria J; Pêgo, Ana P; Amaral, Isabel F

    2017-08-01

    Embryonic stem (ES)-derived neural stem/progenitor cells (ES-NSPCs) constitute a promising cell source for application in cell therapies for the treatment of central nervous system disorders. In this study, a rotary orbital hydrodynamic culture system was applied to single-cell suspensions of ES-NSPCs, to obtain homogeneously-sized ES-NSPC cellular aggregates (neurospheres). Hydrodynamic culture allowed the formation of ES-NSPC neurospheres with a narrower size distribution than statically cultured neurospheres, increasing orbital speeds leading to smaller-sized neurospheres and higher neurosphere yield. Neurospheres formed under hydrodynamic conditions (72 h at 55 rpm) showed higher cell compaction and comparable percentages of viable, dead, apoptotic and proliferative cells. Further characterization of cellular aggregates provided new insights into the effect of hydrodynamic shear on ES-NSPC behaviour. Rotary neurospheres exhibited reduced protein levels of N-cadherin and β-catenin, and higher deposition of laminin (without impacting fibronectin deposition), matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) activity and percentage of neuronal cells. In line with the increased MMP-2 activity levels found, hydrodynamically-cultured neurospheres showed higher outward migration on laminin. Moreover, when cultured in a 3D fibrin hydrogel, rotary neurospheres generated an increased percentage of neuronal cells. In conclusion, the application of a constant orbital speed to single-cell suspensions of ES-NSPCs, besides allowing the formation of homogeneously-sized neurospheres, promoted ES-NSPC differentiation and outward migration, possibly by influencing the expression of cell-cell adhesion molecules and the secretion of proteases/extracellular matrix proteins. These findings are important when establishing the culture conditions needed to obtain uniformly-sized ES-NSPC aggregates, either for use in regenerative therapies or in in vitro platforms for biomaterial development or

  4. Protein biosynthesis in cultured human hair follicle cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weterings, P J; Vermorken, A J; Bloemendal, H

    1980-10-31

    A new technique has been used for culturing human keratinocytes. The cells grow on the basement membrane-like capsules of bovine lenses. Lens cells were removed from the capsules by rigid trypsinization. In order to exclude any contamination with remaining living cells the isolated capsules were irradiated with X-rays at a dose of 10,000 rad. In this way human epithelial cells can be brought in culture from individual hair follicles. Since feeder cells are not used in this culture technique, the biosynthesis of keratinocyte proteins can be studied in these cultures. The newly synthesized proteins can be separated into a water-soluble, a urea-soluble, and a urea-insoluble fraction. Product analysis has been performed on the first two fractions revealing protein patterns identical to those of intact hair follicles. Product analysis of the urea-soluble fractions of microdissected hair follicles shows that the protein pattern of the cultured keratinocytes resembles the protein pattern of the hair follicle sheath. Studies on the metabolism of benzo(a)pyrene revealed that the enzyme aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) is present in cultured hair follicle cells. A possible use of our culture system for eventual detection of inherited predisposition for smoking-dependent lung cancer is discussed.

  5. 21 CFR 864.2280 - Cultured animal and human cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Cultured animal and human cells. 864.2280 Section... Cultured animal and human cells. (a) Identification. Cultured animal and human cells are in vitro cultivated cell lines from the tissue of humans or other animals which are used in various diagnostic...

  6. Culture of human mesenchymal stem cells using a candidate pharmaceutical grade xeno-free cell culture supplement derived from industrial human plasma pools.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Díez, José M; Bauman, Ewa; Gajardo, Rodrigo; Jorquera, Juan I

    2015-03-13

    Fetal bovine serum (FBS) is an animal product used as a medium supplement. The animal origin of FBS is a concern if cultured stem cells are to be utilized for human cell therapy. Therefore, a substitute for FBS is desirable. In this study, an industrial, xeno-free, pharmaceutical-grade supplement for cell culture (SCC) under development at Grifols was tested for growth of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs), cell characterization, and differentiation capacity. SCC is a freeze-dried product obtained through cold-ethanol fractionation of industrial human plasma pools from healthy donors. Bone marrow-derived hMSC cell lines were obtained from two commercial suppliers. Cell growth was evaluated by culturing hMSCs with commercial media or media supplemented with SCC or FBS. Cell viability and cell yield were assessed with an automated cell counter. Cell surface markers were studied by indirect immunofluorescence assay. Cells were cultured then differentiated into adipocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and neurons, as assessed by specific staining and microscopy observation. SCC supported the growth of commercial hMSCs. Starting from the same number of seeded cells in two consecutive passages of culture with medium supplemented with SCC, hMSC yield and cell population doubling time were equivalent to the values obtained with the commercial medium and was consistent among lots. The viability of hMSCs was higher than 90%, while maintaining the characteristic phenotype of undifferentiated hMSCs (positive for CD29, CD44, CD90, CD105, CD146, CD166 and Stro-1; negative for CD14 and CD19). Cultured hMSCs maintained the potential for differentiation into adipocytes, chondrocytes, osteoblasts, and neurons. The tested human plasma-derived SCC sustains the adequate growth of hMSCs, while preserving their differentiation capacity. SCC can be a potential candidate for cell culture supplement in advanced cell therapies.

  7. Differential marker expression by cultures rich in mesenchymal stem cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    2013-01-01

    Background Mesenchymal stem cells have properties that make them amenable to therapeutic use. However, the acceptance of mesenchymal stem cells in clinical practice requires standardized techniques for their specific isolation. To date, there are no conclusive marker (s) for the exclusive isolation of mesenchymal stem cells. Our aim was to identify markers differentially expressed between mesenchymal stem cell and non-stem cell mesenchymal cell cultures. We compared and contrasted the phenotype of tissue cultures in which mesenchymal stem cells are rich and rare. By initially assessing mesenchymal stem cell differentiation, we established that bone marrow and breast adipose cultures are rich in mesenchymal stem cells while, in our hands, foreskin fibroblast and olfactory tissue cultures contain rare mesenchymal stem cells. In particular, olfactory tissue cells represent non-stem cell mesenchymal cells. Subsequently, the phenotype of the tissue cultures were thoroughly assessed using immuno-fluorescence, flow-cytometry, proteomics, antibody arrays and qPCR. Results Our analysis revealed that all tissue cultures, regardless of differentiation potential, demonstrated remarkably similar phenotypes. Importantly, it was also observed that common mesenchymal stem cell markers, and fibroblast-associated markers, do not discriminate between mesenchymal stem cell and non-stem cell mesenchymal cell cultures. Examination and comparison of the phenotypes of mesenchymal stem cell and non-stem cell mesenchymal cell cultures revealed three differentially expressed markers – CD24, CD108 and CD40. Conclusion We indicate the importance of establishing differential marker expression between mesenchymal stem cells and non-stem cell mesenchymal cells in order to determine stem cell specific markers. PMID:24304471

  8. Chromosomal instability and telomere shortening in long-term culture of hematopoietic stem cells: insights from a cell culture model of RPS14 haploinsufficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomay, K; Schienke, A; Vajen, B; Modlich, U; Schambach, A; Hofmann, W; Schlegelberger, B; Göhring, G

    2014-01-01

    The fate of cultivated primary hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) with respect to genetic instability and telomere attrition has not yet been described in great detail. Thus, knowledge of the genetic constitution of HSCs is important when interpreting results of HSCs in culture. While establishing a cell culture model for myelodysplastic syndrome with a deletion in 5q by performing RPS14 knockdown, we found surprising data that may be of importance for any CD34+ cell culture experiments. We performed cytogenetic analyses and telomere length measurement on transduced CD34+ cells and untransduced control cells to observe the effects of long-term culturing. Initially, CD34+ cells had a normal median telomere length of about 12 kb and showed no signs of chromosomal instability. During follow-up, the median telomere length seemed to decrease and, simultaneously, increased chromosomal instability could be observed - in modified and control cells. One culture showed a clonal monosomy 7 - independent of prior RPS14 knockdown. During further culturing, it seemed that the telomeres re-elongated, and chromosomes stabilized, while TERT expression was not elevated. In summary, irrespective of our results of RPS14 knockdown in the long-term culture of CD34+ cells, it becomes clear that cell culture artefacts inducing telomere shortening and chromosomal instability have to be taken into account and regular cytogenetic analyses should always be performed. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  9. A single-cell and feeder-free culture system for monkey embryonic stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ono, Takashi; Suzuki, Yutaka; Kato, Yosuke; Fujita, Risako; Araki, Toshihiro; Yamashita, Tomoko; Kato, Hidemasa; Torii, Ryuzo; Sato, Naoya

    2014-01-01

    Primate pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), including embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), hold great potential for research and application in regenerative medicine and drug discovery. To maximize primate PSC potential, a practical system is required for generating desired functional cells and reproducible differentiation techniques. Much progress regarding their culture systems has been reported to date; however, better methods would still be required for their practical use, particularly in industrial and clinical fields. Here we report a new single-cell and feeder-free culture system for primate PSCs, the key feature of which is an originally formulated serum-free medium containing FGF and activin. In this culture system, cynomolgus monkey ESCs can be passaged many times by single-cell dissociation with traditional trypsin treatment and can be propagated with a high proliferation rate as a monolayer without any feeder cells; further, typical PSC properties and genomic stability can be retained. In addition, it has been demonstrated that monkey ESCs maintained in the culture system can be used for various experiments such as in vitro differentiation and gene manipulation. Thus, compared with the conventional culture system, monkey ESCs grown in the aforementioned culture system can serve as a cell source with the following practical advantages: simple, stable, and easy cell maintenance; gene manipulation; cryopreservation; and desired differentiation. We propose that this culture system can serve as a reliable platform to prepare primate PSCs useful for future research and application.

  10. Stimulation of the proliferation of hemopoietic stem cells in irradiated bone marrow cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, K.J.; Izumi, H.; Seto, A.

    1981-01-01

    Long-term hemopoiesis was established in bone marrow cell culture in vitro. This culture was shown to support the recovery proliferation of hemopoietic stem cells completely in vitro after irradiation. Hemopoietic stem cells were stimulated into proliferation in culture when normal bone marrow cells were overlayed on top of the irradiated adherent cell colonies. These results indicate that proliferation and differentiation of hemopoietic stem cells in vitro are also supported by stromahemopoietic cell interactions

  11. Cultural-based particle swarm for dynamic optimisation problems

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daneshyari, Moayed; Yen, Gary G.

    2012-07-01

    Many practical optimisation problems are with the existence of uncertainties, among which a significant number belong to the dynamic optimisation problem (DOP) category in which the fitness function changes through time. In this study, we propose the cultural-based particle swarm optimisation (PSO) to solve DOP problems. A cultural framework is adopted incorporating the required information from the PSO into five sections of the belief space, namely situational, temporal, domain, normative and spatial knowledge. The stored information will be adopted to detect the changes in the environment and assists response to the change through a diversity-based repulsion among particles and migration among swarms in the population space, and also helps in selecting the leading particles in three different levels, personal, swarm and global levels. Comparison of the proposed heuristics over several difficult dynamic benchmark problems demonstrates the better or equal performance with respect to most of other selected state-of-the-art dynamic PSO heuristics.

  12. Cell Culture in Microgravity: Opening the Door to Space Cell Biology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pellis, Neal R.; Dawson, David L. (Technical Monitor)

    1999-01-01

    Adaptational response of human cell populations to microgravity is investigated using simulation, short-term Shuttle experiments, and long-term microgravity. Simulation consists of a clinostatically-rotated cell culture system. The system is a horizontally-rotated cylinder completely filled with culture medium. Low speed rotation results in continuous-fall of the cells through the fluid medium. In this setting, cells: 1) aggregate, 2) propagate in three dimensions, 3) synthesize matrix, 4) differentiate, and 5) form sinusoids that facilitate mass transfer. Space cell culture is conducted in flight bioreactors and in static incubators. Cells grown in microgravity are: bovine cartilage, promyelocytic leukemia, kidney proximal tubule cells, adrenal medulla, breast and colon cancer, and endothelium. Cells were cultured in space to test specific hypotheses. Cartilage cells were used to determine structural differences in cartilage grown in space compared to ground-based bioreactors. Results from a 130-day experiment on Mir revealed that cartilage grown in space was substantially more compressible due to insufficient glycosaminoglycan in the matrix. Interestingly, earth-grown cartilage conformed better to the dimensions of the scaffolding material, while the Mir specimens were spherical. The other cell populations are currently being analyzed for cell surface properties, gene expression, and differentiation. Results suggest that some cells spontaneously differentiate in microgravity. Additionally, vast changes in gene expression may occur in response to microgravity. In conclusion, the transition to microgravity may constitute a physical perturbation in cells resulting in unique gene expressions, the consequences of which may be useful in tissue engineering, disease modeling, and space cell biology.

  13. How do culture media influence in vitro perivascular cell behavior?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huber, Birgit; Volz, Ann-Cathrin; Kluger, Petra Juliane

    2015-12-01

    Perivascular cells are multilineage cells located around the vessel wall and important for wall stabilization. In this study, we evaluated a stem cell media and a perivascular cell-specific media for the culture of primary perivascular cells regarding their cell morphology, doubling time, stem cell properties, and expression of cell type-specific markers. When the two cell culture media were compared to each other, perivascular cells cultured in the stem cell medium had a more elongated morphology and a faster doubling rate and cells cultured in the pericyte medium had a more typical morphology, with several filopodia, and a slower doubling rate. To evaluate stem cell properties, perivascular cells, CD146(-) cells, and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were differentiated into the adipogenic, osteogenic, and chondrogenic lineages. It was seen that perivascular cells, as well as CD146(-) cells and MSCs, cultured in stem cell medium showed greater differentiation than cells cultured in pericyte-specific medium. The expression of pericyte-specific markers CD146, neural/glial antigen 2 (NG2), platelet-derived growth factor receptor-β (PDGFR-β), myosin, and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) could be found in both pericyte cultures, as well as to varying amounts in CD146(-) cells, MSCs, and endothelial cells. The here presented work shows that perivascular cells can adapt to their in vitro environment and cell culture conditions influence cell functionality, such as doubling rate or differentiation behavior. Pericyte-specific markers were shown to be expressed also from cells other than perivascular cells. We can further conclude that CD146(+) perivascular cells are inhomogeneous cell population probably containing stem cell subpopulations, which are located perivascular around capillaries. © 2015 International Federation for Cell Biology.

  14. Biogelx: Cell Culture on Self-Assembling Peptide Gels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Harper, Mhairi M; Connolly, Michael L; Goldie, Laura; Irvine, Eleanore J; Shaw, Joshua E; Jayawarna, Vineetha; Richardson, Stephen M; Dalby, Matthew J; Lightbody, David; Ulijn, Rein V

    2018-01-01

    Aromatic peptide amphiphiles can form self-supporting nanostructured hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties and chemical compositions. These hydrogels are increasingly applied in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) cell culture, where there is a rapidly growing need to store, grow, proliferate, and manipulate naturally derived cells within a hydrated, 3D matrix. Biogelx Limited is a biomaterials company, created to commercialize these bio-inspired hydrogels to cell biologists for a range of cell culture applications. This chapter describes methods of various characterization and cell culture techniques specifically optimized for compatibility with Biogelx products.

  15. Characterization of cytoskeletal and junctional proteins expressed by cells cultured from human arachnoid granulation tissue

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mehta Bhavya C

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The arachnoid granulations (AGs are projections of the arachnoid membrane into the dural venous sinuses. They function, along with the extracranial lymphatics, to circulate the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF to the systemic venous circulation. Disruption of normal CSF dynamics may result in increased intracranial pressures causing many problems including headaches and visual loss, as in idiopathic intracranial hypertension and hydrocephalus. To study the role of AGs in CSF egress, we have grown cells from human AG tissue in vitro and have characterized their expression of those cytoskeletal and junctional proteins that may function in the regulation of CSF outflow. Methods Human AG tissue was obtained at autopsy, and explanted to cell culture dishes coated with fibronectin. Typically, cells migrated from the explanted tissue after 7–10 days in vitro. Second or third passage cells were seeded onto fibronectin-coated coverslips at confluent densities and grown to confluency for 7–10 days. Arachnoidal cells were tested using immunocytochemical methods for the expression of several common cytoskeletal and junctional proteins. Second and third passage cultures were also labeled with the common endothelial markers CD-31 or VE-cadherin (CD144 and their expression was quantified using flow cytometry analysis. Results Confluent cultures of arachnoidal cells expressed the intermediate filament protein vimentin. Cytokeratin intermediate filaments were expressed variably in a subpopulation of cells. The cultures also expressed the junctional proteins connexin43, desmoplakin 1 and 2, E-cadherin, and zonula occludens-1. Flow cytometry analysis indicated that second and third passage cultures failed to express the endothelial cell markers CD31 or VE-cadherin in significant quantities, thereby showing that these cultures did not consist of endothelial cells from the venous sinus wall. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report of

  16. Temporally coordinated spiking activity of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neurons co-cultured with astrocytes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kayama, Tasuku; Suzuki, Ikuro; Odawara, Aoi; Sasaki, Takuya; Ikegaya, Yuji

    2018-01-01

    In culture conditions, human induced-pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC)-derived neurons form synaptic connections with other cells and establish neuronal networks, which are expected to be an in vitro model system for drug discovery screening and toxicity testing. While early studies demonstrated effects of co-culture of hiPSC-derived neurons with astroglial cells on survival and maturation of hiPSC-derived neurons, the population spiking patterns of such hiPSC-derived neurons have not been fully characterized. In this study, we analyzed temporal spiking patterns of hiPSC-derived neurons recorded by a multi-electrode array system. We discovered that specific sets of hiPSC-derived neurons co-cultured with astrocytes showed more frequent and highly coherent non-random synchronized spike trains and more dynamic changes in overall spike patterns over time. These temporally coordinated spiking patterns are physiological signs of organized circuits of hiPSC-derived neurons and suggest benefits of co-culture of hiPSC-derived neurons with astrocytes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Development of a microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, D. H.; Jeon, H. J.; Kim, M. J.; Nguyen, X. D.; Morten, K.; Go, J. S.

    2018-04-01

    Recently, 3-dimensional in vitro cell cultures have gained much attention in biomedical sciences because of the closer relevance between in vitro cell cultures and in vivo environments. This paper presents a microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system with consistent control of long-term culture conditions to mimic an in vivo microenvironment. It consists of two sudden expansion reservoirs to trap incoming air bubbles, gradient generators to provide a linear concentration, and microchannel mixers. Specifically, the air bubbles disturb a flow in the microfluidic channel resulting in the instability of the perfusion cell culture conditions. For long-term stable operation, the sudden expansion reservoir is designed to trap air bubbles by using buoyancy before they enter the culture system. The performance of the developed microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system was examined experimentally and compared with analytical results. Finally, it was applied to test the cytotoxicity of cells infected with Ewing’s sarcoma. Cell death was observed for different concentrations of H2O2. For future work, the developed microfluidic perfusion 3D cell culture system can be used to examine the behavior of cells treated with various drugs and concentrations for high-throughput drug screening.

  18. Cardiac Cells Beating in Culture: A Laboratory Exercise

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weaver, Debora

    2007-01-01

    This article describes how to establish a primary tissue culture, where cells are taken directly from an organ of a living animal. Cardiac cells are taken from chick embryos and transferred to culture dishes. These cells are not transformed and therefore have a limited life span. However, the unique characteristics of cardiac cells are maintained…

  19. Equipment characterization to mitigate risks during transfers of cell culture manufacturing processes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sieblist, Christian; Jenzsch, Marco; Pohlscheidt, Michael

    2016-08-01

    The production of monoclonal antibodies by mammalian cell culture in bioreactors up to 25,000 L is state of the art technology in the biotech industry. During the lifecycle of a product, several scale up activities and technology transfers are typically executed to enable the supply chain strategy of a global pharmaceutical company. Given the sensitivity of mammalian cells to physicochemical culture conditions, process and equipment knowledge are critical to avoid impacts on timelines, product quantity and quality. Especially, the fluid dynamics of large scale bioreactors versus small scale models need to be described, and similarity demonstrated, in light of the Quality by Design approach promoted by the FDA. This approach comprises an associated design space which is established during process characterization and validation in bench scale bioreactors. Therefore the establishment of predictive models and simulation tools for major operating conditions of stirred vessels (mixing, mass transfer, and shear force.), based on fundamental engineering principles, have experienced a renaissance in the recent years. This work illustrates the systematic characterization of a large variety of bioreactor designs deployed in a global manufacturing network ranging from small bench scale equipment to large scale production equipment (25,000 L). Several traditional methods to determine power input, mixing, mass transfer and shear force have been used to create a data base and identify differences for various impeller types and configurations in operating ranges typically applied in cell culture processes at manufacturing scale. In addition, extrapolation of different empirical models, e.g. Cooke et al. (Paper presented at the proceedings of the 2nd international conference of bioreactor fluid dynamics, Cranfield, UK, 1988), have been assessed for their validity in these operational ranges. Results for selected designs are shown and serve as examples of structured

  20. Improved endothelial cell seeding with cultured cells and fibronectin-coated grafts

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Seeger, J.M.; Klingman, N.

    1985-01-01

    A possible approach to the low seeding efficiency of endothelial cells into prosthetic grafts is to increase the number of cells to be seeded in cell culture and improve seeding efficiency by graft precoating with fibronectin. The effect of cell culture on cell adhesion is unknown, however, and fibronectin also binds fibrin, which may increase the thrombogenicity of the graft luminal surface. To investigate these questions, freshly harvested canine jugular vein endothelial cells from six animals and similar cells harvested from six primary and eight secondary cell cultures were labeled with 111 Indium and seeded into 5 cm, 4 mm PTFE grafts coated with fibronectin, using similar uncoated PTFE grafts as controls. Platelet accumulation and distribution on six similar coated and uncoated grafts placed in canine carotid, external jugular arterial venous shunts for 2 hr were also determined using autogenous 111 Indium-labeled platelets. Significant differences between group means were determined using the paired Student's t test. Results reveal that seeding efficiency is significantly better in all groups of coated grafts compared to uncoated grafts (P less than 0.01). Cells derived from cell culture also had significantly higher seeding efficiencies than freshly harvested cells when seeded into coated grafts (P less than 0.05) and tended to have higher seeding efficiencies than harvested cells when seeded into uncoated grafts (P = 0.53). Fibronectin coating increased mean platelet accumulation on the entire graft luminal surface, but not to a statistically significant degree (P greater than 0.1). Whether this increased seeding efficiency will improve graft endothelialization remains to be investigated

  1. Quantitative volumetric Raman imaging of three dimensional cell cultures

    KAUST Repository

    Kallepitis, Charalambos; Bergholt, Mads S.; Mazo, Manuel M.; Leonardo, Vincent; Skaalure, Stacey C.; Maynard, Stephanie A.; Stevens, Molly M.

    2017-01-01

    in conventional cell culture systems and mesenchymal stem cells inside biomimetic hydrogels that supplied a 3D cell culture environment. We demonstrate visualization and quantification of fine details in cell shape, cytoplasm, nucleus, lipid bodies

  2. System-level modeling and simulation of the cell culture microfluidic biochip ProCell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Minhass, Wajid Hassan; Pop, Paul; Madsen, Jan

    2010-01-01

    Microfluidic biochips offer a promising alternative to a conventional biochemical laboratory. There are two technologies for the microfluidic biochips: droplet-based and flow-based. In this paper we are interested in flow-based microfluidic biochips, where the liquid flows continuously through pre......-defined micro-channels using valves and pumps. We present an approach to the system-level modeling and simulation of a cell culture microfluidic biochip called ProCell, Programmable Cell Culture Chip. ProCell contains a cell culture chamber, which is envisioned to run 256 simultaneous experiments (viewed...

  3. Culturing of PC12 Cells, Neuronal Cells, Astrocytes Cultures and Brain Slices in an Open Microfluidic System

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Al Atraktchi, Fatima Al-Zahraa; Bakmand, Tanya; Rømer Sørensen, Ane

    The brain is the center of the nervous system, where serious neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s are products of functional loss in the neural cells (1). Typical techniques used to investigate these diseases lack precise control of the cellular surroundings......, in addition to isolating the neural tissue from nutrient delivery and to creating unwanted gradients (2). This means that typical techniques used to investigate neurodegenerative diseases cannot mimic in vivo conditions, as closely as desired. We have developed a novel microfluidic system for culturing PC12...... cells, neuronal cells, astrocytes cultures and brain slices. The microfluidic system provides efficient nutrient delivery, waste removal, access to oxygen, fine control over the neurochemical environment and access to modern microscopy. Additionally, the setup consists of an in vitro culturing...

  4. Maintenance of mesenchymal stem cells culture due to the cells with reduced attachment rate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuvalova N. S.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aim. The classic detachment techniques lead to changes in cells properties. We offer a simple method of cultivating the population of cells that avoided an influence on the surface structures. Methods. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC from human umbilical cord matrix were obtained and cultivated in standard conditions. While substituting the culture media by a fresh portion, the conditioned culture medium, where the cells were maintained for three days, was transferred to other culture flacks with addition of serum and growth factors. Results. In the flacks, one day after medium transfer, we observed attached cells with typical MSC morphology. The cultures originated from these cells had the same rate of surface markers expression and clonogenic potential as those replated by standard methods. Conclusions. MSC culture, derived by preserving the cells with reduced attachment ability, actually has the properties of «parent» passage. Using this method with accepted techniques of cells reseeding would allow maintaining the cells that avoided an impact on the cell surface proteins.

  5. Evaluation of the osteogenic differentiation of gingiva-derived stem cells grown on culture plates or in stem cell spheroids: Comparison of two- and three-dimensional cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sung-Il; Ko, Youngkyung; Park, Jun-Beom

    2017-09-01

    Three-dimensional cell culture systems provide a convenient in vitro model for the study of complex cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions in the absence of exogenous substrates. The current study aimed to evaluate the osteogenic differentiation potential of gingiva-derived stem cells cultured in two-dimensional or three-dimensional systems. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to compare the growth of gingiva-derived stem cells in monolayer culture to a three-dimensional culture system with microwells. For three-dimensional culture, gingiva-derived stem cells were isolated and seeded into polydimethylsiloxane-based concave micromolds. Alkaline phosphatase activity and alizarin red S staining assays were then performed to evaluate osteogenesis and the degree of mineralization, respectively. Stem cell spheroids had a significantly increased level of alkaline phosphatase activity and mineralization compared with cells from the two-dimensional culture. In addition, an increase in mineralized deposits was observed with an increase in the loading cell number. The results of present study indicate that gingiva-derived stem cell spheroids exhibit an increased osteogenic potential compared with stem cells from two-dimensional culture. This highlights the potential of three-dimensional culture systems using gingiva-derived stem cells for regenerative medicine applications requiring stem cells with osteogenic potential.

  6. A novel three-dimensional cell culture method enhances antiviral drug screening in primary human cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koban, Robert; Neumann, Markus; Daugs, Aila; Bloch, Oliver; Nitsche, Andreas; Langhammer, Stefan; Ellerbrok, Heinz

    2018-02-01

    Gefitinib is a specific inhibitor of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and FDA approved for treatment of non-small cell lung cancer. In a previous study we could show the in vitro efficacy of gefitinib for treatment of poxvirus infections in monolayer (2D) cultivated cell lines. Permanent cell lines and 2D cultures, however, are known to be rather unphysiological; therefore it is difficult to predict whether determined effective concentrations or the drug efficacy per se are transferable to the in vivo situation. 3D cell cultures, which meanwhile are widely distributed across all fields of research, are a promising tool for more predictive in vitro investigations of antiviral compounds. In this study the spreading of cowpox virus and the antiviral efficacy of gefitinib were analyzed in primary human keratinocytes (NHEK) grown in a novel 3D extracellular matrix-based cell culture model and compared to the respective monolayer culture. 3D-cultivated NHEK grew in a polarized and thus a more physiological manner with altered morphology and close cell-cell contact. Infected cultures showed a strongly elevated sensitivity towards gefitinib. EGFR phosphorylation, cell proliferation, and virus replication were significantly reduced in 3D cultures at gefitinib concentrations which were at least 100-fold lower than those in monolayer cultures and well below the level of cytotoxicity. Our newly established 3D cell culture model with primary human cells is an easy-to-handle alternative to conventional monolayer cell cultures and previously described more complex 3D cell culture systems. It can easily be adapted to other cell types and a broad spectrum of viruses for antiviral drug screening and many other aspects of virus research under more in vivo-like conditions. In consequence, it may contribute to a more targeted realization of necessary in vivo experiments. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Mesenchymal stem cells enhance the metastasis of 3D-cultured hepatocellular carcinoma cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Liu, Chang; Liu, Yang; Xu, Xiao-xi; Guo, Xin; Sun, Guang-wei; Ma, Xiao-jun

    2016-01-01

    Accumulating evidences have demonstrated that mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) could be recruited to the tumor microenvironment. Umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSC) were attractive vehicles for delivering therapeutic agents against cancer. Nevertheless, the safety of UCMSC in the treatment of tumors including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) was still undetermined. In this study, an in vitro co-culture system was established to evaluate the effect of UCMSC on the cell growth, cancer stem cell (CSC) characteristics, drug resistance, metastasis of 3D-cultured HCC cells, and the underlying mechanism was also investigated. It was found that after co-cultured with UCMSC, the metastatic ability of 3D-cultured HCC cells was significantly enhanced as indicated by up-regulation of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP), epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes, and migration ability. However, cell growth, drug resistance and CSC-related gene expression of HCC cells were not affected by UCMSC. Moreover, EMT was reversed, MMP-2 expression was down-regulated, and migration ability of HCC cell was significantly inhibited when TGF-β receptor inhibitor SB431542 was added into the co-culture system. Therefore, these data indicated that UCMSC could significantly enhance the tumor cell metastasis, which was due to the EMT of HCC cells induced by TGF-β. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12885-016-2595-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

  8. HEPES activates a MiT/TFE-dependent lysosomal-autophagic gene network in cultured cells: A call for caution.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tol, Marc J; van der Lienden, Martijn J C; Gabriel, Tanit L; Hagen, Jacob J; Scheij, Saskia; Veenendaal, Tineke; Klumperman, Judith; Donker-Koopman, Wilma E; Verhoeven, Arthur J; Overkleeft, Hermen; Aerts, Johannes M; Argmann, Carmen A; van Eijk, Marco

    2018-01-01

    In recent years, the lysosome has emerged as a highly dynamic, transcriptionally regulated organelle that is integral to nutrient-sensing and metabolic rewiring. This is coordinated by a lysosome-to-nucleus signaling nexus in which MTORC1 controls the subcellular distribution of the microphthalmia-transcription factor E (MiT/TFE) family of "master lysosomal regulators". Yet, despite the importance of the lysosome in cellular metabolism, the impact of traditional in vitro culture media on lysosomal dynamics and/or MiT/TFE localization has not been fully appreciated. Here, we identify HEPES, a chemical buffering agent that is broadly applied in cell culture, as a potent inducer of lysosome biogenesis. Supplementation of HEPES to cell growth media is sufficient to decouple the MiT/TFE family members-TFEB, TFE3 and MITF-from regulatory mechanisms that control their cytosolic retention. Increased MiT/TFE nuclear import in turn drives the expression of a global network of lysosomal-autophagic and innate host-immune response genes, altering lysosomal dynamics, proteolytic capacity, autophagic flux, and inflammatory signaling. In addition, siRNA-mediated MiT/TFE knockdown effectively blunted HEPES-induced lysosome biogenesis and gene expression profiles. Mechanistically, we show that MiT/TFE activation in response to HEPES requires its macropinocytic ingestion and aberrant lysosomal storage/pH, but is independent of MTORC1 signaling. Altogether, our data underscore the cautionary use of chemical buffering agents in cell culture media due to their potentially confounding effects on experimental results.

  9. Primary Human Uterine Leiomyoma Cell Culture Quality Control: Some Properties of Myometrial Cells Cultured under Serum Deprivation Conditions in the Presence of Ovarian Steroids.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bonazza, Camila; Andrade, Sheila Siqueira; Sumikawa, Joana Tomomi; Batista, Fabrício Pereira; Paredes-Gamero, Edgar J; Girão, Manoel J B C; Oliva, Maria Luiza V; Castro, Rodrigo Aquino

    2016-01-01

    Cell culture is considered the standard media used in research to emulate the in vivo cell environment. Crucial in vivo experiments cannot be conducted in humans and depend on in vitro methodologies such as cell culture systems. However, some procedures involving the quality control of cells in culture have been gradually neglected by failing to acknowledge that primary cells and cell lines change over time in culture. Thus, we report methods based on our experience for monitoring primary cell culture of human myometrial cells derived from uterine leiomyoma. We standardized the best procedure of tissue dissociation required for the study of multiple genetic marker systems that include species-specific antigens, expression of myofibroblast or myoblast markers, growth curve, serum deprivation, starvation by cell cycle synchronization, culture on collagen coated plates, and 17 β-estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) effects. The results showed that primary myometrial cells from patients with uterine leiomyoma displayed myoblast phenotypes before and after in vitro cultivation, and leiomyoma cells differentiated into mature myocyte cells under the appropriate differentiation-inducing conditions (serum deprivation). These cells grew well on collagen coated plates and responded to E2 and P4, which may drive myometrial and leiomyoma cells to proliferate and adhere into a focal adhesion complex involvement in a paracrine manner. The establishment of these techniques as routine procedures will improve the understanding of the myometrial physiology and pathogenesis of myometrium-derived diseases such as leiomyoma. Mimicking the in vivo environment of fibrotic conditions can prevent false results and enhance results that are based on cell culture integrity.

  10. A Panel of Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Reveals the Variety and Dynamic of Pluripotent States in Rabbits

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Pierre Osteil

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Conventional rabbit embryonic stem cell (ESC lines are derived from the inner cell mass (ICM of pre-implantation embryos using methods and culture conditions that are established for primate ESCs. In this study, we explored the capacity of the rabbit ICM to give rise to ESC lines using conditions similar to those utilized to generate naive ESCs in mice. On single-cell dissociation and culture in fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2-free, serum-supplemented medium, rabbit ICMs gave rise to ESC lines lacking the DNA-damage checkpoint in the G1 phase like mouse ESCs, and with a pluripotency gene expression profile closer to the rabbit ICM/epiblast profiles. These cell lines can be converted to FGF2-dependent ESCs after culture in conventional conditions. They can also colonize the rabbit pre-implantation embryo. These results indicate that rabbit epiblast cells can be coaxed toward different types of pluripotent stem cells and reveal the dynamics of pluripotent states in rabbit ESCs.

  11. Optical biosensor optimized for continuous in-line glucose monitoring in animal cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tric, Mircea; Lederle, Mario; Neuner, Lisa; Dolgowjasow, Igor; Wiedemann, Philipp; Wölfl, Stefan; Werner, Tobias

    2017-09-01

    Biosensors for continuous glucose monitoring in bioreactors could provide a valuable tool for optimizing culture conditions in biotechnological applications. We have developed an optical biosensor for long-term continuous glucose monitoring and demonstrated a tight glucose level control during cell culture in disposable bioreactors. The in-line sensor is based on a commercially available oxygen sensor that is coated with cross-linked glucose oxidase (GOD). The dynamic range of the sensor was tuned by a hydrophilic perforated diffusion membrane with an optimized permeability for glucose and oxygen. The biosensor was thoroughly characterized by experimental data and numerical simulations, which enabled insights into the internal concentration profile of the deactivating by-product hydrogen peroxide. The simulations were carried out with a one-dimensional biosensor model and revealed that, in addition to the internal hydrogen peroxide concentration, the turnover rate of the enzyme GOD plays a crucial role for biosensor stability. In the light of this finding, the glucose sensor was optimized to reach a long functional stability (>52 days) under continuous glucose monitoring conditions with a dynamic range of 0-20 mM and a response time of t 90  ≤ 10 min. In addition, we demonstrated that the sensor was sterilizable with beta and UV irradiation and only subjected to minor cross sensitivity to oxygen, when an oxygen reference sensor was applied. Graphical abstract Measuring setup of a glucose biosensor in a shake flask for continuous glucose monitoring in mammalian cell culture.

  12. Radiosensitivity of normal human epidermal cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dover, R.; Potten, C.S.

    1983-01-01

    Using an in vitro culture system the authors have derived #betta#-radiation survival curves over a dose range 0-8 Gy for the clonogenic cells of normal human epidermis. The culture system used allows the epidermal cells to stratify and form a multi-layered sheet of keratinizing cells. The cultures appear to be a very good model for epidermis in vivo. The survival curves show a population which is apparently more sensitive than murine epidermis in vivo. It remains unclear whether this is an intrinsic difference between the species or is a consequence of the in vitro cultivation of the human cells. (author)

  13. Differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from dissociated monolayer and feeder-free cultured pluripotent stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamashita, Tomoko; Miyamoto, Yuki; Bando, Yoshio; Ono, Takashi; Kobayashi, Sakurako; Doi, Ayano; Araki, Toshihiro; Kato, Yosuke; Shirakawa, Takayuki; Suzuki, Yutaka; Yamauchi, Junji; Yoshida, Shigetaka; Sato, Naoya

    2017-01-01

    Oligodendrocytes myelinate axons and form myelin sheaths in the central nervous system. The development of therapies for demyelinating diseases, including multiple sclerosis and leukodystrophies, is a challenge because the pathogenic mechanisms of disease remain poorly understood. Primate pluripotent stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes are expected to help elucidate the molecular pathogenesis of these diseases. Oligodendrocytes have been successfully differentiated from human pluripotent stem cells. However, it is challenging to prepare large amounts of oligodendrocytes over a short amount of time because of manipulation difficulties under conventional primate pluripotent stem cell culture methods. We developed a proprietary dissociated monolayer and feeder-free culture system to handle pluripotent stem cell cultures. Because the dissociated monolayer and feeder-free culture system improves the quality and growth of primate pluripotent stem cells, these cells could potentially be differentiated into any desired functional cells and consistently cultured in large-scale conditions. In the current study, oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and mature oligodendrocytes were generated within three months from monkey embryonic stem cells. The embryonic stem cell-derived oligodendrocytes exhibited in vitro myelinogenic potency with rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Additionally, the transplanted oligodendrocyte progenitor cells differentiated into myelin basic protein-positive mature oligodendrocytes in the mouse corpus callosum. This preparative method was used for human induced pluripotent stem cells, which were also successfully differentiated into oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and mature oligodendrocytes that were capable of myelinating rat dorsal root ganglion neurons. Moreover, it was possible to freeze, thaw, and successfully re-culture the differentiating cells. These results showed that embryonic stem cells and human induced pluripotent stem cells maintained in a

  14. Culture and Characterization of Circulating Endothelial Progenitor Cells in Patients with Renal Cell Carcinoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gu, Wenyu; Sun, Wei; Guo, Changcheng; Yan, Yang; Liu, Min; Yao, Xudong; Yang, Bin; Zheng, Junhua

    2015-07-01

    Although emerging evidence demonstrates increased circulating endothelial progenitor cells in patients with solid tumors, to our knowledge it is still unknown whether such cells can be cultured from patients with highly angiogenic renal cell carcinoma. We cultured and characterized circulating endothelial progenitor cells from patients with renal cell carcinoma. The circulating endothelial progenitor cell level (percent of CD45(-)CD34(+) VEGF-R2(+) cells in total peripheral blood mononuclear cells) was quantified in 47 patients with renal cell carcinoma and 40 healthy controls. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were then isolated from 33 patients with renal cell carcinoma and 30 healthy controls to culture and characterize circulating endothelial progenitor cells. The circulating endothelial progenitor cell level was significantly higher in patients with renal cell carcinoma than in healthy controls (0.276% vs 0.086%, p cells first emerged significantly earlier in patient than in control preparations (6.72 vs 14.67 days, p culture success rate (87.8% vs 40.0% of participants) and the number of colonies (10.06 vs 1.83) were significantly greater for patients than for controls (each p cell level correlated positively with the number of patient colonies (r = 0.762, p Cells cultured from patients and controls showed a similar growth pattern, immunophenotype, ability to uptake Ac-LDL and bind lectin, and form capillary tubes in vitro. However, significantly more VEGF-R2(+) circulating endothelial progenitor cells were found in preparations from patients with renal cell carcinoma than from healthy controls (21.1% vs 13.4%, p cell colonies, a higher cell culture success rate and more colonies were found for patients with renal cell carcinoma than for healthy controls. Results indicate the important significance of VEGF-R2(+) circulating endothelial progenitors in patients with renal cell carcinoma. Copyright © 2015 American Urological Association Education and Research

  15. The impact of cell culture equipment on energy loss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Lleucu B; Kiernan, Michael N; Bishop, Joanna C; Thornton, Catherine A; Morgan, Gareth

    2014-01-01

    Light energy of discrete wavelengths supplied via lasers and broadband intense pulsed light have been used therapeutically for many years. In vitro models complement clinical studies, especially for the elucidation of underlying mechanisms of action. Clarification that light energy reaches the cells is necessary when developing protocols for the treatment of cells using in vitro models. Few studies report on energy loss in cell culture equipment. The ability of energy from light with therapeutic potential to reach cells in culture needs to be determined; this includes determining the proportion of light energy lost within standard cell culture media and cell culture vessels. The energy absorption of cell culture media, with/without the pH indicator dye phenol red, and the loss of energy within different plastics and glassware used typically for in vitro cell culture were investigated using intense pulsed light and a yellow pulsed dye laser. Media containing phenol red have a distinctive absorption peak (560 nm) absent in phenol red-free media and restored by the addition of phenol red. For both light sources, energy loss was lowest in standard polystyrene tissue culture flasks or multi-well plates and highest in polypropylene vessels or glass tubes. The effects of phenol red-free media on the absorption of energy varied with the light source used. Phenol red-free media are the media of choice; polystyrene vessels with flat surfaces such as culture flasks or multi-well plates should be used in preference to polypropylene or glass vessels.

  16. Surface modified alginate microcapsules for 3D cell culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-Wen; Kuo, Chiung Wen; Chueh, Di-Yen; Chen, Peilin

    2016-06-01

    Culture as three dimensional cell aggregates or spheroids can offer an ideal platform for tissue engineering applications and for pharmaceutical screening. Such 3D culture models, however, may suffer from the problems such as immune response and ineffective and cumbersome culture. This paper describes a simple method for producing microcapsules with alginate cores and a thin shell of poly(L-lysine)-graft-poly(ethylene glycol) (PLL-g-PEG) to encapsulate mouse induced pluripotent stem (miPS) cells, generating a non-fouling surface as an effective immunoisolation barrier. We demonstrated the trapping of the alginate microcapsules in a microwell array for the continuous observation and culture of a large number of encapsulated miPS cells in parallel. miPS cells cultured in the microcapsules survived well and proliferated to form a single cell aggregate. Droplet formation of monodisperse microcapsules with controlled size combined with flow cytometry provided an efficient way to quantitatively analyze the growth of encapsulated cells in a high-throughput manner. The simple and cost-effective coating technique employed to produce the core-shell microcapsules could be used in the emerging field of cell therapy. The microwell array would provide a convenient, user friendly and high-throughput platform for long-term cell culture and monitoring.

  17. A Simple Hydrophilic Treatment of SU-8 Surfaces for Cell Culturing and Cell Patterning

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Wang, Zhenyu; Stangegaard, Michael; Dufva, Hans Martin

    2005-01-01

    SU-8, an epoxy-based photoresist, widely used in constitution different mTAS systems, is incompatible with mammalian cell adhesion and culture in its native form. Here, we demonstrate a simple, cheap and robust two-step method to render a SU-8 surface hydrophilic and compatible with cell culture........ The contact angle of SU-8 surface was significantly reduced from 90° to 25° after the surface modification. The treated SU-8 surfaces provided a cell culture environment that was comparable with cell culture flask surface in terms of generation time and morphology....

  18. Identification of differences in gene expression in primary cell cultures of human endometrial epithelial cells and trophoblast cells following their interaction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Høgh, Mette; Islin, Henrik; Møller, Charlotte

    2006-01-01

    The interaction between the cell types was simulated in vitro by growing primary cell cultures of human endometrial epithelial cells and trophoblast cells together (co-culture) and separately (control cultures). Gene expression in the cell cultures was compared using the Differential Display method and confirmed...

  19. Establishment of automated culture system for murine induced pluripotent stem cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Koike Hiroyuki

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Induced pluripotent stem (iPS cells can differentiate into any cell type, which makes them an attractive resource in fields such as regenerative medicine, drug screening, or in vitro toxicology. The most important prerequisite for these industrial applications is stable supply and uniform quality of iPS cells. Variation in quality largely results from differences in handling skills between operators in laboratories. To minimize these differences, establishment of an automated iPS cell culture system is necessary. Results We developed a standardized mouse iPS cell maintenance culture, using an automated cell culture system housed in a CO2 incubator commonly used in many laboratories. The iPS cells propagated in a chamber uniquely designed for automated culture and showed specific colony morphology, as for manual culture. A cell detachment device in the system passaged iPS cells automatically by dispersing colonies to single cells. In addition, iPS cells were passaged without any change in colony morphology or expression of undifferentiated stem cell markers during the 4 weeks of automated culture. Conclusions Our results show that use of this compact, automated cell culture system facilitates stable iPS cell culture without obvious effects on iPS cell pluripotency or colony-forming ability. The feasibility of iPS cell culture automation may greatly facilitate the use of this versatile cell source for a variety of biomedical applications.

  20. Dynamics of organizational culture: Individual beliefs vs. social conformity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ellinas, Christos; Allan, Neil; Johansson, Anders

    2017-01-01

    The complex nature of organizational culture challenges our ability to infer its underlying dynamics from observational studies. Recent computational studies have adopted a distinctly different view, where plausible mechanisms are proposed to describe a wide range of social phenomena, including the onset and evolution of organizational culture. In this spirit, this work introduces an empirically-grounded, agent-based model which relaxes a set of assumptions that describes past work-(a) omittance of an individual's strive for achieving cognitive coherence; (b) limited integration of important contextual factors-by utilizing networks of beliefs and incorporating social rank into the dynamics. As a result, we illustrate that: (i) an organization may appear to be increasingly coherent in terms of its organizational culture, yet be composed of individuals with reduced levels of coherence; (ii) the components of social conformity-peer-pressure and social rank-are influential at different aggregation levels.

  1. Youth Culture and Cell Phone

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    mohammad saeed zokaei

    2009-11-01

    Full Text Available Iranian youth’s leisure culture has been immediately affected by the digital media culture. As a communicative media, cell phone has crossed borders of youth norms and identity; and in addition to facilitating their communication, has changed its patterns. Applying Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus and field, and relied on the qualitative and quantitative data gathered from the mobile youth users, the present study argues that mobile has produced a new field in which youth’s opportunities for leisure, entertainment, communication, and independence have extended. In addition, cell phone has facilitated and compensated for some defects in public sphere, and therefore empowered youth agency, individuality, and power. Despite this strengthening, cell phone does not cross borders of gender and class differences, or the levels of social capital.

  2. Static compression down-regulates N-cadherin expression and facilitates loss of cell phenotype of nucleus pulposus cells in a disc perfusion culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Haibo; Shi, Jianmin; Zhang, Chao; Li, Pei

    2018-02-28

    Mechanical compression often induces degenerative changes of disc nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue. It has been indicated that N-cadherin (N-CDH)-mediated signaling helps to preserve the NP cell phenotype. However, N-CDH expression and the resulting NP-specific phenotype alteration under the static compression and dynamic compression remain unclear. To study the effects of static compression and dynamic compression on N-CDH expression and NP-specific phenotype in an in vitro disc organ culture. Porcine discs were organ cultured in a self-developed mechanically active bioreactor for 7 days and subjected to static or dynamic compression (0.4 MPa for 2 h once per day). The noncompressed discs were used as controls. Compared with the dynamic compression, static compression significantly down-regulated the expression of N-CDH and NP-specific markers (laminin, brachyury, and keratin 19); decreased the Alcian Blue staining intensity, glycosaminoglycan and hydroxyproline contents; and declined the matrix macromolecule (aggrecan and collagen II) expression. Compared with the dynamic compression, static compression causes N-CDH down-regulation, loss of NP-specific phenotype, and the resulting decrease in NP matrix synthesis. © 2018 The Author(s).

  3. Utility of a Novel Three-Dimensional and Dynamic (3DD Cell Culture System for PK/PD Studies: Evaluation of a Triple Combination Therapy at Overcoming Anti-HER2 Treatment Resistance in Breast Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Anusha Ande

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Background: Emergence of Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 therapy resistance in HER2-positive (HER2+ breast cancer (BC poses a major clinical challenge. Mechanisms of resistance include the over-activation of the PI3K/mTOR and Src pathways. This work aims to investigate a novel combination therapy that employs paclitaxel (PAC, a mitotic inhibitor, with everolimus (EVE, an mTOR inhibitor, and dasatinib (DAS, an Src kinase inhibitor, as a modality to overcome resistance.Methods: Static (two dimensional, 2D and three-dimensional dynamic (3DD cell culture studies were conducted using JIMT-1 cells, a HER2+ BC cell line refractory to HER2 therapies. Cell viability and caspase-3 expression were examined after JIMT-1 cell exposure to agents as monotherapy or in combination using a 2D setting. A pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD combination study with PAC+DAS+EVE was conducted over 3 weeks in a 3DD setting. PAC was administered into the system via a 3 h infusion followed by the addition of a continuous infusion of EVE+DAS 24 h post-PAC dosing. Cell counts and caspase-3 expression were quantified every 2 days. A semi-mechanistic PK/PD model was developed using the 2D data and scaled up to capture the 3DD data. The final model integrated active caspase-3 as a biomarker to bridge between drug exposures and cancer cell dynamics. Model fittings were performed using Monolix software.Results: The triple combination significantly induced caspase-3 activity in the 2D cell culture setting. In the 3DD cell culture setting, sequential dosing of PAC then EVE+DAS showed a 5-fold increase in caspase-3 activity and 8.5-fold decrease in the total cell number compared to the control. The semi-mechanistic PK/PD models fit the data well, capturing the time-course profiles of drug concentrations, caspase-3 expression, and cell counts in the 2D and 3DD settings.Conclusion: A novel, sequential triple combination therapeutic regimen was successfully evaluated

  4. Primary Human Uterine Leiomyoma Cell Culture Quality Control: Some Properties of Myometrial Cells Cultured under Serum Deprivation Conditions in the Presence of Ovarian Steroids.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Camila Bonazza

    Full Text Available Cell culture is considered the standard media used in research to emulate the in vivo cell environment. Crucial in vivo experiments cannot be conducted in humans and depend on in vitro methodologies such as cell culture systems. However, some procedures involving the quality control of cells in culture have been gradually neglected by failing to acknowledge that primary cells and cell lines change over time in culture. Thus, we report methods based on our experience for monitoring primary cell culture of human myometrial cells derived from uterine leiomyoma. We standardized the best procedure of tissue dissociation required for the study of multiple genetic marker systems that include species-specific antigens, expression of myofibroblast or myoblast markers, growth curve, serum deprivation, starvation by cell cycle synchronization, culture on collagen coated plates, and 17 β-estradiol (E2 and progesterone (P4 effects. The results showed that primary myometrial cells from patients with uterine leiomyoma displayed myoblast phenotypes before and after in vitro cultivation, and leiomyoma cells differentiated into mature myocyte cells under the appropriate differentiation-inducing conditions (serum deprivation. These cells grew well on collagen coated plates and responded to E2 and P4, which may drive myometrial and leiomyoma cells to proliferate and adhere into a focal adhesion complex involvement in a paracrine manner. The establishment of these techniques as routine procedures will improve the understanding of the myometrial physiology and pathogenesis of myometrium-derived diseases such as leiomyoma. Mimicking the in vivo environment of fibrotic conditions can prevent false results and enhance results that are based on cell culture integrity.

  5. Concentration-dependent gene expression responses to flusilazole in embryonic stem cell differentiation cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dartel, Dorien A.M. van; Pennings, Jeroen L.A.; Fonteyne, Liset J.J. de la; Brauers, Karen J.J.; Claessen, Sandra; Delft, Joost H. van; Kleinjans, Jos C.S.; Piersma, Aldert H.

    2011-01-01

    The murine embryonic stem cell test (EST) is designed to evaluate developmental toxicity based on compound-induced inhibition of embryonic stem cell (ESC) differentiation into cardiomyocytes. The addition of transcriptomic evaluation within the EST may result in enhanced predictability and improved characterization of the applicability domain, therefore improving usage of the EST for regulatory testing strategies. Transcriptomic analyses assessing factors critical for risk assessment (i.e. dose) are needed to determine the value of transcriptomic evaluation in the EST. Here, using the developmentally toxic compound, flusilazole, we investigated the effect of compound concentration on gene expression regulation and toxicity prediction in ESC differentiation cultures. Cultures were exposed for 24 h to multiple concentrations of flusilazole (0.54-54 μM) and RNA was isolated. In addition, we sampled control cultures 0, 24, and 48 h to evaluate the transcriptomic status of the cultures across differentiation. Transcriptomic profiling identified a higher sensitivity of development-related processes as compared to cell division-related processes in flusilazole-exposed differentiation cultures. Furthermore, the sterol synthesis-related mode of action of flusilazole toxicity was detected. Principal component analysis using gene sets related to normal ESC differentiation was used to describe the dynamics of ESC differentiation, defined as the 'differentiation track'. The concentration-dependent effects on development were reflected in the significance of deviation of flusilazole-exposed cultures from this transcriptomic-based differentiation track. Thus, the detection of developmental toxicity in EST using transcriptomics was shown to be compound concentration-dependent. This study provides further insight into the possible application of transcriptomics in the EST as an improved alternative model system for developmental toxicity testing.

  6. Process analytical technology (PAT) in insect and mammalian cell culture processes: dielectric spectroscopy and focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Druzinec, Damir; Weiss, Katja; Elseberg, Christiane; Salzig, Denise; Kraume, Matthias; Pörtner, Ralf; Czermak, Peter

    2014-01-01

    Modern bioprocesses demand for a careful definition of the critical process parameters (CPPs) already during the early stages of process development in order to ensure high-quality products and satisfactory yields. In this context, online monitoring tools can be applied to recognize unfavorable changes of CPPs during the production processes and to allow for early interventions in order to prevent losses of production batches due to quality issues. Process analytical technologies such as the dielectric spectroscopy or focused beam reflectance measurement (FBRM) are possible online monitoring tools, which can be applied to monitor cell growth as well as morphological changes. Since the dielectric spectroscopy only captures cells with intact cell membranes, even information about dead cells with ruptured or leaking cell membranes can be derived. The following chapter describes the application of dielectric spectroscopy on various virus-infected and non-infected cell lines with respect to adherent as well as suspension cultures in common stirred tank reactors. The adherent mammalian cell lines Vero (African green monkey kidney cells) and hMSC-TERT (telomerase-immortalized human mesenchymal stem cells) are thereby cultured on microcarrier, which provide the required growth surface and allow the cultivation of these cells even in dynamic culture systems. In turn, the insect-derived cell lines S2 and Sf21 are used as examples for cells typically cultured in suspension. Moreover, the FBRM technology as a further monitoring tool for cell culture applications has been included in this chapter using the example of Drosophila S2 insect cells.

  7. Cell culture density affects the proliferation activity of human adipose tissue stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae Seong; Lee, Myoung Woo; Ko, Young Jong; Chun, Yong Hoon; Kim, Hyung Joon; Sung, Ki Woong; Koo, Hong Hoe; Yoo, Keon Hee

    2016-01-01

    In this study, we investigated the effect of cell density on the proliferation activity of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived from adipose tissue (AT-MSCs) over time in culture. Passage #4 (P4) and #12 (P12) AT-MSCs from two donors were plated at a density of 200 (culture condition 1, CC1) or 5000 (culture condition 2, CC2) cells cm(-2) . After 7 days of incubation, P4 and P12 AT-MSCs cultured in CC1 were thin and spindle-shaped, whereas those cultured in CC2 had extensive cell-to-cell contacts and an expanded cell volume. In addition, P4 and P12 AT-MSCs in CC1 divided more than three times, while those in CC2 divided less than once on average. Flow cytometric analysis using 5(6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate N-succinimidyl ester dye showed that the fluorescence intensity of AT-MSCs was lower in CC1 than in CC2. Furthermore, expression of proliferation-associated genes, such as CDC45L, CDC20A and KIF20A, in P4 AT-MSCs was higher in CC1 than in CC2, and this difference was also observed in P12 AT-MSCs. These data demonstrated that cell culture density affects the proliferation activity of MSCs, suggesting that it is feasible to design a strategy to prepare suitable MSCs using specific culture conditions. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  8. Nanotechnology, Cell Culture and Tissue Engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kazutoshi Haraguchi

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We have fabricated new types of polymer hydrogels and polymer nanocomposites, i.e., nanocomposite gels (NC gels and soft, polymer nanocomposites (M-NCs: solid, with novel organic/inorganic network structures. Both NC gels and M-NCs were synthesized by in-situ free-radical polymerization in the presence of exfoliated clay platelets in aqueous systems and were obtained in various forms such as film, sheet, tube, coating, etc. and sizes with a wide range of clay contents. Here, disk-like inorganic clay nanoparticles act as multi-functional crosslinkers to form new types of network systems. Both NC gels and M-NCs have extraordinary optical and mechanical properties including ultra-high reversible extensibility, as well as a number of new characteristics relating to optical anisotropy, polymer/clay morphology, biocompatibility, stimuli-sensitive surfaces, micro-patterning, etc. For examples, the biological testing of medical devices, comprised of a sensitization test, an irritation test, an intracutaneous test and an in vitro cytotoxicity test,was carried out for NC gels and M-NCs. The safety of NC gels and M-NCs was confirmed in all tests. Also, the interaction of living tissue with NC gel was investigated in vivo by implantation in live goats; neither inflammation nor concrescence occurred around the NC gels. Furthermore, it was found that both N-NC gels consisting of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide(PNIPA/clay network and M-NCs consisting of poly(2-methoxyethyacrylate(PMEA/clay network show characteristic cell culture and subsequent cell detachment on their surfaces, although it was almost impossible to culture cells on conventional, chemically-crosslinked PNIPA hydrogels and chemically crossslinked PMEA, regardless of their crosslinker concentration. Various kinds of cells, such ashumanhepatoma cells (HepG2, normal human dermal fibroblast (NHDF, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC, could be cultured to be confluent on the surfaces of N

  9. Recombinant Protein Production and Insect Cell Culture and Process

    Science.gov (United States)

    Spaulding, Glenn F. (Inventor); Goodwin, Thomas J. (Inventor); OConnor, Kim C. (Inventor); Francis, Karen M. (Inventor); Andrews, Angela D. (Inventor); Prewett, Tracey L. (Inventor)

    1997-01-01

    A process has been developed for recombinant production of selected polypeptides using transformed insect cells cultured in a horizontally rotating culture vessel modulated to create low shear conditions. A metabolically transformed insect cell line is produced using the culture procedure regardless of genetic transformation. The recombinant polypeptide can be produced by an alternative process using virtually infected or stably transformed insect cells containing a gene encoding the described polypeptide. The insect cells can also be a host for viral production.

  10. Metabolite profiling of microfluidic cell culture conditions for droplet based screening

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Björk, Sara M.; Sjoström, Staffan L.; Svahn, Helene Andersson

    2015-01-01

    We investigate the impact of droplet culture conditions on cell metabolic state by determining key metabolite concentrations in S. cerevisiae cultures in different microfluidic droplet culture formats. Control of culture conditions is critical for single cell/clone screening in droplets......, such as directed evolution of yeast, as cell metabolic state directly affects production yields from cell factories. Here, we analyze glucose, pyruvate, ethanol, and glycerol, central metabolites in yeast glucose dissimilation to establish culture formats for screening of respiring as well as fermenting yeast...... limited cultures, whereas the metabolite profiles of cells cultured in the alternative wide tube droplet incubation format resemble those from aerobic culture. Furthermore, we demonstrate retained droplet stability and size in the new better oxygenated droplet incubation format....

  11. A Cell Culture Approach to Optimized Human Corneal Endothelial Cell Function

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bartakova, Alena; Kuzmenko, Olga; Alvarez-Delfin, Karen; Kunzevitzky, Noelia J.; Goldberg, Jeffrey L.

    2018-01-01

    Purpose Cell-based therapies to replace corneal endothelium depend on culture methods to optimize human corneal endothelial cell (HCEC) function and minimize endothelial-mesenchymal transition (EnMT). Here we explore contribution of low-mitogenic media on stabilization of phenotypes in vitro that mimic those of HCECs in vivo. Methods HCECs were isolated from cadaveric donor corneas and expanded in vitro, comparing continuous presence of exogenous growth factors (“proliferative media”) to media without those factors (“stabilizing media”). Identity based on canonical morphology and expression of surface marker CD56, and function based on formation of tight junction barriers measured by trans-endothelial electrical resistance assays (TEER) were assessed. Results Primary HCECs cultured in proliferative media underwent EnMT after three to four passages, becoming increasingly fibroblastic. Stabilizing the cells before each passage by switching them to a media low in mitogenic growth factors and serum preserved canonical morphology and yielded a higher number of cells. HCECs cultured in stabilizing media increased both expression of the identity marker CD56 and also tight junction monolayer integrity compared to cells cultured without stabilization. Conclusions HCECs isolated from donor corneas and expanded in vitro with a low-mitogenic media stabilizing step before each passage demonstrate more canonical structural and functional features and defer EnMT, increasing the number of passages and total canonical cell yield. This approach may facilitate development of HCEC-based cell therapies. PMID:29625488

  12. Affinity Purification and Characterization of Functional Tubulin from Cell Suspension Cultures of Arabidopsis and Tobacco1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujita, Satoshi; Uchimura, Seiichi; Noguchi, Masahiro; Demura, Taku

    2016-01-01

    Microtubules assemble into several distinct arrays that play important roles in cell division and cell morphogenesis. To decipher the mechanisms that regulate the dynamics and organization of this versatile cytoskeletal component, it is essential to establish in vitro assays that use functional tubulin. Although plant tubulin has been purified previously from protoplasts by reversible taxol-induced polymerization, a simple and efficient purification method has yet to be developed. Here, we used a Tumor Overexpressed Gene (TOG) column, in which the tubulin-binding domains of a yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) TOG homolog are immobilized on resin, to isolate functional plant tubulin. We found that several hundred micrograms of pure tubulin can readily be purified from cell suspension cultures of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). The tubulin purified by the TOG column showed high assembly competence, partly because of low levels of polymerization-inhibitory phosphorylation of α-tubulin. Compared with porcine brain tubulin, Arabidopsis tubulin is highly dynamic in vitro at both the plus and minus ends, exhibiting faster shrinkage rates and more frequent catastrophe events, and exhibits frequent spontaneous nucleation. Furthermore, our study shows that an internal histidine tag in α-tubulin can be used to prepare particular isotypes and specifically engineered versions of α-tubulin. In contrast to previous studies of plant tubulin, our mass spectrometry and immunoblot analyses failed to detect posttranslational modification of the isolated Arabidopsis tubulin or detected only low levels of posttranslational modification. This novel technology can be used to prepare assembly-competent, highly dynamic pure tubulin from plant cell cultures. PMID:26747285

  13. Sponge cell culture? A molecular identification method for sponge cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sipkema, D.; Heilig, G.H.J.; Akkermans, A.D.L.; Osinga, R.; Tramper, J.; Wijffels, R.H.

    2003-01-01

    Dissociated sponge cells are easily confused with unicellular organisms. This has been an obstacle in the development of sponge-cell lines. We developed a molecular detection method to identify cells of the sponge Dysidea avara in dissociated cell cultures. The 18S ribosomal RNA gene from a Dysidea

  14. Culturing bone marrow cells with dexamethasone and ascorbic acid improves osteogenic cell sheet structure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akahane, M; Shimizu, T; Kira, T; Onishi, T; Uchihara, Y; Imamura, T; Tanaka, Y

    2016-11-01

    To assess the structure and extracellular matrix molecule expression of osteogenic cell sheets created via culture in medium with both dexamethasone (Dex) and ascorbic acid phosphate (AscP) compared either Dex or AscP alone. Osteogenic cell sheets were prepared by culturing rat bone marrow stromal cells in a minimal essential medium (MEM), MEM with AscP, MEM with Dex, and MEM with Dex and AscP (Dex/AscP). The cell number and messenger (m)RNA expression were assessed in vitro, and the appearance of the cell sheets was observed after mechanical retrieval using a scraper. β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) was then wrapped with the cell sheets from the four different groups and subcutaneously implanted into rats. After mechanical retrieval, the osteogenic cell sheets from the MEM, MEM with AscP, and MEM with Dex groups appeared to be fragmented or incomplete structures. The cell sheets cultured with Dex/AscP remained intact after mechanical retrieval, without any identifiable tears. Culture with Dex/AscP increased the mRNA and protein expression of extracellular matrix proteins and cell number compared with those of the other three groups. More bridging bone formation was observed after transplantation of the β-TCP scaffold wrapped with cell sheets cultured with Dex/AscP, than in the other groups. These results suggest that culture with Dex/AscP improves the mechanical integrity of the osteogenic cell sheets, allowing retrieval of the confluent cells in a single cell sheet structure. This method may be beneficial when applied in cases of difficult tissue reconstruction, such as nonunion, bone defects, and osteonecrosis.Cite this article: M. Akahane, T. Shimizu, T. Kira, T. Onishi, Y. Uchihara, T. Imamura, Y. Tanaka. Culturing bone marrow cells with dexamethasone and ascorbic acid improves osteogenic cell sheet structure. Bone Joint Res 2016;5:569-576. DOI: 10.1302/2046-3758.511.BJR-2016-0013.R1. © 2016 Akahane et al.

  15. 21st Century Cell Culture for 21st Century Toxicology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pamies, David; Hartung, Thomas

    2017-01-17

    There is no good science in bad models. Cell culture is especially prone to artifacts. A number of novel cell culture technologies have become more broadly available in the 21st century, which allow overcoming limitations of traditional culture and are more physiologically relevant. These include the use of stem-cell derived human cells, cocultures of different cell types, scaffolds and extracellular matrices, perfusion platforms (such as microfluidics), 3D culture, organ-on-chip technologies, tissue architecture, and organ functionality. The physiological relevance of such models is further enhanced by the measurement of biomarkers (e.g., key events of pathways), organ specific functionality, and more comprehensive assessment cell responses by high-content methods. These approaches are still rarely combined to create microphysiological systems. The complexity of the combination of these technologies can generate results closer to the in vivo situation but increases the number of parameters to control, bringing some new challenges. In fact, we do not argue that all cell culture needs to be that sophisticated. The efforts taken are determined by the purpose of our experiments and tests. If only a very specific molecular target to cell response is of interest, a very simple model, which reflects this, might be much more suited to allow standardization and high-throughput. However, the less defined the end point of interest and cellular response are, the better we should approximate organ- or tissue-like culture conditions to make physiological responses more probable. Besides these technologic advances, important progress in the quality assurance and reporting on cell cultures as well as the validation of cellular test systems brings the utility of cell cultures to a new level. The advancement and broader implementation of Good Cell Culture Practice (GCCP) is key here. In toxicology, this is a major prerequisite for meaningful and reliable results, ultimately

  16. Microfluidic perfusion culture of human induced pluripotent stem cells under fully defined culture conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yoshimitsu, Ryosuke; Hattori, Koji; Sugiura, Shinji; Kondo, Yuki; Yamada, Rotaro; Tachikawa, Saoko; Satoh, Taku; Kurisaki, Akira; Ohnuma, Kiyoshi; Asashima, Makoto; Kanamori, Toshiyuki

    2014-05-01

    Human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) are a promising cell source for drug screening. For this application, self-renewal or differentiation of the cells is required, and undefined factors in the culture conditions are not desirable. Microfluidic perfusion culture allows the production of small volume cultures with precisely controlled microenvironments, and is applicable to high-throughput cellular environment screening. Here, we developed a microfluidic perfusion culture system for hiPSCs that uses a microchamber array chip under defined extracellular matrix (ECM) and culture medium conditions. By screening various ECMs we determined that fibronectin and laminin are appropriate for microfluidic devices made out of the most popular material, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). We found that the growth rate of hiPSCs under pressure-driven perfusion culture conditions was higher than under static culture conditions in the microchamber array. We applied our new system to self-renewal and differentiation cultures of hiPSCs, and immunocytochemical analysis showed that the state of the hiPSCs was successfully controlled. The effects of three antitumor drugs on hiPSCs were comparable between microchamber array and 96-well plates. We believe that our system will be a platform technology for future large-scale screening of fully defined conditions for differentiation cultures on integrated microfluidic devices. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  17. Quantitative volumetric Raman imaging of three dimensional cell cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kallepitis, Charalambos; Bergholt, Mads S.; Mazo, Manuel M.; Leonardo, Vincent; Skaalure, Stacey C.; Maynard, Stephanie A.; Stevens, Molly M.

    2017-03-01

    The ability to simultaneously image multiple biomolecules in biologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) cell culture environments would contribute greatly to the understanding of complex cellular mechanisms and cell-material interactions. Here, we present a computational framework for label-free quantitative volumetric Raman imaging (qVRI). We apply qVRI to a selection of biological systems: human pluripotent stem cells with their cardiac derivatives, monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages in conventional cell culture systems and mesenchymal stem cells inside biomimetic hydrogels that supplied a 3D cell culture environment. We demonstrate visualization and quantification of fine details in cell shape, cytoplasm, nucleus, lipid bodies and cytoskeletal structures in 3D with unprecedented biomolecular specificity for vibrational microspectroscopy.

  18. The Effect of Primary Cancer Cell Culture Models on the Results of Drug Chemosensitivity Assays: The Application of Perfusion Microbioreactor System as Cell Culture Vessel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Yi-Dao; Huang, Shiang-Fu; Wang, Hung-Ming

    2015-01-01

    To precisely and faithfully perform cell-based drug chemosensitivity assays, a well-defined and biologically relevant culture condition is required. For the former, a perfusion microbioreactor system capable of providing a stable culture condition was adopted. For the latter, however, little is known about the impact of culture models on the physiology and chemosensitivity assay results of primary oral cavity cancer cells. To address the issues, experiments were performed. Results showed that minor environmental pH change could significantly affect the metabolic activity of cells, demonstrating the importance of stable culture condition for such assays. Moreover, the culture models could also significantly influence the metabolic activity and proliferation of cells. Furthermore, the choice of culture models might lead to different outcomes of chemosensitivity assays. Compared with the similar test based on tumor-level assays, the spheroid model could overestimate the drug resistance of cells to cisplatin, whereas the 2D and 3D culture models might overestimate the chemosensitivity of cells to such anticancer drug. In this study, the 3D culture models with same cell density as that in tumor samples showed comparable chemosensitivity assay results as the tumor-level assays. Overall, this study has provided some fundamental information for establishing a precise and faithful drug chemosensitivity assay. PMID:25654105

  19. Bags versus flasks: a comparison of cell culture systems for the production of dendritic cell-based immunotherapies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fekete, Natalie; Béland, Ariane V; Campbell, Katie; Clark, Sarah L; Hoesli, Corinne A

    2018-04-19

    In recent years, cell-based therapies targeting the immune system have emerged as promising strategies for cancer treatment. This review summarizes manufacturing challenges related to production of antigen presenting cells as a patient-tailored cancer therapy. Understanding cell-material interactions is essential because in vitro cell culture manipulations to obtain mature antigen-producing cells can significantly alter their in vivo performance. Traditional antigen-producing cell culture protocols often rely on cell adhesion to surface-treated hydrophilic polystyrene flasks. More recent commercial and investigational cancer immunotherapy products were manufactured using suspension cell culture in closed hydrophobic fluoropolymer bags. The shift to closed cell culture systems can decrease risks of contamination by individual operators, as well as facilitate scale-up and automation. Selecting closed cell culture bags over traditional open culture systems entails different handling procedures and processing controls, which can affect product quality. Changes in culture vessels also entail changes in vessel materials and geometry, which may alter the cell microenvironment and resulting cell fate decisions. Strategically designed culture systems will pave the way for the generation of more sophisticated and highly potent cell-based cancer vaccines. As an increasing number of cell-based therapies enter the clinic, the selection of appropriate cell culture vessels and materials becomes a critical consideration that can impact the therapeutic efficacy of the product, and hence clinical outcomes and patient quality of life. © 2018 The Authors Transfusion published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of AABB.

  20. Manual for Dynamic Triaxial Cell

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pedersen, Thomas Schmidt; Ibsen, Lars Bo

    This report is a test report that describes the test setup for a dynamic triaxial cell at the Laboratory for Geotechnique at Aalborg University.......This report is a test report that describes the test setup for a dynamic triaxial cell at the Laboratory for Geotechnique at Aalborg University....

  1. Three-dimensional hydrogel cell culture systems for modeling neural tissue

    Science.gov (United States)

    Frampton, John

    Two-dimensional (2-D) neural cell culture systems have served as physiological models for understanding the cellular and molecular events that underlie responses to physical and chemical stimuli, control sensory and motor function, and lead to the development of neurological diseases. However, the development of three-dimensional (3-D) cell culture systems will be essential for the advancement of experimental research in a variety of fields including tissue engineering, chemical transport and delivery, cell growth, and cell-cell communication. In 3-D cell culture, cells are provided with an environment similar to tissue, in which they are surrounded on all sides by other cells, structural molecules and adhesion ligands. Cells grown in 3-D culture systems display morphologies and functions more similar to those observed in vivo, and can be cultured in such a way as to recapitulate the structural organization and biological properties of tissue. This thesis describes a hydrogel-based culture system, capable of supporting the growth and function of several neural cell types in 3-D. Alginate hydrogels were characterized in terms of their biomechanical and biochemical properties and were functionalized by covalent attachment of whole proteins and peptide epitopes. Methods were developed for rapid cross-linking of alginate hydrogels, thus permitting the incorporation of cells into 3-D scaffolds without adversely affecting cell viability or function. A variety of neural cell types were tested including astrocytes, microglia, and neurons. Cells remained viable and functional for longer than two weeks in culture and displayed process outgrowth in 3-D. Cell constructs were created that varied in cell density, type and organization, providing experimental flexibility for studying cell interactions and behavior. In one set of experiments, 3-D glial-endothelial cell co-cultures were used to model blood-brain barrier (BBB) structure and function. This co-culture system was

  2. Cell-cycle distributions and radiation responses of Chinese hamster cells cultured continuously under hypoxic conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tokita, N.; Carpenter, S.G.; Raju, M.R.

    1984-01-01

    Cell-cycle distributions were measured by flow cytometry for Chinese hamster (CHO) cells cultured continuously under hypoxic conditions. DNA histograms showed an accumulation of cells in the early S phase followed by a traverse delay through the S phase, and a G 2 block. During hypoxic culturing, cell viability decreased rapidly to less than 0.1% at 120 h. Radiation responses for cells cultured under these conditions showed an extreme radioresistance at 72 h. Results suggest that hypoxia induces a condition similar to cell synchrony which itself changes the radioresistance of hypoxic cells. (author)

  3. Engineering systems for the generation of patterned co-cultures for controlling cell-cell interactions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaji, Hirokazu; Camci-Unal, Gulden; Langer, Robert; Khademhosseini, Ali

    2011-03-01

    Inside the body, cells lie in direct contact or in close proximity to other cell types in a tightly controlled architecture that often regulates the resulting tissue function. Therefore, tissue engineering constructs that aim to reproduce the architecture and the geometry of tissues will benefit from methods of controlling cell-cell interactions with microscale resolution. We discuss the use of microfabrication technologies for generating patterned co-cultures. In addition, we categorize patterned co-culture systems by cell type and discuss the implications of regulating cell-cell interactions in the resulting biological function of the tissues. Patterned co-cultures are a useful tool for fabricating tissue engineered constructs and for studying cell-cell interactions in vitro, because they can be used to control the degree of homotypic and heterotypic cell-cell contact. In addition, this approach can be manipulated to elucidate important factors involved in cell-matrix interactions. Patterned co-culture strategies hold significant potential to develop biomimetic structures for tissue engineering. It is expected that they would create opportunities to develop artificial tissues in the future. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Nanotechnologies - Emerging Applications in Biomedicine. 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Morphological and Immunohistochemical Characterization of Canine Osteosarcoma Spheroid Cell Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gebhard, C; Gabriel, C; Walter, I

    2016-06-01

    Spheroid cell culture emerges as powerful in vitro tool for experimental tumour research. In this study, we established a scaffold-free three-dimensional spheroid system built from canine osteosarcoma (OS) cells (D17). Spheroids (7, 14 and 19 days of cultivation) and monolayer cultures (2 and 7 days of cultivation) were evaluated and compared on light and electron microscopy. Monolayer and spheroid cultures were tested for vimentin, cytokeratin, alkaline phosphatase, osteocalcin and collagen I by means of immunohistochemistry. The spheroid cell culture exhibited a distinct network of collagen I in particular after 19-day cultivation, whereas in monolayer cultures, collagen I was arranged as a lamellar basal structure. Necrotic centres of large spheroids, as observed in 14- and 19-day cultures, were characterized by significant amounts of osteocalcin. Proliferative activity as determined by Ki-67 immunoreactivity showed an even distribution in two-dimensional cultures. In spheroids, proliferation was predominating in the peripheral areas. Metastasis-associated markers ezrin and S100A4 were shown to be continuously expressed in monolayer and spheroid cultures. We conclude that the scaffold-free spheroid system from canine OS cells has the ability to mimic the architecture of the in vivo tumour, in particular cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. © 2015 The Authors. Anatomia, Histologia, Embryologia Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

  5. A microwell cell culture platform for the aggregation of pancreatic β-cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bernard, Abigail B; Lin, Chien-Chi; Anseth, Kristi S

    2012-08-01

    Cell-cell contact between pancreatic β-cells is important for maintaining survival and normal insulin secretion. Various techniques have been developed to promote cell-cell contact between β-cells, but a simple yet robust method that affords precise control over three-dimensional (3D) β-cell cluster size has not been demonstrated. To address this need, we developed a poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogel microwell platform using photolithography. This microwell cell-culture platform promotes the formation of 3D β-cell aggregates of defined sizes from 25 to 210 μm in diameter. Using this platform, mouse insulinoma 6 (MIN6) β-cells formed aggregates with cell-cell adherin junctions. These naturally formed cell aggregates with controllable sizes can be removed from the microwells for macroencapsulation, implantation, or other biological assays. When removed and subsequently encapsulated in PEG hydrogels, the aggregated cell clusters demonstrated improved cellular viability (>90%) over 7 days in culture, while the β-cells encapsulated as single cells maintained only 20% viability. Aggregated MIN6 cells also exhibited more than fourfold higher insulin secretion in response to a glucose challenge compared with encapsulated single β-cells. Further, the cell aggregates stained positively for E-cadherin, indicative of the formation of cell junctions. Using this hydrogel microwell cell-culture method, viable and functional β-cell aggregates of specific sizes were created, providing a platform from which other biologically relevant questions may be answered.

  6. Quantitative volumetric Raman imaging of three dimensional cell cultures

    KAUST Repository

    Kallepitis, Charalambos

    2017-03-22

    The ability to simultaneously image multiple biomolecules in biologically relevant three-dimensional (3D) cell culture environments would contribute greatly to the understanding of complex cellular mechanisms and cell–material interactions. Here, we present a computational framework for label-free quantitative volumetric Raman imaging (qVRI). We apply qVRI to a selection of biological systems: human pluripotent stem cells with their cardiac derivatives, monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages in conventional cell culture systems and mesenchymal stem cells inside biomimetic hydrogels that supplied a 3D cell culture environment. We demonstrate visualization and quantification of fine details in cell shape, cytoplasm, nucleus, lipid bodies and cytoskeletal structures in 3D with unprecedented biomolecular specificity for vibrational microspectroscopy.

  7. Cell division requirement for activation of murine leukemia virus in cell culture by irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Otten, J.A.; Quarles, J.M.; Tennant, R.W.

    1976-01-01

    Actively dividing cultures of AKR mouse cells were exposed to relatively low dose-rates of γ radiation and tested for activation of endogenous leukemia viruses. Efficient and reproducible induction of virus was obtained with actively dividing cells, but cultures deprived of serum to inhibit cell division before and during γ irradiation were not activated, even when medium with serum was added immediately after irradiation. These results show that cell division was required for virus induction but that a stable intermediate similar to the state induced by halogenated pyrimidines was not formed. In actively dividing AKR cell cultures, virus activation appeared to be proportional to the dose of γ radiation; the estimated frequency of activation was 1-8 x 10 - 5 per exposed cell and the efficiency of activation was approximately 0.012 inductions per cell per rad. Other normal primary and established mouse cell cultures tested were not activated by γ radiation. The requirement of cell division for radiation and chemical activation may reflect some common mechanism for initiation of virus expression

  8. T cell resistance to activation by dendritic cells requires long-term culture in simulated microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Jillian H.; Stein, Rachel; Randolph, Brad; Molina, Emily; Arnold, Jennifer P.; Gregg, Randal K.

    2017-11-01

    Immune impairment mediated by microgravity threatens the success of space exploration requiring long-duration spaceflight. The cells of most concern, T lymphocytes, coordinate the host response against microbial and cancerous challenges leading to elimination and long-term protection. T cells are activated upon recognition of specific microbial peptides bound on the surface of antigen presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DC). Subsequently, this engagement results in T cell proliferation and differentiation into effector T cells driven by autocrine interleukin-2 (IL-2) and other cytokines. Finally, the effector T cells acquire the weaponry needed to destroy microbial invaders and tumors. Studies conducted on T cells during spaceflight, or using Earth-based culture systems, have shown reduced production of cytokines, proliferation and effector functions as compared to controls. This may account for the cases of viral reactivation events and opportunistic infections associated with astronauts of numerous missions. This work has largely been based upon the outcome of T cell activation by stimulatory factors that target select T cell signaling pathways rather than the complex, signaling events related to the natural process of antigen presentation by DC. This study tested the response of an ovalbumin peptide-specific T cell line, OT-II TCH, to activation by DC when the T cells were cultured 24-120 h in a simulated microgravity (SMG) environment generated by a rotary cell culture system. Following 72 h culture of T cells in SMG (SMG-T) or control static (Static-T) conditions, IL-2 production by the T cells was reduced in SMG-T cells compared to Static-T cells upon stimulation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin. However, when the SMG-T cells were stimulated with DC and peptide, IL-2 was significantly increased compared to Static-T cells. Such enhanced IL-2 production by SMG-T cells peaked at 72 h SMG culture time and decreased thereafter. When

  9. Tumor necrosis factor (cachetin) decreases adipose cell differentiation in primary cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Martin, R.J.; Jones, D.D.; Jewell, D.E.; Hausman, G.J.

    1986-01-01

    Cachetin has been shown to effect gene product expression in the established adipose cell line 3T3-L1. Expression of messenger RNA for lipoprotein lipase is suppressed in cultured adipocytes. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of Cachetin on adipose cell differentiation in primary cell culture. Stromalvascular cells obtained from the inguinal fat pad of 4-5 week old Sprague-Dawley rats were grown in culture for two weeks. During the proliferative growth phase all cells were grown on the same medium and labelled with 3 H-thymidine. Cachetin treatment (10 -6 to 10 -10 M) was initiated on day 5, the initial phase of preadipocyte differentiation. Adipocytes and stromal cells were separated using density gradient, and 3 H-thymidine was determined for both cell types. Thymidine incorporation into adipose cells was decreased maximally (∼ 50%) at 10 -10 M. Stromalvascular cells were not influenced at any of the doses tested. Adipose cell lipid content as indicated by oil red-O staining was decreased by Cachetin. Esterase staining by adipose cells treated with Cachetin was increased indicating an increase in intracellular lipase. These studies show that Cachetin has specific effects on primary adipose cell differentiation

  10. Feeding Frequency Affects Cultured Rat Pituitary Cells in Low Gravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hymer, W. C.; Grindeland, R. E.; Salada, T.; Cenci, R.; Krishnan, K.; Mukai, C.; Nagaoka, S.

    1996-01-01

    In this report, we describe the results of a rat pituitary cell culture experiment done on STS-65 in which the effect of cell feeding on the release of the six anterior pituitary hormones was studied. We found complex microgravity related interactions between the frequency of cell feeding and the quantity and quality (i.e. biological activity) of some of the six hormones released in flight. Analyses of growth hormone (GH) released from cells into culture media on different mission days using gel filtration and ion exchange chromatography yielded qualitatively similar results between ground and flight samples. Lack of cell feeding resulted in extensive cell clumping in flight (but not ground) cultures. Vigorous fibroblast growth occurred in both ground and flight cultures fed 4 times. These results are interpreted within the context of autocrine and or paracrine feedback interactions. Finally the payload specialist successfully prepared a fresh trypsin solution in microgravity, detached the cells from their surface and reinserted them back into the culture chamber. These cells reattached and continued to release hormone in microgravity. In summary, this experiment shows that pituitary cells are microgravity sensitive and that coupled operations routinely associated with laboratory cel1 culture can also be accomplished in low gravity.

  11. Characterization of primary human mammary epithelial cells isolated and propagated by conditional reprogrammed cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Liting; Qu, Ying; Gomez, Liliana J; Chung, Stacey; Han, Bingchen; Gao, Bowen; Yue, Yong; Gong, Yiping; Liu, Xuefeng; Amersi, Farin; Dang, Catherine; Giuliano, Armando E; Cui, Xiaojiang

    2018-02-20

    Conditional reprogramming methods allow for the inexhaustible in vitro proliferation of primary epithelial cells from human tissue specimens. This methodology has the potential to enhance the utility of primary cell culture as a model for mammary gland research. However, few studies have systematically characterized this method in generating in vitro normal human mammary epithelial cell models. We show that cells derived from fresh normal breast tissues can be propagated and exhibit heterogeneous morphologic features. The cultures are composed of CK18, desmoglein 3, and CK19-positive luminal cells and vimentin, p63, and CK14-positive myoepithelial cells, suggesting the maintenance of in vivo heterogeneity. In addition, the cultures contain subpopulations with different CD49f and EpCAM expression profiles. When grown in 3D conditions, cells self-organize into distinct structures that express either luminal or basal cell markers. Among these structures, CK8-positive cells enclosing a lumen are capable of differentiation into milk-producing cells in the presence of lactogenic stimulus. Furthermore, our short-term cultures retain the expression of ERα, as well as its ability to respond to estrogen stimulation. We have investigated conditionally reprogrammed normal epithelial cells in terms of cell type heterogeneity, cellular marker expression, and structural arrangement in two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) systems. The conditional reprogramming methodology allows generation of a heterogeneous culture from normal human mammary tissue in vitro . We believe that this cell culture model will provide a valuable tool to study mammary cell function and malignant transformation.

  12. Dynamics of organizational culture: Individual beliefs vs. social conformity

    OpenAIRE

    Ellinas, Christos; Allan, Neil; Johansson, Anders

    2017-01-01

    The complex nature of organizational culture challenges our ability to infers its underlying dynamics from observational studies. Recent computational studies have adopted a distinct different view, where plausible mechanisms are proposed to describe a wide range of social phenomena, including the onset and evolution of organizational culture. In this spirit, this work introduces an empirically-grounded, agent-based model which relaxes a set of assumptions that describes past work - (a) omitt...

  13. The angiogenic behaviors of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) in co-culture with osteoblast-like cells (MG-63) on different titanium surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Bin; Andrukhov, Oleh; Berner, Simon; Schedle, Andreas; Rausch-Fan, Xiaohui

    2014-08-01

    Interaction between osteogenesis and angiogenesis plays an important role in implant osseointegration. In the present study we investigated the influence of titanium surface properties on the angiogenic behaviors of endothelial cells grown in direct contact co-culture with osteoblasts. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and osteoblast-like cells (MG-63 cells) were grown in direct co-culture on the following titanium surfaces: acid-etched (A), hydrophilic A (modA), coarse-gritblasted and acid-etched (SLA) and hydrophilic SLA (SLActive). Cell proliferation was evaluated by cell counting combined with flow cytometry. The expression of von Willebrand Factor (vWF), thrombomodulin (TM), endothelial cell protein C receptor (EPCR), E-Selectin, as well as vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) receptors Flt-1 and KDR in HUVECs and VEGF in MG-63 were measured by qPCR. The dynamic behavior of endothelial cells was recorded by time-lapse microscopy. Proliferation of HUVECs was highest on A, followed by SLA, modA and SLActive surfaces. The expression of vWF, TM, EPCR, E-Selectin and Flt-1 in HUVECs was significantly higher on A than on all other surfaces. The expression of KDR in HUVECs grown on A surface was below detection limit. VEGF expression in MG-63 cells was significantly higher on SLActive vs SLA and modA vs A surfaces. Time-lapse microscopy revealed that HUVECs moved quickest and formed cell clusters earlier on A surface, followed by SLA, modA and SLActive surface. In co-culture conditions, proliferation and expression of angiogenesis associated genes in HUVECs are promoted by smooth hydrophobic Ti surface, which is in contrast to previous mono-culture studies. Copyright © 2014 Academy of Dental Materials. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Antitumor Activity of Rat Mesenchymal Stem Cells during Direct or Indirect Co-Culturing with C6 Glioma Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gabashvili, A N; Baklaushev, V P; Grinenko, N F; Mel'nikov, P A; Cherepanov, S A; Levinsky, A B; Chehonin, V P

    2016-02-01

    The tumor-suppressive effect of rat mesenchymal stem cells against low-differentiated rat C6 glioma cells during their direct and indirect co-culturing and during culturing of C6 glioma cells in the medium conditioned by mesenchymal stem cells was studied in an in vitro experiment. The most pronounced antitumor activity of mesenchymal stem cells was observed during direct co-culturing with C6 glioma cells. The number of live C6 glioma cells during indirect co-culturing and during culturing in conditioned medium was slightly higher than during direct co-culturing, but significantly differed from the control (C6 glioma cells cultured in medium conditioned by C6 glioma cells). The cytotoxic effect of medium conditioned by mesenchymal stem cells was not related to medium depletion by glioma cells during their growth. The medium conditioned by other "non-stem" cells (rat astrocytes and fibroblasts) produced no tumor-suppressive effect. Rat mesenchymal stem cells, similar to rat C6 glioma cells express connexin 43, the main astroglial gap junction protein. During co-culturing, mesenchymal stem cells and glioma C6 cells formed functionally active gap junctions. Gap junction blockade with connexon inhibitor carbenoxolone attenuated the antitumor effect observed during direct co-culturing of C6 glioma cells and mesenchymal stem cells to the level produced by conditioned medium. Cell-cell signaling mediated by gap junctions can be a mechanism of the tumor-suppressive effect of mesenchymal stem cells against C6 glioma cells. This phenomenon can be used for the development of new methods of cell therapy for high-grade malignant gliomas.

  15. Advances in tissue engineering through stem cell-based co-culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paschos, Nikolaos K; Brown, Wendy E; Eswaramoorthy, Rajalakshmanan; Hu, Jerry C; Athanasiou, Kyriacos A

    2015-05-01

    Stem cells are the future in tissue engineering and regeneration. In a co-culture, stem cells not only provide a target cell source with multipotent differentiation capacity, but can also act as assisting cells that promote tissue homeostasis, metabolism, growth and repair. Their incorporation into co-culture systems seems to be important in the creation of complex tissues or organs. In this review, critical aspects of stem cell use in co-culture systems are discussed. Direct and indirect co-culture methodologies used in tissue engineering are described, along with various characteristics of cellular interactions in these systems. Direct cell-cell contact, cell-extracellular matrix interaction and signalling via soluble factors are presented. The advantages of stem cell co-culture strategies and their applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine are portrayed through specific examples for several tissues, including orthopaedic soft tissues, bone, heart, vasculature, lung, kidney, liver and nerve. A concise review of the progress and the lessons learned are provided, with a focus on recent developments and their implications. It is hoped that knowledge developed from one tissue can be translated to other tissues. Finally, we address challenges in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine that can potentially be overcome via employing strategies for stem cell co-culture use. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  16. Stimulation of DNA synthesis in cultured rat alveolar type II cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Leslie, C.C.; McCormick-Shannon, K.; Robinson, P.C.; Mason, R.J.

    1985-01-01

    Restoration of the alveolar epithelium after injury is thought to be dependent on the proliferation of alveolar type II cells. To understand the factors that may be involved in promoting type II cell proliferation in vivo, we determined the effect of potential mitogens and culture substrata on DNA synthesis in rat alveolar type II cells in primary culture. Type II cells cultured in basal medium containing 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) exhibited essentially no DNA synthesis. Factors that stimulated 3 H-thymidine incorporation included cholera toxin, epidermal growth factor, and rat serum. The greatest degree of stimulation was achieved by plating type II cells on an extracellular matrix prepared from bovine corneal endothelial cells and then by culturing the pneumocytes in medium containing rat serum, cholera toxin, insulin, and epidermal growth factor. Under conditions of stimulation of 3 H-thymidine incorporation there was an increased DNA content per culture dish but no increase in cell number. The ability of various culture conditions to promote DNA synthesis in type II cells was verified by autoradiography. Type II cells were identified by the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions, which were visualized by tannic acid staining before autoradiography. These results demonstrate the importance of soluble factors and culture substratum in stimulating DNA synthesis in rat alveolar type II cells in primary culture

  17. The influence of socio cultural dynamics on convergence communication of aquaculture agribusiness actors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oktavia, Y.

    2018-03-01

    This research aims to: (1) Analyze the level of socio-cultural dynamics of agibusiness aquaculture actors. (2) Analyze the influence of socio-cultural dynamics on convergence communication of capacity development of aquaculture agribusiness actors.Data was collected by questionnaire and interview of group members on agribusiness. Data analyze was done by descriptive and inferential statistics with using SEM method. The result of descriptive statistics on 284 agribusiness members showed that: Socio-cultural dynamics of agibusiness aquaculture actors was in low category, as shown by lack of the role of customary institutions and quality of local leadership.The communication convergence is significantly and positively influenced by the communication behavior of agribusiness actors in access information.

  18. EXPLANTATION OF MESANGIAL CELL HILLOCKS - A METHOD FOR OBTAINING HUMAN MESANGIAL CELLS IN CULTURE

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    MULLER, EW; KIM, Y; MICHAEL, AF; VERNIER, RL; VANDERHEM, GK; VANDERWOUDE, FJ

    A simple method is presented for selective cell culture of human mesangial cells using explanatation of mesangial cell hillocks. Glomeruli which had been incubated with collagenase were explanted on plastic tissue culture flasks. Three to 6 weeks after explantation, a rapidly growing multilayer of

  19. Effects of cell concentrations on the survival and repopulation of haemopoietic stem cells in irradiated bone marrow cell culture in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fujitake, Hideki; Okamoto, Yuruko; Okubo, Hiroshi; Miyanomae, Takeshi; Kumagai, Keiko; Mori, K.J.

    1981-01-01

    Effects of cell concentrations on the survival and repopulation of haemopoietic stem cells after irradiation were studied in the long-term culture of mouse bone marrow cells in vitro. No difference was observed in the survival of the stem cells among cultures in which 0 - 10 7 cells were re-inoculated on the adherent cell colonies in the culture flask. Stem cells showed a significant proliferation within 1 week and the number of the stem cells exceeded the control in 3 weeks after irradiation in the cultures with less than 10 6 re-inoculated cells per flask. In contrast, there was a considerable delay in the onset of stem cell proliferation after irradiation in the culture with 10 7 cells per flask. Based on these results, a possibility that a stimulator of stem cell proliferation, released from irradiated stromal cells, is cancelled by an inhibitory factor produced by irradiated or unirradiated haemopoietic cells is postulated. (author)

  20. 21 CFR 876.5885 - Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-04-01

    ... 21 Food and Drugs 8 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture processing applications. 876.5885 Section 876.5885 Food and Drugs FOOD AND DRUG... DEVICES Therapeutic Devices § 876.5885 Tissue culture media for human ex vivo tissue and cell culture...

  1. Retinal pigment epithelium culture;a potential source of retinal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akrami, Hassan; Soheili, Zahra-Soheila; Khalooghi, Keynoush; Ahmadieh, Hamid; Rezaie-Kanavi, Mojgan; Samiei, Shahram; Davari, Malihe; Ghaderi, Shima; Sanie-Jahromi, Fatemeh

    2009-07-01

    To establish human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cell culture as a source for cell replacement therapy in ocular diseases. Human cadaver globes were used to isolate RPE cells. Each globe was cut into several pieces of a few millimeters in size. After removing the sclera and choroid, remaining tissues were washed in phosphate buffer saline and RPE cells were isolated using dispase enzyme solution and cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium: Nutrient Mixture F-12 supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum. Primary cultures of RPE cells were established and spheroid colonies related to progenitor/stem cells developed in a number of cultures. The colonies included purely pigmented or mixed pigmented and non-pigmented cells. After multiple cellular passages, several types of photoreceptors and neural-like cells were detected morphologically. Cellular plasticity in RPE cell cultures revealed promising results in terms of generation of stem/progenitor cells from human RPE cells. Whether the spheroids and neural-like retinal cells were directly derived from retinal stem cells or offspring of trans-differentiating or de-differentiating RPE cells remains to be answered.

  2. Enhanced infectivity of bluetongue virus in cell culture by centrifugation.

    OpenAIRE

    Sundin, D R; Mecham, J O

    1989-01-01

    The effects of centrifugation of the infection of cell culture with bluetongue virus (BTV) were investigated. Baby hamster kidney cells were infected with BTV with or without centrifugation. Viral antigen was detected by immunofluorescence at 24 h in both centrifuged and noncentrifuged cultures. However, after 24 h of infection, the production of PFU in centrifuged cell cultures was 10- to 20-fold greater than that seen in cultures not centrifuged. In addition, centrifugation enhanced the dir...

  3. Long-term dynamic loading improves the mechanical properties of chondrogenic mesenchymal stem cell-laden hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AH Huang

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs are an attractive cell source for cartilage tissue engineering given their ability to undergo chondrogenesis in 3D culture systems. Mechanical forces play an important role in regulating both cartilage development and MSC chondrogenic gene expression, however, mechanical stimulation has yet to enhance the mechanical properties of engineered constructs. In this study, we applied long-term dynamic compression to MSC-seeded constructs and assessed whether varying pre-culture duration, loading regimens and inclusion of TGF-beta3 during loading would influence functional outcomes and these phenotypic transitions. Loading initiated before chondrogenesis decreased functional maturation, although chondrogenic gene expression increased. In contrast, loading initiated after chondrogenesis and matrix elaboration further improved the mechanical properties of MSC-based constructs, but only when TGF-beta3 levels were maintained and under specific loading parameters. Although matrix quantity was not affected by dynamic compression, matrix distribution, assessed histologically and by FT-IRIS analysis, was significantly improved on the micro- (pericellular and macro- (construct expanse scales. Further, whole genome expression profiling revealed marked shifts in the molecular topography with dynamic loading. These results demonstrate, for the first time, that dynamic compressive loading initiated after a sufficient period of chondro-induction and with sustained TGF-beta exposure enhances matrix distribution and the mechanical properties of MSC-seeded constructs.

  4. Enrichment of skin-derived neural precursor cells from dermal cell populations by altering culture conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bayati, Vahid; Gazor, Rohoullah; Nejatbakhsh, Reza; Negad Dehbashi, Fereshteh

    2016-01-01

    As stem cells play a critical role in tissue repair, their manipulation for being applied in regenerative medicine is of great importance. Skin-derived precursors (SKPs) may be good candidates for use in cell-based therapy as the only neural stem cells which can be isolated from an accessible tissue, skin. Herein, we presented a simple protocol to enrich neural SKPs by monolayer adherent cultivation to prove the efficacy of this method. To enrich neural SKPs from dermal cell populations, we have found that a monolayer adherent cultivation helps to increase the numbers of neural precursor cells. Indeed, we have cultured dermal cells as monolayer under serum-supplemented (control) and serum-supplemented culture, followed by serum free cultivation (test) and compared. Finally, protein markers of SKPs were assessed and compared in both experimental groups and differentiation potential was evaluated in enriched culture. The cells of enriched culture concurrently expressed fibronectin, vimentin and nestin, an intermediate filament protein expressed in neural and skeletal muscle precursors as compared to control culture. In addition, they possessed a multipotential capacity to differentiate into neurogenic, glial, adipogenic, osteogenic and skeletal myogenic cell lineages. It was concluded that serum-free adherent culture reinforced by growth factors have been shown to be effective on proliferation of skin-derived neural precursor cells (skin-NPCs) and drive their selective and rapid expansion.

  5. T cell resistance to activation by dendritic cells requires long-term culture in simulated microgravity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bradley, Jillian H; Stein, Rachel; Randolph, Brad; Molina, Emily; Arnold, Jennifer P; Gregg, Randal K

    2017-11-01

    Immune impairment mediated by microgravity threatens the success of space exploration requiring long-duration spaceflight. The cells of most concern, T lymphocytes, coordinate the host response against microbial and cancerous challenges leading to elimination and long-term protection. T cells are activated upon recognition of specific microbial peptides bound on the surface of antigen presenting cells, such as dendritic cells (DC). Subsequently, this engagement results in T cell proliferation and differentiation into effector T cells driven by autocrine interleukin-2 (IL-2) and other cytokines. Finally, the effector T cells acquire the weaponry needed to destroy microbial invaders and tumors. Studies conducted on T cells during spaceflight, or using Earth-based culture systems, have shown reduced production of cytokines, proliferation and effector functions as compared to controls. This may account for the cases of viral reactivation events and opportunistic infections associated with astronauts of numerous missions. This work has largely been based upon the outcome of T cell activation by stimulatory factors that target select T cell signaling pathways rather than the complex, signaling events related to the natural process of antigen presentation by DC. This study tested the response of an ovalbumin peptide-specific T cell line, OT-II TCH, to activation by DC when the T cells were cultured 24-120 h in a simulated microgravity (SMG) environment generated by a rotary cell culture system. Following 72 h culture of T cells in SMG (SMG-T) or control static (Static-T) conditions, IL-2 production by the T cells was reduced in SMG-T cells compared to Static-T cells upon stimulation by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) and ionomycin. However, when the SMG-T cells were stimulated with DC and peptide, IL-2 was significantly increased compared to Static-T cells. Such enhanced IL-2 production by SMG-T cells peaked at 72 h SMG culture time and decreased thereafter

  6. Identification of a population of cells with hematopoietic stem cell properties in mouse aorta-gonad-mesonephros cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nobuhisa, Ikuo; Ohtsu, Naoki; Okada, Seiji; Nakagata, Naomi; Taga, Tetsuya

    2007-01-01

    The aorta-gonad-mesonephros (AGM) region is a primary source of definitive hematopoietic cells in the midgestation mouse embryo. In cultures of dispersed AGM regions, adherent cells containing endothelial cells are observed first, and then non-adherent hematopoietic cells are produced. Here we report on the characterization of hematopoietic cells that emerge in the AGM culture. Based on the expression profiles of CD45 and c-Kit, we defined three cell populations: CD45 low c-Kit + cells that had the ability to form hematopoietic cell colonies in methylcellulose media and in co-cultures with stromal cells; CD45 low c-Kit - cells that showed a granulocyte morphology; CD45 high c-Kit low/- that exhibited a macrophage morphology. In co-cultures of OP9 stromal cells and freshly prepared AGM cultures, CD45 low c-Kit + cells from the AGM culture had the abilities to reproduce CD45 low c-Kit + cells and differentiate into CD45 low c-Kit - and CD45 high c-Kit low/- cells, whereas CD45 low c-Kit - and CD45 high c-Kit low/- did not produce CD45 low c-Kit + cells. Furthermore, CD45 low c-Kit + cells displayed a long-term repopulating activity in adult hematopoietic tissue when transplanted into the liver of irradiated newborn mice. These results indicate that CD45 low c-Kit + cells from the AGM culture have the potential to reconstitute multi-lineage hematopoietic cells

  7. Cell fiber-based three-dimensional culture system for highly efficient expansion of human induced pluripotent stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ikeda, Kazuhiro; Nagata, Shogo; Okitsu, Teru; Takeuchi, Shoji

    2017-06-06

    Human pluripotent stem cells are a potentially powerful cellular resource for application in regenerative medicine. Because such applications require large numbers of human pluripotent stem cell-derived cells, a scalable culture system of human pluripotent stem cell needs to be developed. Several suspension culture systems for human pluripotent stem cell expansion exist; however, it is difficult to control the thickness of cell aggregations in these systems, leading to increased cell death likely caused by limited diffusion of gases and nutrients into the aggregations. Here, we describe a scalable culture system using the cell fiber technology for the expansion of human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. The cells were encapsulated and cultured within the core region of core-shell hydrogel microfibers, resulting in the formation of rod-shaped or fiber-shaped cell aggregations with sustained thickness and high viability. By encapsulating the cells with type I collagen, we demonstrated a long-term culture of the cells by serial passaging at a high expansion rate (14-fold in four days) while retaining its pluripotency. Therefore, our culture system could be used for large-scale expansion of human pluripotent stem cells for use in regenerative medicine.

  8. Cystine uptake by cultured cells originating from dog proximal tubule segments

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    States, B.; Reynolds, R.; Lee, J.; Segal, S.

    1990-01-01

    Large numbers of kidney epithelial cells were cultured successfully from isolated dog proximal tubule segments. Cells in primary culture and in first passage retained the cystine-dibasic amino acid co-transporter system which is found in vivo and in freshly isolated proximal tubule segments. In contrast to other cultured cells, the cystine-glutamate anti-porter was absent in primary cultures. However, this anti-porter system seemed to be developing in cells in first passage. The intracellular ratio of cysteine:reduced glutathione (CSH:GSH) was maintained at 1:36 in both primary cultures and in low passage cells. Incubation of cells in primary culture for 5 min at 37 degrees C with 0.025 mM [ 35 S]L-cystine resulted in incorporation of approximately 36 and 8.5% of the label into intracellular CSH and GSH, respectively. These cultured cells, therefore, seem to be an excellent model system for the eventual elucidation of (a) the inticacies of cystine metabolism and (b) regulation of (1) the cystine-dibasic amino acid co-transporter system and (2) the development of the cysteine-glutamate anti-porter system

  9. Community helping services: dynamic of formation and expressiveness of the cultural care.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landim, Fátima Luna Pinheiro

    2006-01-01

    Community helping services is an expression used by the social movements to designate families that live in shacks installed in a public area intended for building of own house at a community helping system. Studies in ethnonursing that aimed: in order to detail dynamic configuration in a community helping service. It took place in an community helping area located in the outskirts of Fortaleza, Ceará. The community members acting as general informants from the local culture, while eight (8) women heads-of-families, working as key informers. The data collect used the Observation-Participation-Reflection Model. The analyses were processing by the time that the dates were collected, considering the categories: inserting in the community helping culture to obtain their history; community helping is not a slum -describing the formation dynamic. Established that the formation dynamic of the community helping go on the own house representation as a symbol of " a better life". To assimilate such expression introducing in own cultural universe is a challenge for the nursing to assist a care culture congruent.

  10. Inhibition of apoptosis using exosomes in Chinese hamster ovary cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Seora; Rhee, Won Jong

    2018-05-01

    Animal cell culture technology for therapeutic protein production has shown significant improvement over the last few decades. Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells have been widely adapted for the production of biopharmaceutical drugs. In the biopharmaceutical industry, it is crucial to develop cell culture media and culturing conditions to achieve the highest productivity and quality. However, CHO cells are significantly affected by apoptosis in the bioreactors, resulting in a substantial decrease in product quantity and quality. Thus, to overcome the obstacle of apoptosis in CHO cell culture, it is critical to develop a novel method that does not have minimal concern of safety or cost. Herein, we showed for the first time that exosomes, which are nano-sized extracellular vesicles, derived from CHO cells inhibited apoptosis in CHO cell culture when supplemented to the culture medium. Flow cytometric and microscopic analyses revealed that substantial amounts of exosomes were delivered to CHO cells. Higher cell viability after staurosporine treatment was observed by exosome supplementation (67.3%) as compared to control (41.1%). Furthermore, exosomes prevented the mitochondrial membrane potential loss and caspase-3 activation, meaning that the exosomes enhanced cellular activities under pro-apoptotic condition. As the exosomes supplements are derived from CHO cells themselves, it is not only beneficial for the biopharmaceutical productivity of CHO cell culture to inhibit apoptosis, but also from a regulatory standpoint to diminish any safety concerns. Thus, we conclude that the method developed in this research may contribute to the biopharmaceutical industry where minimizing apoptosis in CHO cell culture is beneficial. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Isolation and Characterization of Poliovirus in Cell Culture Systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thorley, Bruce R; Roberts, Jason A

    2016-01-01

    The isolation and characterization of enteroviruses by cell culture was accepted as the "gold standard" by clinical virology laboratories. Methods for the direct detection of all enteroviruses by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, targeting a conserved region of the genome, have largely supplanted cell culture as the principal diagnostic procedure. However, the World Health Organization's Global Polio Eradication Initiative continues to rely upon cell culture to isolate poliovirus due to the lack of a reliable sensitive genetic test for direct typing of enteroviruses from clinical specimens. Poliovirus is able to infect a wide range of mammalian cell lines, with CD155 identified as the primary human receptor for all three seroytpes, and virus replication leads to an observable cytopathic effect. Inoculation of cell lines with extracts of clinical specimens and subsequent passaging of the cells leads to an increased virus titre. Cultured isolates of poliovirus are suitable for testing by a variety of methods and remain viable for years when stored at low temperature.This chapter describes general procedures for establishing a cell bank and routine passaging of cell lines. While the sections on specimen preparation and virus isolation focus on poliovirus, the protocols are suitable for other enteroviruses.

  12. [Formation of protodioscin and deltoside isomers in suspension cultures of Nepal yam (Dioscorea deltoidea Wall.) cells].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khandy, M T; Titova, M V; Konstantinova, S V; Kochkin, D V; Ivanov, I M; Nosov, A M

    2016-01-01

    Changes in the content of the furostanol glycosides protodioscin and deltoside, particularly that of the (25S)-isomers of the glycosides, during suspension cultivation of different lines of Nepal yam (Dioscorea deltoidea Wall.) cells of the strain IFR-DM-0.5 has been investigated. The composition of furostanol glycosides has been characterized, and the dynamics of the accumulation of individual glycosides during lengthy subcultivation of cells maintained in flasks or in a barbotage bioreactor has been analyzed. A positive correlation between the growth and accumulation of substances that belonged to the class of furostanol glycosides has been demonstrated for cultured dioscorea cells, whereas the content of some of the individual glycosides varied considerably between the lines of the strain, cultures maintained under different conditions, and even between cells in different phases of the growth cycle. The increased content of (25R)-forms of the glycosides (protodioscin and deltoside) was correlated with a decrease in the cellular growth rate, whereas an increase in culture growth intensity occurred concomitantly to an increase of the amount of (25S)-isomers. This may be indicative of the specific stimulatory effect of (25S)-glycosides, but not the (25R)-forms, on cell proliferation in vitro. Thus, the concentration of (25S)-forms may increase due to the autoselection of cells capable of intensive division during prolonged cultivation.

  13. SAHA-induced TRAIL-sensitisation of Multiple Myeloma cells is enhanced in 3D cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arhoma, A; Chantry, A D; Haywood-Small, S L; Cross, N A

    2017-11-15

    Multiple Myeloma (MM) is currently incurable despite many novel therapies. Tumour Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (TRAIL) is a potential anti-tumour agent although effects as a single agent are limited. In this study, we investigated whether the Histone Deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor SAHA can enhance TRAIL-induced apoptosis and target TRAIL resistance in both suspension culture, and 3D cell culture as a model of disseminated MM lesions that form in bone. The effects of SAHA and/or TRAIL in 6 Multiple Myeloma cell lines were assessed in both suspension cultures and in an Alginate-based 3D cell culture model. The effect of SAHA and/or TRAIL was assessed on apoptosis by assessment of nuclear morphology using Hoechst 33342/Propidium Iodide staining. Viable cell number was assessed by CellTiter-Glo luminescence assay, Caspase-8 and -9 activities were measured by Caspase-Glo™ assay kit. TRAIL-resistant cells were generated by culture of RPMI 8226 and NCI-H929 by acute exposure to TRAIL followed by selection of TRAIL-resistant cells. TRAIL significantly induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner in OPM-2, RPMI 8226, NCI-H929, U266, JJN-3 MM cell lines and ADC-1 plasma cell leukaemia cells. SAHA amplified TRAIL responses in all lines except OPM-2, and enhanced TRAIL responses were both via Caspase-8 and -9. SAHA treatment induced growth inhibition that further increased in the combination treatment with TRAIL in MM cells. The co-treatment of TRAIL and SAHA reduced viable cell numbers all cell lines. TRAIL responses were further potentiated by SAHA in 3D cell culture in NCI-H929, RPMI 8226 and U266 at lower TRAIL + SAHA doses than in suspension culture. However TRAIL responses in cells that had been selected for TRAIL resistance were not further enhanced by SAHA treatment. SAHA is a potent sensitizer of TRAIL responses in both TRAIL sensitive and resistant cell lines, in both suspension and 3D culture, however SAHA did not sensitise TRAIL-sensitive cell

  14. Flux analysis of mammalian cell culture

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Martens, D.E.; Tramper, J.

    2010-01-01

    Animal cells are used for the production of vaccines and pharmaceutical proteins. The increase in demand for these products requires an increase in volumetric productivity of animal cell culture processes, which can be attained through an increase in biomass concentration and/or specific

  15. Plant cell culture initiation

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hall, R.D.

    2000-01-01

    The use of cultured plant cells in either organized or unorganized form has increased vey considerably in the last 10-15 yr. Many new technologies have been developed and applications in both fundamental and applied research have led to the development of some powerful tools for improving our

  16. Differentiation of Human Pluripotent Stem Cells into Functional Endothelial Cells in Scalable Suspension Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ruth Olmer

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Summary: Endothelial cells (ECs are involved in a variety of cellular responses. As multifunctional components of vascular structures, endothelial (progenitor cells have been utilized in cellular therapies and are required as an important cellular component of engineered tissue constructs and in vitro disease models. Although primary ECs from different sources are readily isolated and expanded, cell quantity and quality in terms of functionality and karyotype stability is limited. ECs derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs represent an alternative and potentially superior cell source, but traditional culture approaches and 2D differentiation protocols hardly allow for production of large cell numbers. Aiming at the production of ECs, we have developed a robust approach for efficient endothelial differentiation of hiPSCs in scalable suspension culture. The established protocol results in relevant numbers of ECs for regenerative approaches and industrial applications that show in vitro proliferation capacity and a high degree of chromosomal stability. : In this article, U. Martin and colleagues show the generation of hiPSC endothelial cells in scalable cultures in up to 100 mL culture volume. The generated ECs show in vitro proliferation capacity and a high degree of chromosomal stability after in vitro expansion. The established protocol allows to generate hiPSC-derived ECs in relevant numbers for regenerative approaches. Keywords: hiPSC differentiation, endothelial cells, scalable culture

  17. Electrospinning PCL Scaffolds Manufacture for Three-Dimensional Breast Cancer Cell Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marc Rabionet

    2017-08-01

    Full Text Available In vitro cell culture is traditionally performed within two-dimensional (2D environments, providing a quick and cheap way to study cell properties in a laboratory. However, 2D systems differ from the in vivo environment and may not mimic the physiological cell behavior realistically. For instance, 2D culture models are thought to induce cancer stem cells (CSCs differentiation, a rare cancer cell subpopulation responsible for tumor initiation and relapse. This fact hinders the development of therapeutic strategies for tumors with a high relapse percentage, such as triple negative breast cancer (TNBC. Thus, three-dimensional (3D scaffolds have emerged as an attractive alternative to monolayer culture, simulating the extracellular matrix structure and maintaining the differentiation state of cells. In this work, scaffolds were fabricated through electrospinning different poly(ε-caprolactone-acetone solutions. Poly(ε-caprolactone (PCL meshes were seeded with triple negative breast cancer (TNBC cells and 15% PCL scaffolds displayed significantly (p < 0.05 higher cell proliferation and elongation than the other culture systems. Moreover, cells cultured on PCL scaffolds exhibited higher mammosphere forming capacity and aldehyde dehydrogenase activity than 2D-cultured cells, indicating a breast CSCs enrichment. These results prove the powerful capability of electrospinning technology in terms of poly(ε-caprolactone nanofibers fabrication. In addition, this study has demonstrated that electrospun 15% PCL scaffolds are suitable tools to culture breast cancer cells in a more physiological way and to expand the niche of breast CSCs. In conclusion, three-dimensional cell culture using PCL scaffolds could be useful to study cancer stem cell behavior and may also trigger the development of new specific targets against such malignant subpopulation.

  18. Programming Cells for Dynamic Assembly of Inorganic Nano-Objects with Spatiotemporal Control.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Xinyu; Pu, Jiahua; An, Bolin; Li, Yingfeng; Shang, Yuequn; Ning, Zhijun; Liu, Yi; Ba, Fang; Zhang, Jiaming; Zhong, Chao

    2018-04-01

    Programming living cells to organize inorganic nano-objects (NOs) in a spatiotemporally precise fashion would advance new techniques for creating ordered ensembles of NOs and new bio-abiotic hybrid materials with emerging functionalities. Bacterial cells often grow in cellular communities called biofilms. Here, a strategy is reported for programming dynamic biofilm formation for the synchronized assembly of discrete NOs or hetero-nanostructures on diverse interfaces in a dynamic, scalable, and hierarchical fashion. By engineering Escherichia coli to sense blue light and respond by producing biofilm curli fibers, biofilm formation is spatially controlled and the patterned NOs' assembly is simultaneously achieved. Diverse and complex fluorescent quantum dot patterns with a minimum patterning resolution of 100 µm are demonstrated. By temporally controlling the sequential addition of NOs into the culture, multilayered heterostructured thin films are fabricated through autonomous layer-by-layer assembly. It is demonstrated that biologically dynamic self-assembly can be used to advance a new repertoire of nanotechnologies and materials with increasing complexity that would be otherwise challenging to produce. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Development of an automated chip culture system with integrated on-line monitoring for maturation culture of retinal pigment epithelial cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mee-Hae Kim

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available In cell manufacturing, the establishment of a fully automated, microfluidic, cell culture system that can be used for long-term cell cultures, as well as for process optimization is highly desirable. This study reports the development of a novel chip bioreactor system that can be used for automated long-term maturation cultures of retinal pigment epithelial (RPE cells. The system consists of an incubation unit, a medium supply unit, a culture observation unit, and a control unit. In the incubation unit, the chip contains a closed culture vessel (2.5 mm diameter, working volume 9.1 μL, which can be set to 37 °C and 5% CO2, and uses a gas-permeable resin (poly- dimethylsiloxane as the vessel wall. RPE cells were seeded at 5.0 × 104 cells/cm2 and the medium was changed every day by introducing fresh medium using the medium supply unit. Culture solutions were stored either in the refrigerator or the freezer, and fresh medium was prepared before any medium change by warming to 37 °C and mixing. Automated culture was allowed to continue for 30 days to allow maturation of the RPE cells. This chip culture system allows for the long-term, bubble-free, culture of RPE cells, while also being able to observe cells in order to elucidate their cell morphology or show the presence of tight junctions. This culture system, along with an integrated on-line monitoring system, can therefore be applied to long-term cultures of RPE cells, and should contribute to process control in RPE cell manufacturing.

  20. [Biological characteristics of mesenchymal stem cell and hematopoietic stem cell in the co-culture system].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Wei; Xu, Chao; Ye, Zhi-Yong; Huang, Xiao-Jun; Yuan, Jia-En; Ma, Tian-Bao; Lin, Han-Biao; Chen, Xiu-Qiong

    2016-10-25

    The aim of the present study was to obtain the qualified hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSC/HPC) and human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) in vitro in the co-culture system. Cord blood mononuclear cells were separated from umbilical cord blood by Ficoll lymphocyte separation medium, and then CD34 + HSC was collected by MACS immunomagnetic beads. The selected CD34 + HSC/HPC and MSC were transferred into culture flask. IMDM culture medium with 15% AB-type cord plasma supplemented with interleukin-3 (IL-3), IL-6, thrombopoietin (TPO), stem cell factor (SCF) and FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (Flt-3L) factors were used as the co-culture system for the amplification of HSC/HPC and MSC. The cellular growth status and proliferation on day 6 and 10 after co-culture were observed by using inverted microscope. The percentage of positive expression of CD34 in HSC/HPC, as well as the percentages of positive expressions of CD105, CD90, CD73, CD45, CD34 and HLA-DR in the 4 th generation MSC, was tested by flow cytometry. Semisolid colony culture was used to test the HSC/HPC colony forming ability. The osteogenic, chondrogenesis and adipogenic ability of the 4 th generation MSC were assessed. The karyotype analysis of MSC was conducted by colchicines. The results demonstrated that the HSC/HPC of co-culture group showed higher ability of amplification, CFU-GM and higher CD34 + percentage compared with the control group. The co-cultured MSC maintained the ability to differentiate into bone cells, fat cells and chondrocytes. And the karyotype stability of MSC remained normal. These results reveal that the appropriate co-culture system for MSC and HSC is developed, and via this co-culture system we could gain both two kinds of these cells. The MSCs under the co-culture system maintain the biological characteristics. The CFU-GM ability, cell counting and the flow cytometry results of HSC/HPC under the co-culture system are conform to the criterion, showing that

  1. Production of betalaines by Myrtillocactus cell cultures. Passage from heterotrophic state to autotrophic state with Asparagus cell cultures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bulard, C; Mary, J; Chaumont, D; Gudin, C

    1982-11-01

    Myrtillocactus tissue cultures are grown from the epicotyl of young plantlets. With an appropriate growing medium it is possible, after transfer of fragments of these cultures to a liquid environment, to obtain dissociation and proliferation of cells. The production of betalaic pigments is induced in solid surroundings by adjustement of the growing medium composition and can be maintained in a liquid environment. The multiplication of pigmented cells in suspension may thus be obtained. The conversion of Asparagus cell suspensions from the heterotrophic state (use of lactose as source of carbon) to the autotrophic state (carbon supplied by CO/sub 2/) is obtained by a gradual reduction in the sugar concentration of the medium combined with a rise in the CO/sub 2/ content of the gas mixture atmosphere injected into the cultivator. The passage to the autotrophic state of a Myrtillocactus suspension would enable the production conditions of a metabolite (Betalaine) to be studied by micro-algae culture techniques.

  2. Hypoxic contraction of cultured pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murray, T.R.; Chen, L.; Marshall, B.E.; Macarak, E.J.

    1990-01-01

    The cellular events involved in generating the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction response are not clearly understood, in part because of the multitude of factors that alter pulmonary vascular tone. The goal of the present studies was to determine if a cell culture preparation containing vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells could be made to contract when exposed to a hypoxic atmosphere. Cultures containing only fetal bovine pulmonary artery VSM cells were assessed for contractile responses to hypoxic stimuli by two methods. In the first, tension forces generated by cells grown on a flexible growth surface (polymerized polydimethyl siloxane) were manifested as wrinkles and distortions of the surface under the cells. Wrinkling of the surface was noted to progressively increase with time as the culture medium bathing the cells was made hypoxic (PO2 approximately 25 mmHg). The changes were sometimes reversible upon return to normoxic conditions and appeared to be enhanced in cells already exhibiting evidence of some baseline tone. Repeated passage in culture did not diminish the hypoxic response. Evidence for contractile responses to hypoxia was also obtained from measurements of myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Conversion of MLC to the phosphorylated species is an early step in the activation of smooth muscle contraction. Lowering the PO2 in the culture medium to 59 mmHg caused a 45% increase in the proportion of MLC in the phosphorylated form as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Similarly, cultures preincubated for 4 h with 32P and then exposed to normoxia or hypoxia for a 5-min experimental period showed more than twice as much of the label in MLCs of the hypoxic cells

  3. Contributions of 3D Cell Cultures for Cancer Research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravi, Maddaly; Ramesh, Aarthi; Pattabhi, Aishwarya

    2017-10-01

    Cancer cell lines have contributed immensely in understanding the complex physiology of cancers. They are excellent material for studies as they offer homogenous samples without individual variations and can be utilised with ease and flexibility. Also, the number of assays and end-points one can study is almost limitless; with the advantage of improvising, modifying or altering several variables and methods. Literally, a new dimension to cancer research has been achieved by the advent of 3Dimensional (3D) cell culture techniques. This approach increased many folds the ways in which cancer cell lines can be utilised for understanding complex cancer biology. 3D cell culture techniques are now the preferred way of using cancer cell lines to bridge the gap between the 'absolute in vitro' and 'true in vivo'. The aspects of cancer biology that 3D cell culture systems have contributed include morphology, microenvironment, gene and protein expression, invasion/migration/metastasis, angiogenesis, tumour metabolism and drug discovery, testing chemotherapeutic agents, adaptive responses and cancer stem cells. We present here, a comprehensive review on the applications of 3D cell culture systems for these aspects of cancers. J. Cell. Physiol. 232: 2679-2697, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. Evaluation of a dental pulp-derived cell sheet cultured on amniotic membrane substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Honjo, Ken-ichi; Yamamoto, Toshiro; Adachi, Tetsuya; Amemiya, Takeshi; Mazda, Osam; Kanamura, Narisato; Kita, Masakazu

    2015-01-01

    Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are transplanted for periodontal tissue regeneration, and the periodontal ligament (PDL) is regenerated using a cultured cell sheet. This cultured cell sheet is prepared using PDL-derived cells, growth factors, and amniotic membrane (AM). Dental pulp (DP)-derived cells can be easily obtained from extracted wisdom teeth, proliferate rapidly, and are less susceptible to bacterial infection than PDL-derived cells. Thus, to prepare a novel cell sheet, DP-derived cells were cultured on AM as a culture substrate for immunohistochemical examination. Wisdom teeth extracted from three adults were cut along the cement-enamel border. DP tissue was collected, minced, and primarily cultured. After three or four passage cultures, DP-derived cells were cultured on AM, followed by hematoxylin-eosin (H-E) and immunofluorescence staining. DP-derived cells cultured on AM formed a layered structure. Cells positive for vimentin, Ki-67, ZO-1, desmoplakin, CD29, 44, 105 or 146, STRO-1, collagen IV or VII or laminin 5 or α5 chain were localized. DP-derived cells proliferated on AM, while retaining the properties of DP, which allowed the cultured cell sheet to be prepared. In addition, the cultured cell sheet contained MSC, which suggests its potential application in periodontal tissue regeneration.

  5. Establishment and characterization of American elm cell suspension cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steven M. Eshita; Joseph C. Kamalay; Vicki M. Gingas; Daniel A. Yaussy

    2000-01-01

    Cell suspension cultures of Dutch elm disease (DED)-tolerant and DED-susceptible American elms clones have been established and characterized as prerequisites for contrasts of cellular responses to pathogen-derived elicitors. Characteristics of cultured elm cell growth were monitored by A700 and media conductivity. Combined cell growth data for all experiments within a...

  6. Urban Resilience: Retail Location Dynamics and Cultural Heritage

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    van Duijn, Mark; Rouwendal, Jan

    2014-01-01

    In this paper we study the relationship between cultural heritage and retail store dynamics at the neighbourhood level in the Netherlands. We analyze the total number of stores, number of vacant stores and number of stores by retail sub-industry in neighbourhoods, thereby focusing on the impact of

  7. Epithelial Cell Cultures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Imran S. Chaudhry

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The biological effects of only a finite number of tobacco toxins have been studied. Here, we describe exposure of cultures of human bronchial epithelial cells to low concentrations of tobacco carcinogens: nickel sulphate, benzo(bfluoranthene, N-nitrosodiethylamine, and 4-(methylnitrosamino-1-(3-pyridyl-1-butanone (NNK. After a 24-hour exposure, EGFR was expressed in cell membrane and cytoplasm, BCL-2 was expressed only in the irregular nuclei of large atypical cells, MKI67 was expressed in nuclei with no staining in larger cells, cytoplasmic BIRC5 with stronger nuclear staining was seen in large atypical cells, and nuclear TP53 was strongly expressed in all cells. After only a 24-hour exposure, cells exhibited atypical nuclear and cytoplasmic features. After a 48-hour exposure, EGFR staining was localized to the nucleus, BCL-2 was slightly decreased in intensity, BIRC5 was localized to the cytoplasm, and TP53 staining was increased in small and large cells. BCL2L1 was expressed in both the cytoplasm and nuclei of cells at 24- and 48-hour exposures. We illustrate that short-termexposure of a bronchial epithelial cell line to smoking-equivalent concentrations of tobacco carcinogens alters the expression of key proliferation regulatory genes, EGFR, BCL-2, BCL2L1, BIRC5, TP53, and MKI67, similar to that reported in biopsy specimens of pulmonary epithelium described to be preneoplastic lesions.

  8. Stimulation and support of haemopoietic stem cell proliferation by irradiated stroma cell colonies in bone marrow cell culture in vitro

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mori, K.J.; Izumi, Hiroko; Seto, Akira

    1981-01-01

    A culture system was established in which haemopoietic stem cells can undergo a recovery proliferation after a depletion of the stem cells, completely in vitro. To elucidate the source of the stimulatory factors, normal bone marrow cells were overlayed on top of the irradiated adherent 'stromal' cell colonies in the bone marrow cell culture. This stimulated the proliferation of haemopoietic stem cells in the cultured cells in suspension. The present results indicate that the stromal cells produce factors which stimulate stem cell proliferation. Whether the stimulation is evoked by direct cell-cell interactions or by humoral factors is as yet to be studied. (author)

  9. Immunocytochemical characterization of primary cell culture in canine transmissible venereal tumor

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Luis M.M. Flórez

    Full Text Available Abstract: Immunochemistry with anti-vimentin, anti-lysozyme, anti-alpha 1 antitrypsin, anti-CD3 and anti-CD79α antibodies has been used for characterization of primary cell culture in the transmissible venereal tumor (TVT. Samples for primary cell culture and immunohistochemistry assays were taken from eight dogs with cytological and clinical diagnosis of TVT. To validate the immunochemical results in the primary cell culture of TVT, a chromosome count was performed. For the statistical analysis, the Mann-Whitney test with p<0.05 was used. TVT tissues and culture cells showed intense anti-vimentin immunoreactivity, lightly to moderate immunoreactivity for anti-lysozyme, and mild for anti-alpha-antitrypsin. No marking was achieved for CD3 and CD79α. All culture cells showed chromosomes variable number of 56 to 68. This is the first report on the use of immunocytochemical characterization in cell culture of TVT. Significant statistic difference between immunochemistry in tissue and culture cell was not established, what suggests that the use of this technique may provide greater certainty for the confirmation of tumors in the primary culture. This fact is particularly important because in vitro culture of tumor tissues has been increasingly used to provide quick access to drug efficacy and presents relevant information to identify potential response to anticancer medicine; so it is possible to understand the behavior of the tumor.

  10. Epigenetic dynamics across the cell cycle

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kheir, Tony Bou; Lund, Anders H.

    2010-01-01

    Progression of the mammalian cell cycle depends on correct timing and co-ordination of a series of events, which are managed by the cellular transcriptional machinery and epigenetic mechanisms governing genome accessibility. Epigenetic chromatin modifications are dynamic across the cell cycle...... a correct inheritance of epigenetic chromatin modifications to daughter cells. In this chapter, we summarize the current knowledge on the dynamics of epigenetic chromatin modifications during progression of the cell cycle....

  11. Irradiated murine fibroblasts as feeder layer used in human cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Almeida, Tiago L.; Klingbeil, Fatima G.; Yoshito, Daniele; Caproni, Priscila; Mathor, Monica B.; Herson, Marisa R.

    2007-01-01

    In 1975, Rheinwald and Green published an in vitro model for keratinocyte cell cultures in which the use of murine fibroblasts, as a feeder layer was introduced. These cells are modified fibroblasts, which presence render keratinocyte cells to remain proliferative for longer periods of time. This optimization of culture outputs has allowed for several clinical applications of confluent keratinocyte cultures as skin substitutes or wound dressings in situations such as post burn extensive skin loss, loss of oral mucosa, and other skin disorders. Nevertheless, proliferation of fibroblast in co-culture with keratinocytes must be controlled by anti-proliferative measures such as irradiation; at the same time, keratinocytes require specific nutrients in the culture medium, which may interfere with the fibroblast feeder layer viability. Therefore, the thorough understanding of the impact of different issues such as culture media composition, irradiation dose and pre-plating storage conditions of irradiated fibroblast to be used as feeder layer in these co-culture systems is important. In this work, changes as far as viability and proliferative rates of irradiated fibroblasts in culture were evaluated in relation to the type of culture medium used, dose of gamma radiation exposure, storage and timing of cell plating post irradiation. Results indicate that the type of culture medium used and time-lag between irradiation, refrigeration and plating of irradiated cells do not have significant impact in culture outcomes. However, the dose of gamma radiation administered to the cells may influence the final quality of these cells if to be used as a feeder layer. (author)

  12. Animal-cell culture media: History, characteristics, and current issues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yao, Tatsuma; Asayama, Yuta

    2017-04-01

    Cell culture technology has spread prolifically within a century, a variety of culture media has been designed. This review goes through the history, characteristics and current issues of animal-cell culture media. A literature search was performed on PubMed and Google Scholar between 1880 and May 2016 using appropriate keywords. At the dawn of cell culture technology, the major components of media were naturally derived products such as serum. The field then gradually shifted to the use of chemical-based synthetic media because naturally derived ingredients have their disadvantages such as large batch-to-batch variation. Today, industrially important cells can be cultured in synthetic media. Nevertheless, the combinations and concentrations of the components in these media remain to be optimized. In addition, serum-containing media are still in general use in the field of basic research. In the fields of assisted reproductive technologies and regenerative medicine, some of the medium components are naturally derived in nearly all instances. Further improvements of culture media are desirable, which will certainly contribute to a reduction in the experimental variation, enhance productivity among biopharmaceuticals, improve treatment outcomes of assisted reproductive technologies, and facilitate implementation and popularization of regenerative medicine.

  13. Cell Culture Assay for Human Noroviruses [response

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Straub, Tim M.; Honer Zu Bentrup, Kerstin; Orosz Coghlan, Patricia; Dohnalkova, Alice; Mayer, Brooke K.; Bartholomew, Rachel A.; Valdez, Catherine O.; Bruckner-Lea, Cindy J.; Gerba, Charles P.; Abbaszadegan, Morteza A.; Nickerson, Cheryl A.

    2007-07-01

    We appreciate the comments provided by Leung et al., in response to our recently published article “In Vitro Cell Culture Infectivity Assay for Human Noroviruses” by Straub et al. (1). The specific aim of our project was to develop an in vitro cell culture infectivity assay for human noroviruses (hNoV) to enhance risk assessments when they are detected in water supplies. Reverse transcription (RT) qualitative or quantitative PCR are the primary assays for waterborne NoV monitoring. However, these assays cannot distinguish between infectious vs. non-infectious virions. When hNoV is detected in water supplies, information provided by our infectivity assay will significantly improve risk assessment models and protect human health, regardless of whether we are propagating NoV. Indeed, in vitro cell culture infectivity assays for the waterborne pathogen Cryptosporidium parvum that supplement approved fluorescent microscopy assays, do not result in amplification of the environmentally resistant hard-walled oocysts (2). However, identification of life cycle stages in cell culture provides evidence of infectious oocysts in a water supply. Nonetheless, Leung et al.’s assertion regarding the suitability of our method for the in vitro propagation of high titers of NoV is valid for the medical research community. In this case, well-characterized challenge pools of virus would be useful for developing and testing diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines. As further validation of our published findings, we have now optimized RT quantitative PCR to assess the level of viral production in cell culture, where we are indeed finding significant increases in viral titer. The magnitude and time course of these increases is dependent on both virus strain and multiplicity of infection. We are currently preparing a manuscript that will discuss these findings in greater detail, and the implications this may have for creating viral challenge pools

  14. Co-culture with Sertoli cells promotes proliferation and migration of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Fenxi; Hong, Yan; Liang, Wenmei; Ren, Tongming; Jing, Suhua; Lin, Juntang

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Co-culture of Sertoli cells (SCs) with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs). ► Presence of SCs dramatically increased proliferation and migration of UCMSCs. ► Presence of SCs stimulated expression of Mdm2, Akt, CDC2, Cyclin D, CXCR4, MAPKs. -- Abstract: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have been recently used in transplant therapy. The proliferation and migration of MSCs are the determinants of the efficiency of MSC transplant therapy. Sertoli cells are a kind of “nurse” cells that support the development of sperm cells. Recent studies show that Sertoli cells promote proliferation of endothelial cells and neural stem cells in co-culture. We hypothesized that co-culture of UCMSCs with Sertoli cells may also promote proliferation and migration of UCMSCs. To examine this hypothesis, we isolated UCMSCs from human cords and Sertoli cells from mouse testes, and co-cultured them using a Transwell system. We found that UCMSCs exhibited strong proliferation ability and potential to differentiate to other cell lineages such as osteocytes and adipocytes. The presence of Sertoli cells in co-culture significantly enhanced the proliferation and migration potential of UCMSCs (P < 0.01). Moreover, these phenotypic changes were accompanied with upregulation of multiple genes involved in cell proliferation and migration including phospho-Akt, Mdm2, phospho-CDC2, Cyclin D1, Cyclin D3 as well as CXCR4, phospho-p44 MAPK and phospho-p38 MAPK. These findings indicate that Sertoli cells boost UCMSC proliferation and migration potential.

  15. Endothelial cells stimulate growth of normal and cancerous breast epithelial cells in 3D culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Magnusson Magnus K

    2010-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Epithelial-stromal interaction provides regulatory signals that maintain correct histoarchitecture and homeostasis in the normal breast and facilitates tumor progression in breast cancer. However, research on the regulatory role of the endothelial component in the normal and malignant breast gland has largely been neglected. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of endothelial cells on growth and differentiation of human breast epithelial cells in a three-dimensional (3D co-culture assay. Methods Breast luminal and myoepithelial cells and endothelial cells were isolated from reduction mammoplasties. Primary cells and established normal and malignant breast cell lines were embedded in reconstituted basement membrane in direct co-culture with endothelial cells and by separation of Transwell filters. Morphogenic and phenotypic profiles of co-cultures was evaluated by phase contrast microscopy, immunostaining and confocal microscopy. Results In co-culture, endothelial cells stimulate proliferation of both luminal- and myoepithelial cells. Furthermore, endothelial cells induce a subpopulation of luminal epithelial cells to form large acini/ducts with a large and clear lumen. Endothelial cells also stimulate growth and cloning efficiency of normal and malignant breast epithelial cell lines. Transwell and gradient co-culture studies show that endothelial derived effects are mediated - at least partially - by soluble factors. Conclusion Breast endothelial cells - beside their role in transporting nutrients and oxygen to tissues - are vital component of the epithelial microenvironment in the breast and provide proliferative signals to the normal and malignant breast epithelium. These growth promoting effects of endothelial cells should be taken into consideration in breast cancer biology.

  16. Co-culture with Sertoli cells promotes proliferation and migration of umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Fenxi, E-mail: fxzhang0824@gmail.com [Department of Anatomy, Sanquan College, Xinxiang Medical University, Henan 453003, People' s Republic of China (China); Hong, Yan; Liang, Wenmei [Department of Histology and Embryology, Guiyang Medical University, Guizhou 550004, People' s Republic of China (China); Ren, Tongming [Department of Anatomy, Sanquan College, Xinxiang Medical University, Henan 453003, People' s Republic of China (China); Jing, Suhua [ICU Center, The Third Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Henan 453003, People' s Republic of China (China); Lin, Juntang [Stem Cell Center, Xinxiang Medical University, Henan 453003, People' s Republic of China (China)

    2012-10-12

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Co-culture of Sertoli cells (SCs) with human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UCMSCs). Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Presence of SCs dramatically increased proliferation and migration of UCMSCs. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Presence of SCs stimulated expression of Mdm2, Akt, CDC2, Cyclin D, CXCR4, MAPKs. -- Abstract: Human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) have been recently used in transplant therapy. The proliferation and migration of MSCs are the determinants of the efficiency of MSC transplant therapy. Sertoli cells are a kind of 'nurse' cells that support the development of sperm cells. Recent studies show that Sertoli cells promote proliferation of endothelial cells and neural stem cells in co-culture. We hypothesized that co-culture of UCMSCs with Sertoli cells may also promote proliferation and migration of UCMSCs. To examine this hypothesis, we isolated UCMSCs from human cords and Sertoli cells from mouse testes, and co-cultured them using a Transwell system. We found that UCMSCs exhibited strong proliferation ability and potential to differentiate to other cell lineages such as osteocytes and adipocytes. The presence of Sertoli cells in co-culture significantly enhanced the proliferation and migration potential of UCMSCs (P < 0.01). Moreover, these phenotypic changes were accompanied with upregulation of multiple genes involved in cell proliferation and migration including phospho-Akt, Mdm2, phospho-CDC2, Cyclin D1, Cyclin D3 as well as CXCR4, phospho-p44 MAPK and phospho-p38 MAPK. These findings indicate that Sertoli cells boost UCMSC proliferation and migration potential.

  17. Development of Cell Culture Microdevice Actuated by Piezoelectric Thin Films for Delivering Mechanical Vibratory Stimuli to Cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yamada, Y; Umegaki, G; Kawashima, T; Nagai, M; Shibata, T; Masuzawa, T; Kimura, T; Kishida, A

    2012-01-01

    In order to realize a cell culture microdevice actuated by piezoelectric thin films for on-chip regulation of cell functions, this paper reported on a feasibility study by using the microdevice with KOH-etched cavities surrounded by four (111) sidewalls as microchambers in order to introduce cells to be cultured. As a result, the vibration characteristic of the PZT actuator was improved by using an electric field -150 kV/cm at 70 C for 30 min in poling process. A feasibility study on cell culture for delivering mechanical vibratory stimuli to cells revealed the microdevice could be applicable to the culture with actual biological cells. In addition, it was found that O 2 -plasma treated parylene-C process could be applicable for obtaining homogeneous surface of cell culture microdevice.

  18. AMC-Bio-Artificial Liver culturing enhances mitochondrial biogenesis in human liver cell lines: The role of oxygen, medium perfusion and 3D configuration

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Adam, Aziza A. A.; van Wenum, Martien; van der Mark, Vincent A.; Jongejan, Aldo; Moerland, Perry D.; Houtkooper, Riekelt H.; Wanders, Ronald J. A.; Oude Elferink, Ronald P.; Chamuleau, Robert A. F. M.; Hoekstra, Ruurdtje

    2017-01-01

    Human liver cell lines, like HepaRG and C3A, acquire higher functionality when cultured in the AMC-Bio-Artificial Liver (AMC-BAL). The three main differences between BAL and monolayer culture are the oxygenation (40% vs 20%O2), dynamic vs absent medium perfusion and 3D vs 2D configuration. Here, we

  19. A voltage-sensitive dye-based assay for the identification of differentiated neurons derived from embryonic neural stem cell cultures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richardson N Leão

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Pluripotent and multipotent stem cells hold great therapeutical promise for the replacement of degenerated tissue in neurological diseases. To fulfill that promise we have to understand the mechanisms underlying the differentiation of multipotent cells into specific types of neurons. Embryonic stem cell (ESC and embryonic neural stem cell (NSC cultures provide a valuable tool to study the processes of neural differentiation, which can be assessed using immunohistochemistry, gene expression, Ca(2+-imaging or electrophysiology. However, indirect methods such as protein and gene analysis cannot provide direct evidence of neuronal functionality. In contrast, direct methods such as electrophysiological techniques are well suited to produce direct evidence of neural functionality but are limited to the study of a few cells on a culture plate. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study we describe a novel method for the detection of action potential-capable neurons differentiated from embryonic NSC cultures using fast voltage-sensitive dyes (VSD. We found that the use of extracellularly applied VSD resulted in a more detailed labeling of cellular processes compared to calcium indicators. In addition, VSD changes in fluorescence translated precisely to action potential kinetics as assessed by the injection of simulated slow and fast sodium currents using the dynamic clamp technique. We further demonstrate the use of a finite element model of the NSC culture cover slip for optimizing electrical stimulation parameters. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our method allows for a repeatable fast and accurate stimulation of neurons derived from stem cell cultures to assess their differentiation state, which is capable of monitoring large amounts of cells without harming the overall culture.

  20. Towards modular bone tissue engineering using Ti-Co-doped phosphate glass microspheres: cytocompatibility and dynamic culture studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peticone, Carlotta; De Silva Thompson, David; Owens, Gareth J; Kim, Hae-Won; Micheletti, Martina; Knowles, Jonathan C; Wall, Ivan

    2017-09-01

    The production of large quantities of functional vascularized bone tissue ex vivo still represent an unmet clinical challenge. Microcarriers offer a potential solution to scalable manufacture of bone tissue due to their high surface area-to-volume ratio and the capacity to be assembled using a modular approach. Microcarriers made of phosphate bioactive glass doped with titanium dioxide have been previously shown to enhance proliferation of osteoblast progenitors and maturation towards functional osteoblasts. Furthemore, doping with cobalt appears to mimic hypoxic conditions that have a key role in promoting angiogenesis. This characteristic could be exploited to meet the clinical requirement of producing vascularized units of bone tissue. In the current study, the human osteosarcoma cell line MG-63 was cultured on phosphate glass microspheres doped with 5% mol titanium dioxide and different concentrations of cobalt oxide (0%, 2% and 5% mol), under static and dynamic conditions (150 and 300 rpm on an orbital shaker). Cell proliferation and the formation of aggregates of cells and microspheres were observed over a period of two weeks in all glass compositions, thus confirming the biocompatibility of the substrate and the suitability of this system for the formation of compact micro-units of tissue. At the concentrations tested, cobalt was not found to be cytotoxic and did not alter cell metabolism. On the other hand, the dynamic environment played a key role, with moderate agitation having a positive effect on cell proliferation while higher agitation resulting in impaired cell growth. Finally, in static culture assays, the capacity of cobalt doping to induce vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) upregulation by osteoblastic cells was observed, but was not found to increase linearly with cobalt oxide content. In conclusion, Ti-Co phosphate glasses were found to support osteoblastic cell growth and aggregate formation that is a necessary precursor to tissue

  1. Microfluidic Cell Culture Device

    Science.gov (United States)

    Takayama, Shuichi (Inventor); Cabrera, Lourdes Marcella (Inventor); Heo, Yun Seok (Inventor); Smith, Gary Daniel (Inventor)

    2014-01-01

    Microfluidic devices for cell culturing and methods for using the same are disclosed. One device includes a substrate and membrane. The substrate includes a reservoir in fluid communication with a passage. A bio-compatible fluid may be added to the reservoir and passage. The reservoir is configured to receive and retain at least a portion of a cell mass. The membrane acts as a barrier to evaporation of the bio-compatible fluid from the passage. A cover fluid may be added to cover the bio-compatible fluid to prevent evaporation of the bio-compatible fluid.

  2. Novel culturing platform for brain slices and neuronal cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Svendsen, Winnie Edith; Al Atraktchi, Fatima Al-Zahraa; Bakmand, Tanya

    2015-01-01

    In this paper we demonstrate a novel culturing system for brain slices and neuronal cells, which can control the concentration of nutrients and the waste removal from the culture by adjusting the fluid flow within the device. The entire system can be placed in an incubator. The system has been...... tested successfully with brain slices and PC12 cells. The culture substrate can be modified using metal electrodes and/or nanostructures for conducting electrical measurements while culturing and for better mimicking the in vivo conditions....

  3. Thermoresponsive microgels containing trehalose as soft matrices for 3D cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Burek, Małgorzata; Waśkiewicz, Sylwia; Lalik, Anna; Student, Sebastian; Bieg, Tadeusz; Wandzik, Ilona

    2017-01-31

    A series of thermoresponsive glycomicrogels with trehalose in the cross-links or with trehalose in the cross-links and as pending moieties was synthesized. These materials were obtained by surfactant-free precipitation copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and various amounts of trehalose monomers. The resultant particles showed a spherical shape and a submicrometer hydrodynamic size with a narrow size distribution. At 25 °C, glycomicrogels in solutions with physiological ionic strength formed stable colloids, which further gelled upon heating to physiological temperature forming a macroscopic hydrogel with an interconnected porous structure. These extremely soft matrices with dynamic storage modulus in the range of 9-70 Pa were examined in 3D culture systems for HeLa cell culture in comparison to traditional 2D mode. They showed relatively low syneresis over time, especially when glycomicrogels with a high content of hydrophilic trehalose were used as building blocks. An incorporated pending trehalose composed of two α,α'-1,1'-linked d-glucose moieties was used with the intention of providing multivalent interactions with glucose transporters (GLUTs) expressed on the cell surface. A better cell viability was observed when a soft hydrogel with the highest content of trehalose and the lowest syneresis was used as a matrix compared to a 2D control assay.

  4. Trivalent MDCK cell culture-derived influenza vaccine Optaflu (Novartis Vaccines).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Doroshenko, Alexander; Halperin, Scott A

    2009-06-01

    Annual influenza epidemics continue to have a considerable impact in both developed and developing countries. Vaccination remains the principal measure to prevent seasonal influenza and reduce associated morbidity and mortality. The WHO recommends using established mammalian cell culture lines as an alternative to egg-based substrates in the manufacture of influenza vaccine. In June 2007, the EMEA approved Optaflu, a Madin Darby canine kidney cell culture-derived influenza vaccine manufactured by Novartis Vaccines. This review examines the advantages and disadvantages of cell culture-based technology for influenza vaccine production, compares immunogenicity and safety data for Optaflu with that of currently marketed conventional egg-based influenza vaccines, and considers the prospects for wider use of cell culture-based influenza vaccines.

  5. Fighting for territories: time-lapse analysis of dental pulp and dental follicle stem cells in co-culture reveals specific migratory capabilities

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C Schiraldi

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Stem cell migration is a critical step during the repair of damaged tissues. In order to achieve appropriate cell-based therapies for tooth and periodontal ligament repair it is necessary first to understand the dynamics of tissue-specific stem cell populations such as dental pulp stem cells (DPSC and dental follicle stem cells (DFSC. Using time-lapse imaging, we analysed migratory and proliferative capabilities of these two human stem cell lines in vitro. When cultured alone, both DPSC and DFSC exhibited low and irregular migration profiles. In co-cultures, DFSC, but not DPSC, spectacularly increased their migration activity and velocity. DFSC rapidly surrounded the DPSC, thus resembling the in vivo developmental process, where follicle cells encircle both dental epithelium and pulp. Cell morphology was dependent on the culture conditions (mono-culture or co-culture and changed over time. Regulatory genes involved in dental cell migration and differentiation such as TWIST1, MSX1, RUNX2, SFRP1 and ADAM28, were also evaluated in co-cultures. MSX1 up-regulation indicates that DPSC and DFSC retain their odontogenic potential. However, DPSC lose their capacity to differentiate into odontoblasts in the presence of DFSC, as suggested by RUNX2 up-regulation and TWIST1 down-regulation. In contrast, the unchanged levels of SFRP1 expression suggest that DFSC retain their potential to form periodontal tissues even in the presence of DPSC. These findings demonstrate that stem cells behave differently according to their environment, retain their genetic memory, and compete with each other to acquire the appropriate territory. Understanding the mechanisms involved in stem cell migration may lead to new therapeutic approaches for tooth repair.

  6. Electron microscopy of primary cell cultures in solution and correlative optical microscopy using ASEM

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirano, Kazumi; Kinoshita, Takaaki; Uemura, Takeshi; Motohashi, Hozumi; Watanabe, Yohei; Ebihara, Tatsuhiko; Nishiyama, Hidetoshi; Sato, Mari; Suga, Mitsuo; Maruyama, Yuusuke; Tsuji, Noriko M.; Yamamoto, Masayuki; Nishihara, Shoko; Sato, Chikara

    2014-01-01

    Correlative light-electron microscopy of cells in a natural environment of aqueous liquid facilitates high-throughput observation of protein complex formation. ASEM allows the inverted SEM to observe the wet sample from below, while an optical microscope observes it from above quasi-simultaneously. The disposable ASEM dish with a silicon nitride (SiN) film window can be coated variously to realize the primary-culture of substrate-sensitive cells in a few milliliters of culture medium in a stable incubator environment. Neuron differentiation, neural networking, proplatelet-formation and phagocytosis were captured by optical or fluorescence microscopy, and imaged at high resolution by gold-labeled immuno-ASEM with/without metal staining. Fas expression on the cell surface was visualized, correlated to the spatial distribution of F-actin. Axonal partitioning was studied using primary-culture neurons, and presynaptic induction by GluRδ2-N-terminus-linked fluorescent magnetic beads was correlated to the presynaptic-marker Bassoon. Further, megakaryocytes secreting proplatelets were captured, and P-selectins with adherence activity were localized to some of the granules present by immuno-ASEM. The phagocytosis of lactic acid bacteria by dendritic cells was also imaged. Based on these studies, ASEM correlative microscopy promises to allow the study of various mesoscopic-scale dynamics in the near future. - Highlights: • In situ correlative light electron microscopy of samples in open solution by ASEM. • Primary cultures for in-solution CLEM by developing SiN-film coating methods • First visualization of fluorescent magnetic beads in aqueous solution by CLEM. • Presynaptic induction of neurons by GluRδ2-N-terminus-coated beads studied by CLEM. • Axonal partitioning, bacterial phagocytosis, platelet formation imaged by CLEM

  7. Electron microscopy of primary cell cultures in solution and correlative optical microscopy using ASEM

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirano, Kazumi; Kinoshita, Takaaki [Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Engineering, Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577 (Japan); Uemura, Takeshi [Department of Molecular Neurobiology and Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medicine, University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan); Department of Molecular and Cellular Physiology, Shinshu University School of Medicine, 3-1-1 Asahi, Matsumoto, Nagano 390-8621 (Japan); Motohashi, Hozumi [Department of Gene Expression Regulation, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, 4-1 Seiryo-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575 (Japan); Watanabe, Yohei; Ebihara, Tatsuhiko [Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566 (Japan); Nishiyama, Hidetoshi [JEOL Ltd., 1-2 Musashino 3-chome, Akishima, Tokyo 196-8558 (Japan); Sato, Mari [Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566 (Japan); Suga, Mitsuo [JEOL Ltd., 1-2 Musashino 3-chome, Akishima, Tokyo 196-8558 (Japan); Maruyama, Yuusuke; Tsuji, Noriko M. [Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566 (Japan); Yamamoto, Masayuki [Department of Medical Biochemistry, Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1 Seiryo-cho, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8575 (Japan); Nishihara, Shoko, E-mail: shoko@soka.ac.jp [Laboratory of Cell Biology, Department of Bioinformatics, Faculty of Engineering, Soka University, 1-236 Tangi-machi, Hachioji, Tokyo 192-8577 (Japan); Sato, Chikara, E-mail: ti-sato@aist.go.jp [Biomedical Research Institute, National Institute of Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba 305-8566 (Japan)

    2014-08-01

    Correlative light-electron microscopy of cells in a natural environment of aqueous liquid facilitates high-throughput observation of protein complex formation. ASEM allows the inverted SEM to observe the wet sample from below, while an optical microscope observes it from above quasi-simultaneously. The disposable ASEM dish with a silicon nitride (SiN) film window can be coated variously to realize the primary-culture of substrate-sensitive cells in a few milliliters of culture medium in a stable incubator environment. Neuron differentiation, neural networking, proplatelet-formation and phagocytosis were captured by optical or fluorescence microscopy, and imaged at high resolution by gold-labeled immuno-ASEM with/without metal staining. Fas expression on the cell surface was visualized, correlated to the spatial distribution of F-actin. Axonal partitioning was studied using primary-culture neurons, and presynaptic induction by GluRδ2-N-terminus-linked fluorescent magnetic beads was correlated to the presynaptic-marker Bassoon. Further, megakaryocytes secreting proplatelets were captured, and P-selectins with adherence activity were localized to some of the granules present by immuno-ASEM. The phagocytosis of lactic acid bacteria by dendritic cells was also imaged. Based on these studies, ASEM correlative microscopy promises to allow the study of various mesoscopic-scale dynamics in the near future. - Highlights: • In situ correlative light electron microscopy of samples in open solution by ASEM. • Primary cultures for in-solution CLEM by developing SiN-film coating methods • First visualization of fluorescent magnetic beads in aqueous solution by CLEM. • Presynaptic induction of neurons by GluRδ2-N-terminus-coated beads studied by CLEM. • Axonal partitioning, bacterial phagocytosis, platelet formation imaged by CLEM.

  8. Fabrication of cell-benign inverse opal hydrogels for three-dimensional cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Im, Pilseon; Ji, Dong Hwan; Kim, Min Kyung; Kim, Jaeyun

    2017-05-15

    Inverse opal hydrogels (IOHs) for cell culture were fabricated and optimized using calcium-crosslinked alginate microbeads as sacrificial template and gelatin as a matrix. In contrast to traditional three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds, the gelatin IOHs allowed the utilization of both the macropore surface and inner matrix for cell co-culture. In order to remove templates efficiently for the construction of 3D interconnected macropores and to maintain high cell viability during the template removal process using EDTA solution, various factors in fabrication, including alginate viscosity, alginate concentration, alginate microbeads size, crosslinking calcium concentration, and gelatin network density were investigated. Low viscosity alginate, lower crosslinking calcium ion concentration, and lower concentration of alginate and gelatin were found to obtain high viability of cells encapsulated in the gelatin matrix after removal of the alginate template by EDTA treatment by allowing rapid dissociation and diffusion of alginate polymers. Based on the optimized fabrication conditions, gelatin IOHs showed good potential as a cell co-culture system, applicable to tissue engineering and cancer research. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Dynamic cultural influences on neural representations of the self.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chiao, Joan Y; Harada, Tokiko; Komeda, Hidetsugu; Li, Zhang; Mano, Yoko; Saito, Daisuke; Parrish, Todd B; Sadato, Norihiro; Iidaka, Tetsuya

    2010-01-01

    People living in multicultural environments often encounter situations which require them to acquire different cultural schemas and to switch between these cultural schemas depending on their immediate sociocultural context. Prior behavioral studies show that priming cultural schemas reliably impacts mental processes and behavior underlying self-concept. However, less well understood is whether or not cultural priming affects neurobiological mechanisms underlying the self. Here we examined whether priming cultural values of individualism and collectivism in bicultural individuals affects neural activity in cortical midline structures underlying self-relevant processes using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Biculturals primed with individualistic values showed increased activation within medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) during general relative to contextual self-judgments, whereas biculturals primed with collectivistic values showed increased response within MPFC and PCC during contextual relative to general self-judgments. Moreover, degree of cultural priming was positively correlated with degree of MPFC and PCC activity during culturally congruent self-judgments. These findings illustrate the dynamic influence of culture on neural representations underlying the self and, more broadly, suggest a neurobiological basis by which people acculturate to novel environments.

  10. Radiation adaptive response for the growth of cultured glial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Suzuki, S.; Miura, Y.; Kano, M.; Toda, T.; Urano, S.

    2003-01-01

    Full text: To examine the molecular mechanism of radiation adaptive response (RAR) for the growth of cultured glial cells and to investigate the influence of aging on the response, glial cells were cultured from young and aged rats (1 month and 24 months old). RAR for the growth of glial cells conditioned with a low dose of X-rays and subsequently exposed to a high dose of X-rays was examined for cell number and BrdU incorporation. Involvement of the subcellular signaling pathway factors in RAR was investigated using their inhibitors, activators and mutated glial cells. RAR was observed in cells cultured from young rats, but was not in cells from aged rats. The inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC) and DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) or phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) suppressed RAR. The activators of PKC instead of low dose irradiation also caused RAR. Moreover, glial cells cultured from severe combined immunodeficiency (scid) mice (CB-17 scid) and ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) cells from AT patients showed no RAR. These results indicated that PKC, ATM, DNAPK and/or PI3K were involved in RAR for growth and BrdU incorporation of cultured glial cells and RAR decreased with aging. Proteomics data of glial cells exposed to severe stress of H 2 O 2 or X-rays also will be presented in the conference since little or no difference has not been observed with slight stress yet

  11. Pros and cons of fish skin cells in culture: long-term full skin and short-term scale cell culture from rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakers, Sebastian; Klinger, Matthias; Kruse, Charli; Gebert, Marina

    2011-12-01

    Here, we report the establishment of a permanent skin cell culture from rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The cells of the fish skin cell culture could be propagated over 60 passages so far. Furthermore, we show for the first time that it is possible to integrate freshly harvested rainbow trout scales into this new fish skin cell culture. We further demonstrated that epithelial cells derived from the scales survived in the artificial micro-environment of surrounding fibroblast-like cells. Also, antibody staining indicated that both cell types proliferated and started to build connections with the other cell type. It seems that it is possible to generate an 'artificial skin' with two different cell types. This could lead to the development of a three-dimensional test system, which might be a better in vitro representative of fish skin in vivo than individual skin cell lines. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

  12. Preparation of labelled lipids by the use of plant cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mangold, H.K.

    1978-01-01

    The preparation of some radioacitvely labelled lipids by the use of plant cell cultures is discussed and further applications of the new method are suggested. Cell suspension cultures of rape (Brassica napus) and soya (Glycine max) have been used for the preparation of lipids labelled with radioisotopes. Radioactive acetic acid as well as various long-chain fatty acids are readily incorporated into the neutral and ionic lipids of plant cell cultures. In addition, 14 C-labelled glycerol, ethanolamine and choline are well utilized by the cells. Randomly labelled lipids have been obtained by incubating cell suspension cultures of rape and soya with [1- 14 C] acetic acid, and uniformly labelled lipids have been isolated from cultures that had been incubated with a mixture of [1- 14 C] acetic acid plus [2- 14 C] acetic acid. The use of techniques of plant cell cultures for the preparation of lipds labelled with stable or radioactive isotopesappears particularly rewarding because the uptake of precursors by the cells and their incorporation into various lipid compounds proceeds rapidly and often quanitatively.This new approach should be useful also for the biosynthesis of lipids whose acyl moieties contain a spn radical, a fluorescent group, or a light-sensitive label. Thus, plant cell cultures constitute valuable new tools for the biosynthetic preparation of a great variety of labelled lipids. (A.G.)

  13. Further characterization of the adhesive-tumor-cell culture system for measuring the radiosensitivity of human tumor primary cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Brock, W.A.; Bock, S.P.; Williams, M.; Baker, F.L.

    1987-01-01

    This study extends the use of the adhesive-tumor-cell culture system to include: over 100 sensitivity measurements at 2.0 Gy; tumorgenicity determinations in nude mice; and flow cytometry of the cells grown in the system. The malignant nature of the growing cells was proved by injecting cells into nude mice. Tumors resulted in 60% of the cases and the histology of each xenograft was similar to that of the human tumor. Flow cytometry was used to obtain DNA histograms of the original cell suspension and of cultures during the two week culture period in order to obtain quantitative information about the growth of aneuploid versus diploid populations. The results thus far demonstrate that 95% of aneuploid populations yield aneuploid growth; of the first 20 cases studied, only one suspension with an aneuploid peak resulted in diploid growth. Of further interest was the observation that it is not unusual for a minor aneuploid population to become the predominate growth fraction after two weeks in culture. These results demonstrate that the adhesive-tumor-cell culture system supports the growth of malignant cells, that multiple cell populations exist in cell suspensions derived from solid tumors, and that differences exist between the radiosensitivity of cells at 2.0 Gy in different histology types

  14. Culture conditions defining glioblastoma cells behavior: what is the impact for novel discoveries?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ledur, Pítia Flores; Onzi, Giovana Ravizzoni; Zong, Hui; Lenz, Guido

    2017-09-15

    In cancer research, the use of established cell lines has gradually been replaced by primary cell cultures due to their better representation of in vivo cancer cell behaviors. However, a major challenge with primary culture involves the finding of growth conditions that minimize alterations in the biological state of the cells. To ensure reproducibility and translational potentials for research findings, culture conditions need to be chosen so that the cell population in culture best mimics tumor cells in vivo . Glioblastoma (GBM) is one of the most aggressive and heterogeneous tumor types and the GBM research field would certainly benefit from culture conditions that could maintain the original plethora of phenotype of the cells. Here, we review culture media and supplementation options for GBM cultures, the rationale behind their use, and how much those choices affect drug-screening outcomes. We provide an overview of 120 papers that use primary GBM cultures and discuss the current predominant conditions. We also show important primary research data indicating that "mis-cultured" glioma cells can acquire unnatural drug sensitivity, which would have devastating effects for clinical translations. Finally, we propose the concurrent test of four culture conditions to minimize the loss of cell coverage in culture.

  15. 40 CFR 798.5300 - Detection of gene mutations in somatic cells in culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    2010-07-01

    ... cells in culture. 798.5300 Section 798.5300 Protection of Environment ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY....5300 Detection of gene mutations in somatic cells in culture. (a) Purpose. Mammalian cell culture... selected by resistance to ouabain. (2) Description. Cells in suspension or monolayer culture are exposed to...

  16. Prospects for the use of plant cell cultures in food biotechnology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Davies, Kevin M; Deroles, Simon C

    2014-04-01

    Plant cell cultures can offer continuous production systems for high-value food and health ingredients, independent of geographical or environmental variations and constraints. Yet despite many improvements in culture technologies, cell line selection, and bioreactor design, there are few commercial successes. This is principally due to the culture yield and market price of food products not being sufficient to cover the plant cell culture production costs. A better understanding of the underpinning biological mechanisms that control the target metabolite biosynthetic pathways may allow the metabolic engineering of cell lines to provide for economically competitive product yields. However, uncertainty around the regulatory and public acceptance of products derived from engineered cell cultures presents a barrier to the uptake of the technology by food product companies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Cytotoxicity of extracts of spices to cultured cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Unnikrishnan, M C; Kuttan, R

    1988-01-01

    The cytotoxicity of the extracts from eight different spices used in the Indian diet was determined using Dalton's lymphoma ascites tumor cells and human lymphocytes in vitro and Chinese Hamster Ovary cells and Vero cells in tissue culture. Alcoholic extracts of the spices were found to be more cytotoxic to these cells than their aqueous extracts. Alcoholic extracts of several spices inhibited cell growth at concentrations of 0.2-1 mg/ml in vitro and 0.12-0.3 mg/ml in tissue culture. Ginger, pippali (native to India; also called dried catkins), pepper, and garlic showed the highest activity followed by asafetida, mustard, and horse-gram (native to India). These extracts also inhibited the thymidine uptake into DNA.

  18. Real-time monitoring of cellular dynamics using a microfluidic cell culture system with integrated electrode array and potentiostat

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zor, Kinga; Vergani, M.; Heiskanen, Arto

    2011-01-01

    A versatile microfluidic, multichamber cell culture and analysis system with an integrated electrode array and potentiostat suitable for electrochemical detection and microscopic imaging is presented in this paper. The system, which allows on-line electrode cleaning and modification, was develope...

  19. PRC2 inhibition counteracts the culture-associated loss of engraftment potential of human cord blood-derived hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Varagnolo, Linda; Lin, Qiong; Obier, Nadine; Plass, Christoph; Dietl, Johannes; Zenke, Martin; Claus, Rainer; Müller, Albrecht M

    2015-07-22

    Cord blood hematopoietic stem cells (CB-HSCs) are an outstanding source for transplantation approaches. However, the amount of cells per donor is limited and culture expansion of CB-HSCs is accompanied by a loss of engraftment potential. In order to analyze the molecular mechanisms leading to this impaired potential we profiled global and local epigenotypes during the expansion of human CB hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HPSCs). Human CB-derived CD34+ cells were cultured in serum-free medium together with SCF, TPO, FGF, with or without Igfbp2 and Angptl5 (STF/STFIA cocktails). As compared to the STF cocktail, the STFIA cocktail maintains in vivo repopulation capacity of cultured CD34+ cells. Upon expansion, CD34+ cells genome-wide remodel their epigenotype and depending on the cytokine cocktail, cells show different H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 levels. Expanding cells without Igfbp2 and Angptl5 leads to higher global H3K27me3 levels. ChIPseq analyses reveal a cytokine cocktail-dependent redistribution of H3K27me3 profiles. Inhibition of the PRC2 component EZH2 counteracts the culture-associated loss of NOD scid gamma (NSG) engraftment potential. Collectively, our data reveal chromatin dynamics that underlie the culture-associated loss of engraftment potential. We identify PRC2 component EZH2 as being involved in the loss of engraftment potential during the in vitro expansion of HPSCs.

  20. Enhanced chondrocyte culture and growth on biologically inspired nanofibrous cell culture dishes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhardwaj, Garima; Webster, Thomas J

    2016-01-01

    Chondral and osteochondral defects affect a large number of people in which treatment options are currently limited. Due to its ability to mimic the natural nanofibrous structure of cartilage, this current in vitro study aimed at introducing a new scaffold, called XanoMatrix™, for cartilage regeneration. In addition, this same scaffold is introduced here as a new substrate onto which to study chondrocyte functions. Current studies on chondrocyte functions are limited due to nonbiologically inspired cell culture substrates. With its polyethylene terephthalate and cellulose acetate composition, good mechanical properties and nanofibrous structure resembling an extracellular matrix, XanoMatrix offers an ideal surface for chondrocyte growth and proliferation. This current study demonstrated that the XanoMatrix scaffolds promote chondrocyte growth and proliferation as compared with the Corning and Falcon surfaces normally used for chondrocyte cell culture. The XanoMatrix scaffolds also have greater hydrophobicity, three-dimensional surface area, and greater tensile strength, making them ideal candidates for alternative treatment options for chondral and osteochondral defects as well as cell culture substrates to study chondrocyte functions.

  1. 5-Fluorouracil-induced apoptosis in cultured oral cancer cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tong, D; Poot, M; Hu, D; Oda, D

    2000-03-01

    Chemotherapy is commonly used to treat advanced oral squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) and is known to kill cancer cells through apoptosis. Our hypothesis states that 5-fluorouracil (5FU) also kills cultured oral epithelial cells through programmed cell death or apoptosis. Cultured oral cancer cells were exposed to an optimum dose of 20 mg/ml of 5FU. Cells were analyzed for changes in cell cycle distribution and induction of cell death including apoptosis. Normal control, human papilloma virus-immortalized (PP), ATCC SCC cell line (CA1) and two primary oral SCC cell lines (CA3 and -4) were studied. Inhibition of apoptosis by a pan-caspase inhibitor was used. SYTO 11 flow cytometry showed increased apoptosis in all 5FU-treated cell cultures compared to untreated controls. The results show biological variation in apoptotic response. CA1 had the lowest apoptotic rate of the cancer cell lines at 1.5%. Next lowest was CA3, followed by CA4 and PP. In addition, alteration in the G1 and S phase fractions were found. Untreated CA1 showed 28% G1, 53% S compared to 43% G1, and 40% S of treated. We investigated the pathway of apoptosis using the pan-caspase inhibitor IDN-1529 by methylthiazolyl diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric analysis. Results showed mild inhibition of cell death when cells were incubated with 50 microM IDN-1529 for 24 h. This suggests a probable caspase-dependent apoptotic pathway. In conclusion, our data suggest that 5FU induces oral cancer cell death through apoptosis and that biological variation exists between normal and cancer cells and between different types of cancer cells themselves. Our data indicate that cultures of a useful in vitro model for chemosensitivity assays are possible. Our results also suggest a caspase-dependent pathway for chemocytotoxicity in oral SCC.

  2. Effect of amino acid supplementation on titer and glycosylation distribution in hybridoma cell cultures-Systems biology-based interpretation using genome-scale metabolic flux balance model and multivariate data analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Reimonn, Thomas M; Park, Seo-Young; Agarabi, Cyrus D; Brorson, Kurt A; Yoon, Seongkyu

    2016-09-01

    Genome-scale flux balance analysis (FBA) is a powerful systems biology tool to characterize intracellular reaction fluxes during cell cultures. FBA estimates intracellular reaction rates by optimizing an objective function, subject to the constraints of a metabolic model and media uptake/excretion rates. A dynamic extension to FBA, dynamic flux balance analysis (DFBA), can calculate intracellular reaction fluxes as they change during cell cultures. In a previous study by Read et al. (2013), a series of informed amino acid supplementation experiments were performed on twelve parallel murine hybridoma cell cultures, and this data was leveraged for further analysis (Read et al., Biotechnol Prog. 2013;29:745-753). In order to understand the effects of media changes on the model murine hybridoma cell line, a systems biology approach is applied in the current study. Dynamic flux balance analysis was performed using a genome-scale mouse metabolic model, and multivariate data analysis was used for interpretation. The calculated reaction fluxes were examined using partial least squares and partial least squares discriminant analysis. The results indicate media supplementation increases product yield because it raises nutrient levels extending the growth phase, and the increased cell density allows for greater culture performance. At the same time, the directed supplementation does not change the overall metabolism of the cells. This supports the conclusion that product quality, as measured by glycoform assays, remains unchanged because the metabolism remains in a similar state. Additionally, the DFBA shows that metabolic state varies more at the beginning of the culture but less by the middle of the growth phase, possibly due to stress on the cells during inoculation. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 32:1163-1173, 2016. © 2016 American Institute of Chemical Engineers.

  3. Transparent polymeric cell culture chip with integrated temperature control and uniform media perfusion

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Petronis, Sarunas; Stangegaard, Michael; Christensen, C.

    2006-01-01

    Modern microfabrication and microfluidic technologies offer new opportunities in the design and fabrication of miniaturized cell culture systems for online monitoring of living cells. We used laser micromachining and thermal bonding to fabricate an optically transparent, low-cost polymeric chip...... for long-term online cell culture observation under controlled conditions. The chip incorporated a microfluidic flow equalization system, assuring uniform perfusion of the cell culture media throughout the cell culture chamber. The integrated indium-tin-oxide heater and miniature temperature probe linked....... HeLa cells were cultured for up to 2 weeks within the cell culture chip and monitored using a time-lapse video recording microscopy setup. Cell attachment and spreading was observed during the first 10-20 h (lag phase). After approximately 20 h, cell growth gained exponential character...

  4. Simple suspension culture system of human iPS cells maintaining their pluripotency for cardiac cell sheet engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haraguchi, Yuji; Matsuura, Katsuhisa; Shimizu, Tatsuya; Yamato, Masayuki; Okano, Teruo

    2015-12-01

    In this study, a simple three-dimensional (3D) suspension culture method for the expansion and cardiac differentiation of human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) is reported. The culture methods were easily adapted from two-dimensional (2D) to 3D culture without any additional manipulations. When hiPSCs were directly applied to 3D culture from 2D in a single-cell suspension, only a few aggregated cells were observed. However, after 3 days, culture of the small hiPSC aggregates in a spinner flask at the optimal agitation rate created aggregates which were capable of cell passages from the single-cell suspension. Cell numbers increased to approximately 10-fold after 12 days of culture. The undifferentiated state of expanded hiPSCs was confirmed by flow cytometry, immunocytochemistry and quantitative RT-PCR, and the hiPSCs differentiated into three germ layers. When the hiPSCs were subsequently cultured in a flask using cardiac differentiation medium, expression of cardiac cell-specific genes and beating cardiomyocytes were observed. Furthermore, the culture of hiPSCs on Matrigel-coated dishes with serum-free medium containing activin A, BMP4 and FGF-2 enabled it to generate robust spontaneous beating cardiomyocytes and these cells expressed several cardiac cell-related genes, including HCN4, MLC-2a and MLC-2v. This suggests that the expanded hiPSCs might maintain the potential to differentiate into several types of cardiomyocytes, including pacemakers. Moreover, when cardiac cell sheets were fabricated using differentiated cardiomyocytes, they beat spontaneously and synchronously, indicating electrically communicative tissue. This simple culture system might enable the generation of sufficient amounts of beating cardiomyocytes for use in cardiac regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  5. Adenosine formation in contracting primary rat skeletal muscle cells and endothelial cells in culture

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hellsten, Ylva; Frandsen, Ulrik

    1997-01-01

    1. The present study examined the capacity for adenosine formation, uptake and metabolism in contracting primary rat muscle cells and in microvascular endothelial cells in culture. 2. Strong and moderate electrical simulation of skeletal muscle cells led to a significantly greater increase....... 3. Addition of microvascular endothelial cells to the cultured skeletal muscle cells enhanced the contraction-induced accumulation of extracellular adenosine (P Skeletal muscle cells were...... in the extracellular adenosine concentration (421 +/- 91 and 235 +/- 30 nmol (g protein)-1, respectively; P muscle cells (161 +/- 20 nmol (g protein)-1). The ATP concentration was lower (18%; P contracted, but not in the moderately contracted muscle cells...

  6. Validation of cell-free culture using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and gene expression studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, R; Elankumaran, Y; Hijjawi, N; Ryan, U

    2015-06-01

    A cell-free culture system for Cryptosporidium parvum was analysed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to characterise life cycle stages and compare gene expression in cell-free culture and cell culture using HCT-8 cells. Cryptosporidium parvum samples were harvested at 2 h, 8 h, 14 h, 26 h, 50 h, 74 h, 98 h, 122 h and 170 h, chemically fixed and specimens were observed using a Zeiss 1555 scanning electron microscope. The presence of sporozoites, trophozoites and type I merozoites were identified by SEM. Gene expression in cell culture and cell-free culture was studied using reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) of the sporozoite surface antigen protein (cp15), the glycoprotein 900 (gp900), the Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) and 18S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) genes in both cell free and conventional cell culture. In cell culture, cp15 expression peaked at 74 h, gp900 expression peaked at 74 h and 98 h and COWP expression peaked at 50 h. In cell-free culture, CP15 expression peaked at 98 h, gp900 expression peaked at 74 h and COWP expression peaked at 122 h. The present study is the first to compare gene expression of C. parvum in cell culture and cell-free culture and to characterise life cycle stages of C. parvum in cell-free culture using SEM. Findings from this study showed that gene expression patterns in cell culture and cell-free culture were similar but in cell-free culture, gene expression was delayed for CP15 and COWP in cell free culture compared with the cell culture system and was lower. Although three life cycle stageswere conclusively identified, improvements in SEM methodology should lead to the detection of more life cycle stages. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Mechanism for multiplicity of steady states with distinct cell concentration in continuous culture of mammalian cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yongky, Andrew; Lee, Jongchan; Le, Tung; Mulukutla, Bhanu Chandra; Daoutidis, Prodromos; Hu, Wei-Shou

    2015-07-01

    Continuous culture for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins offers the possibility of steady state operations and thus more consistent product quality and increased productivity. Under some conditions, multiplicity of steady states has been observed in continuous cultures of mammalian cells, wherein with the same dilution rate and feed nutrient composition, steady states with very different cell and product concentrations may be reached. At those different steady states, cells may exhibit a high glycolysis flux with high lactate production and low cell concentration, or a low glycolysis flux with low lactate and high cell concentration. These different steady states, with different cell concentration, also have different productivity. Developing a mechanistic understanding of the occurrence of steady state multiplicity and devising a strategy to steer the culture toward the desired steady state is critical. We establish a multi-scale kinetic model that integrates a mechanistic intracellular metabolic model and cell growth model in a continuous bioreactor. We show that steady state multiplicity exists in a range of dilution rate in continuous culture as a result of the bistable behavior in glycolysis. The insights from the model were used to devise strategies to guide the culture to the desired steady state in the multiple steady state region. The model provides a guideline principle in the design of continuous culture processes of mammalian cells. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Miniature Bioreactor System for Long-Term Cell Culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gonda, Steve R.; Kleis, Stanley J.; Geffert, Sandara K.

    2010-01-01

    A prototype miniature bioreactor system is designed to serve as a laboratory benchtop cell-culturing system that minimizes the need for relatively expensive equipment and reagents and can be operated under computer control, thereby reducing the time and effort required of human investigators and reducing uncertainty in results. The system includes a bioreactor, a fluid-handling subsystem, a chamber wherein the bioreactor is maintained in a controlled atmosphere at a controlled temperature, and associated control subsystems. The system can be used to culture both anchorage-dependent and suspension cells, which can be either prokaryotic or eukaryotic. Cells can be cultured for extended periods of time in this system, and samples of cells can be extracted and analyzed at specified intervals. By integrating this system with one or more microanalytical instrument(s), one can construct a complete automated analytical system that can be tailored to perform one or more of a large variety of assays.

  9. Culture of somatic cells isolated from frozen-thawed equine semen using fluorescence-assisted cell sorting.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brom-de-Luna, Joao Gatto; Canesin, Heloísa Siqueira; Wright, Gus; Hinrichs, Katrin

    2018-03-01

    Nuclear transfer using somatic cells from frozen semen (FzSC) would allow cloning of animals for which no other genetic material is available. Horses are one of the few species for which cloning is commercially feasible; despite this, there is no information available on the culture of equine FzSC. After preliminary trials on equine FzSC, recovered by density-gradient centrifugation, resulted in no growth, we hypothesized that sperm in the culture system negatively affected cell proliferation. Therefore, we evaluated culture of FzSC isolated using fluorescence-assisted cell sorting. In Exp. 1, sperm were labeled using antibodies to a sperm-specific antigen, SP17, and unlabeled cells were collected. This resulted in high sperm contamination. In Exp. 2, FzSC were labeled using an anti-MHC class I antibody. This resulted in an essentially pure population of FzSC, 13-25% of which were nucleated. Culture yielded no proliferation in any of nine replicates. In Exp. 3, 5 × 10 3 viable fresh, cultured horse fibroblasts were added to the frozen-thawed, washed semen, then this suspension was labeled and sorted as for Exp. 2. The enriched population had a mean of five sperm per recovered somatic cell; culture yielded formation of monolayers. In conclusion, an essentially pure population of equine FzSC could be obtained using sorting for presence of MHC class I antigens. No equine FzSC grew in culture; however, the proliferation of fibroblasts subjected to the same processing demonstrated that the labeling and sorting methods, and the presence of few sperm in culture, were compatible with cell viability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Socio-Cultural Dynamics of Education in the Context of the Post-Non-Classical Science

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V. A. Ignatova

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The paper deals with the interrelations between society, education and culture. Using the comparative analysis of classical approaches to defining the above spheres, the author comes to conclusion that the nature of socio-cultural processes can be explored and described most consistently by applying comprehensive models of the post-non-classical science and considering civilization, education and culture in the context of the unified dynamic flow of socio-cultural genesis. The research investigates the dialectics of socio-cultural processes in the light of systematic synergetic approach, the advancing role of education in socio-cultural dynamics being revealed and substantiated. The author emphasizes its inevitably rising priority due to sustained development of civilization bringing about the new environmentally-oriented meta-culture.The obtained results can be used in pedagogic research methodology, designing and modeling the educational process, its content, technology and organization. 

  11. Beyond the Mind: Cultural Dynamics of the Psyche

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Marsico, Giuseppina; Valsiner, Jaan

    This book Beyond the Mind: Cultural Dynamics of the Psyche is unusual in the content and it the format. That’s why it requires an unusual look. It has to do with a man, an intellectual journey and with uncountable travels across the world over the last two decades. This man is Jaan Valsiner and h...

  12. Effects of different feeder layers on culture of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cong, Shan; Cao, Guifang; Liu, Dongjun

    2014-12-01

    To find a suitable feeder layer is important for successful culture conditions of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells. In this study, expression of pluripotency-related genes OCT4, SOX2 and NANOG in bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells on mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers at 1-5 passages were monitored in order to identify the possible reason that bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells could not continue growth and passage. Here, we developed two novel feeder layers, mixed embryonic fibroblast feeder layers of mouse and bovine embryonic fibroblast at different ratios and sources including mouse fibroblast cell lines. The bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells generated in our study displayed typical stem cell morphology and expressed specific markers such as OCT4, stage-specific embryonic antigen 1 and 4, alkaline phosphatase, SOX2, and NANOG mRNA levels. When feeder layers and cell growth factors were removed, the bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells formed embryoid bodies in a suspension culture. Furthermore, we compared the expression of the pluripotent markers during bovine embryonic stem cell-like cell in culture on mixed embryonic fibroblast feeder layers, including mouse fibroblast cell lines feeder layers and mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results suggested that mixed embryonic fibroblast and sources including mouse fibroblast cell lines feeder layers were more suitable for long-term culture and growth of bovine embryonic stem cell-like cells than mouse embryonic fibroblast feeder layers. The findings may provide useful experimental data for the establishment of an appropriate culture system for bovine embryonic stem cell lines.

  13. Pericellular oxygen monitoring with integrated sensor chips for reproducible cell culture experiments.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kieninger, J; Aravindalochanan, K; Sandvik, J A; Pettersen, E O; Urban, G A

    2014-04-01

    Here we present an application, in two tumour cell lines, based on the Sensing Cell Culture Flask system as a cell culture monitoring tool for pericellular oxygen sensing. T-47D (human breast cancer) and T98G (human brain cancer) cells were cultured either in atmospheric air or in a glove-box set at 4% oxygen, in both cases with 5% CO2 in the gas phase. Pericellular oxygen tension was measured with the help of an integrated sensor chip comprising oxygen sensor arrays. Obtained results illustrate variation of pericellular oxygen tension in attached cells covered by stagnant medium. Independent of incubation conditions, low pericellular oxygen concentration levels, usually associated with hypoxia, were found in dense cell cultures. Respiration alone brought pericellular oxygen concentration down to levels which could activate hypoxia-sensing regulatory processes in cultures believed to be aerobic. Cells in culture believed to experience conditions of mild hypoxia may, in reality, experience severe hypoxia. This would lead to incorrect assumptions and suggests that pericellular oxygen concentration readings are of great importance to obtain reproducible results when dealing with hypoxic and normoxic (aerobic) incubation conditions. The Sensing Cell Culture Flask system allows continuous monitoring of pericellular oxygen concentration with outstanding long-term stability and no need for recalibration during cell culture experiments. The sensor is integrated into the flask bottom, thus in direct contact with attached cells. No additional equipment needs to be inserted into the flask during culturing. Transparency of the electrochemical sensor chip allows optical inspection of cells attached on top of the sensor. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  14. Fibrous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: static and dynamic in vitro studies with MG63 cells

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Buczynska, J.; Pamula, E.; Blazewicz, S.; Bačáková, Lucie; Pařízek, Martin; Chlupáč, Jaroslav; Mikolajczyk, T.; Boguň, M.; Dobrzynski, P.

    2007-01-01

    Roč. 10, 65-66 (2007), s. 1-6 ISSN 1429-7248 R&D Projects: GA ČR(CZ) GA106/06/1576 Grant - others:-(PL) 3T08D 023 30 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z50110509 Keywords : resorbable scaffolds * bioarteficial bone * dynamic cell culture system Subject RIV: EI - Biotechnology ; Bionics

  15. PDMS/glass microfluidic cell culture system for cytotoxicity tests and cells passage

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Ziolkowska, K.; Jedrych, E.; Kwapiszewski, R.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper, hybrid (PDMS/glass) microfluidic cell culture system (MCCS) integrated with the concentration gradient generator (CGG) is presented. PDMS gas permeability enabled cells' respiration in the fabricated microdevices and excellent glass hydrophilicity allowed successful cells' seeding...

  16. Lethal graft-versus-host disease: modification with allogeneic cultured donor cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mauch, P.; Lipton, J.M.; Hamilton, B.; Obbagy, J.; Kudisch, M.; Nathan, D.; Hellman, S.

    1984-01-01

    The use of the bone marrow culture technique was studied as a means to prepare donor marrow for bone marrow transplantation to avoid lethal graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Preliminary experiments demonstrated the rapid loss of theta-positive cells in such cultures, so that theta-positive cells were not detected after 6 days. Initial experiments in C3H/HeJ (H-2k, Hbbd) recipients prepared with 900 rad demonstrated improved survival when 3-day cultured C57BL/6 (H-2b, Hbbs) donor cells were used in place of hind limb marrow for transplantation. However, hemoglobin typing of recipient animals revealed only short-term donor engraftment, with competitive repopulation of recipient marrow occurring. Subsequent experiments were done in 1,200-rad prepared recipients, with long-term donor engraftment demonstrated. The majority of 1,200-rad prepared animals receiving cultured allogeneic cells died of GVHD, but animals receiving 28-day cultured cells had an improved 90-day survival and a delay in GVHD development over animals receiving hind limb marrow or marrow from shorter times in culture. In addition, animals receiving anti-theta-treated, 3-day nonadherent cells had an improved survival (44%) over animals receiving anti-theta-treated hind limb marrow (20%). These experiments demonstrate modest benefit for the use of cultured cells in bone marrow transplantation across major H-2 histocompatibility complex differences

  17. A Hybrid Robotic Control System Using Neuroblastoma Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ferrández, J. M.; Lorente, V.; Cuadra, J. M.; Delapaz, F.; Álvarez-Sánchez, José Ramón; Fernández, E.

    The main objective of this work is to analyze the computing capabilities of human neuroblastoma cultured cells and to define connection schemes for controlling a robot behavior. Multielectrode Array (MEA) setups have been designed for direct culturing neural cells over silicon or glass substrates, providing the capability to stimulate and record simultaneously populations of neural cells. This paper describes the process of growing human neuroblastoma cells over MEA substrates and tries to modulate the natural physiologic responses of these cells by tetanic stimulation of the culture. We show that the large neuroblastoma networks developed in cultured MEAs are capable of learning: establishing numerous and dynamic connections, with modifiability induced by external stimuli and we propose an hybrid system for controlling a robot to avoid obstacles.

  18. Cell-surface glycoproteins of human sarcomas: differential expression in normal and malignant tissues and cultured cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rettig, W.F.; Garin-Chesa, P.; Beresford, H.R.; Oettgen, H.F.; Melamed, M.R.; Old, L.J.

    1988-01-01

    Normal differentiation and malignant transformation of human cells are characterized by specific changes in surface antigen phenotype. In the present study, the authors have defined six cell-surface antigens of human sarcomas and normal mesenchymal cells, by using mixed hemadsorption assays and immunochemical methods for the analysis of cultured cells and immunohistochemical staining for the analysis of normal tissues and > 200 tumor specimens. Differential patterns of F19, F24, G171, G253, S5, and Thy-1 antigen expression were found to characterize (i) subsets of cultured sarcoma cell lines, (ii) cultured fibroblasts derived from various organs, (iii) normal resting and activated mesenchymal tissues, and (iv) sarcoma and nonmesenchymal tumor tissues. These results provide a basic surface antigenic map for cultured mesenchymal cells and mesenchymal tissues and permit the classification of human sarcomas according to their antigenic phenotypes

  19. Feeder Cell Type Affects the Growth of In Vitro Cultured Bovine Trophoblast Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Islam M. Saadeldin

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Trophectoderm cells are the foremost embryonic cells to differentiate with prospective stem-cell properties. In the current study, we aimed at improving the current approach for trophoblast culture by using granulosa cells as feeders. Porcine granulosa cells (PGCs compared to the conventional mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs were used to grow trophectoderm cells from hatched bovine blastocysts. Isolated trophectoderm cells were monitored and displayed characteristic epithelial/cuboidal morphology. The isolated trophectoderm cells expressed mRNA of homeobox protein (CDX2, cytokeratin-8 (KRT8, and interferon tau (IFNT. The expression level was higher on PGCs compared to MEFs throughout the study. In addition, primary trophectoderm cell colonies grew faster on PGCs, with a doubling time of approximately 48 hrs, compared to MEFs. PGCs feeders produced a fair amount of 17β-estradiol and progesterone. We speculated that the supplementation of sex steroids and still-unknown factors during the trophoblasts coculture on PGCs have helped to have better trophectoderm cell’s growth than on MEFs. This is the first time to use PGCs as feeders to culture trophectoderm cells and it proved superior to MEFs. We propose PGCs as alternative feeders for long-term culture of bovine trophectoderm cells. This model will potentially benefit studies on the early trophoblast and embryonic development in bovines.

  20. Near-IR laser-triggered target cell collection using a carbon nanotube-based cell-cultured substrate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sada, Takao; Fujigaya, Tsuyohiko; Niidome, Yasuro; Nakazawa, Kohji; Nakashima, Naotoshi

    2011-06-28

    Unique near-IR optical properties of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWNTs) are of interest in many biological applications. Here we describe the selective cell detachment and collection from an SWNT-coated cell-culture dish triggered by near-IR pulse laser irradiation. First, HeLa cells were cultured on an SWNT-coated dish prepared by a spraying of an aqueous SWNT dispersion on a glass dish. The SWNT-coated dish was found to show a good cell adhesion behavior as well as a cellular proliferation rate similar to a conventional glass dish. We discovered, by near-IR pulse laser irradiation (at the laser power over 25 mW) to the cell under optical microscopic observation, a quick single-cell detachment from the SWNT-coated surface. Shockwave generation from the irradiated SWNTs is expected to play an important role for the cell detachment. Moreover, we have succeeded in catapulting the target single cell from the cultured medium when the depth of the medium was below 150 μm and the laser power was stronger than 40 mW. The captured cell maintained its original shape. The retention of the genetic information of the cell was confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. A target single-cell collection from a culture medium under optical microscopic observation is significant in wide fields of single-cell studies in biological areas.

  1. A microfluidic system for studying ageing and dynamic single-cell responses in budding yeast.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew M Crane

    Full Text Available Recognition of the importance of cell-to-cell variability in cellular decision-making and a growing interest in stochastic modeling of cellular processes has led to an increased demand for high density, reproducible, single-cell measurements in time-varying surroundings. We present ALCATRAS (A Long-term Culturing And TRApping System, a microfluidic device that can quantitatively monitor up to 1000 cells of budding yeast in a well-defined and controlled environment. Daughter cells are removed by fluid flow to avoid crowding allowing experiments to run for over 60 hours, and the extracellular media may be changed repeatedly and in seconds. We illustrate use of the device by measuring ageing through replicative life span curves, following the dynamics of the cell cycle, and examining history-dependent behaviour in the general stress response.

  2. Establishment of primary bovine intestinal epithelial cell culture and clone method.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhan, Kang; Lin, Miao; Liu, Ming-Mei; Sui, Yang-Nan; Zhao, Guo-Qi

    2017-01-01

    The aim of this study was to establish bovine intestinal epithelial cell (BIEC) line and provide a novel clone cell method. Although various strategies of bovine cell culture and clone techniques have been reported, these methods remain not established. Here, we culture successfully primary BIECs and establish a novel clone cell method. Our result showed that BIECs could be successfully cultured and passaged about generation 5. These cellular aggregates and clusters were adherent loosely at day 2 of culture. Cell aggregates and clusters start to proliferate after approximately 4 d. The BIECs showed positive reaction against cytokeratin 18, E-cadherin, and characteristics of epithelial-like morphology. In addition, the fatty acid-binding proteins (FABPs), villin, and intestinal peptidase (IP) band were positive in BIECs. Our results suggest that the establishment of culturing and clone BIEC methods will apply to isolate and clone other primary cells. These BIECs could therefore contribute to the study of bovine intestinal nutrient absorption and regulation, immune regulation, and the pathogenesis of the bovine intestinal disease, which will provide intestinal cell model in vitro.

  3. 3D Cell Culture in a Self-Assembled Nanofiber Environment.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yi Wen Chai

    Full Text Available The development and utilization of three-dimensional cell culture platforms has been gaining more traction. Three-dimensional culture platforms are capable of mimicking in vivo microenvironments, which provide greater physiological relevance in comparison to conventional two-dimensional cultures. The majority of three-dimensional culture platforms are challenged by the lack of cell attachment, long polymerization times, and inclusion of undefined xenobiotics, and cytotoxic cross-linkers. In this study, we review the use of a highly defined material composed of naturally occurring compounds, hyaluronic acid and chitosan, known as Cell-Mate3DTM. Moreover, we provide an original measurement of Young's modulus using a uniaxial unconfined compression method to elucidate the difference in microenvironment rigidity for acellular and cellular conditions. When hydrated into a tissue-like hybrid hydrocolloid/hydrogel, Cell-Mate3DTM is a highly versatile three-dimensional culture platform that enables downstream applications such as flow cytometry, immunostaining, histological staining, and functional studies to be applied with relative ease.

  4. Spatio-temporal cell dynamics in tumour spheroid irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kempf, H.; Bleicher, M.; Meyer-Hermann, M.; Kempf, H.; Bleicher, M.; Kempf, H.; Meyer-Hermann, M.

    2010-01-01

    Multicellular tumour spheroids are realistic in vitro systems in radiation research that integrate cell-cell interaction and cell cycle control by factors in the medium. The dynamic reaction inside a tumour spheroid triggered by radiation is not well understood. Of special interest is the amount of cell cycle synchronization which could be triggered by irradiation, since this would allow follow-up irradiations to exploit the increased sensitivity of certain cell cycle phases. In order to investigate these questions we need to support irradiation experiments with mathematical models. In this article a new model is introduced combining the dynamics of tumour growth and irradiation treatments. The tumour spheroid growth is modelled using an agent-based Delaunay/Voronoi hybrid model in which the cells are represented by weighted dynamic vertices. Cell properties like full cell cycle dynamics are included. In order to be able to distinguish between different cell reactions in response to irradiation quality we introduce a probabilistic model for damage dynamics. The overall cell survival from this model is in agreement with predictions from the linear-quadratic model. Our model can describe the growth of avascular tumour spheroids in agreement to experimental results. Using the probabilistic model for irradiation damage dynamics the classic 'four Rs' of radiotherapy can be studied in silico. We found a pronounced reactivation of the tumour spheroid in response to irradiation. A majority of the surviving cells is synchronized in their cell cycle progression after irradiation. The cell synchronization could be actively triggered and should be exploited in an advanced fractionation scheme. Thus it has been demonstrated that our model could be used to understand the dynamics of tumour growth after irradiation and to propose optimized fractionation schemes in cooperation with experimental investigations. (authors)

  5. Culture conditions tailored to the cell of origin are critical for maintaining native properties and tumorigenicity of glioma cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ledur, Pítia F; Liu, Chong; He, Hua; Harris, Alexandra R; Minussi, Darlan C; Zhou, Hai-Yan; Shaffrey, Mark E; Asthagiri, Ashok; Lopes, Maria Beatriz S; Schiff, David; Lu, Yi-Cheng; Mandell, James W; Lenz, Guido; Zong, Hui

    2016-10-01

    Cell culture plays a pivotal role in cancer research. However, culture-induced changes in biological properties of tumor cells profoundly affect research reproducibility and translational potential. Establishing culture conditions tailored to the cancer cell of origin could resolve this problem. For glioma research, it has been previously shown that replacing serum with defined growth factors for neural stem cells (NSCs) greatly improved the retention of gene expression profile and tumorigenicity. However, among all molecular subtypes of glioma, our laboratory and others have previously shown that the oligodendrocyte precursor cell (OPC) rather than the NSC serves as the cell of origin for the proneural subtype, raising questions regarding the suitability of NSC-tailored media for culturing proneural glioma cells. OPC-originated mouse glioma cells were cultured in conditions for normal OPCs or NSCs, respectively, for multiple passages. Gene expression profiles, morphologies, tumorigenicity, and drug responsiveness of cultured cells were examined in comparison with freshly isolated tumor cells. OPC media-cultured glioma cells maintained tumorigenicity, gene expression profiles, and morphologies similar to freshly isolated tumor cells. In contrast, NSC-media cultured glioma cells gradually lost their OPC features and most tumor-initiating ability and acquired heightened sensitivity to temozolomide. To improve experimental reproducibility and translational potential of glioma research, it is important to identify the cell of origin, and subsequently apply this knowledge to establish culture conditions that allow the retention of native properties of tumor cells. © The Author(s) 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Neuro-Oncology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Breast Cancer Stem Cell Culture and Enrichment Using Poly(ε-Caprolactone Scaffolds

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sònia Palomeras

    2016-04-01

    Full Text Available The cancer stem cell (CSC population displays self-renewal capabilities, resistance to conventional therapies, and a tendency to post-treatment recurrence. Increasing knowledge about CSCs’ phenotype and functions is needed to investigate new therapeutic strategies against the CSC population. Here, poly(ε-caprolactone (PCL, a biocompatible polymer free of toxic dye, has been used to fabricate scaffolds, solid structures suitable for 3D cancer cell culture. It has been reported that scaffold cell culture enhances the CSCs population. A RepRap BCN3D+ printer and 3 mm PCL wire were used to fabricate circular scaffolds. PCL design and fabrication parameters were first determined and then optimized considering several measurable variables of the resulting scaffolds. MCF7 breast carcinoma cell line was used to assess scaffolds adequacy for 3D cell culture. To evaluate CSC enrichment, the Mammosphere Forming Index (MFI was performed in 2D and 3D MCF7 cultures. Results showed that the 60° scaffolds were more suitable for 3D culture than the 45° and 90° ones. Moreover, 3D culture experiments, in adherent and non-adherent conditions, showed a significant increase in MFI compared to 2D cultures (control. Thus, 3D cell culture with PCL scaffolds could be useful to improve cancer cell culture and enrich the CSCs population.

  7. Colon stem cell and crypt dynamics exposed by cell lineage reconstruction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yitzhak Reizel

    2011-07-01

    Full Text Available Stem cell dynamics in vivo are often being studied by lineage tracing methods. Our laboratory has previously developed a retrospective method for reconstructing cell lineage trees from somatic mutations accumulated in microsatellites. This method was applied here to explore different aspects of stem cell dynamics in the mouse colon without the use of stem cell markers. We first demonstrated the reliability of our method for the study of stem cells by confirming previously established facts, and then we addressed open questions. Our findings confirmed that colon crypts are monoclonal and that, throughout adulthood, the process of monoclonal conversion plays a major role in the maintenance of crypts. The absence of immortal strand mechanism in crypts stem cells was validated by the age-dependent accumulation of microsatellite mutations. In addition, we confirmed the positive correlation between physical and lineage proximity of crypts, by showing that the colon is separated into small domains that share a common ancestor. We gained new data demonstrating that colon epithelium is clustered separately from hematopoietic and other cell types, indicating that the colon is constituted of few progenitors and ruling out significant renewal of colonic epithelium from hematopoietic cells during adulthood. Overall, our study demonstrates the reliability of cell lineage reconstruction for the study of stem cell dynamics, and it further addresses open questions in colon stem cells. In addition, this method can be applied to study stem cell dynamics in other systems.

  8. Impact of cell culture process changes on endogenous retrovirus expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brorson, Kurt; De Wit, Christina; Hamilton, Elizabeth; Mustafa, Mehnaz; Swann, Patrick G; Kiss, Robert; Taticek, Ron; Polastri, Gian; Stein, Kathryn E; Xu, Yuan

    2002-11-05

    Cell culture process changes (e.g., changes in scale, medium formulation, operational conditions) and cell line changes are common during the development life cycle of a therapeutic protein. To ensure that the impact of such process changes on product quality and safety is minimal, it is standard practice to compare critical product quality and safety attributes before and after the changes. One potential concern introduced by cell culture process improvements is the possibility of increased endogenous retrovirus expression to a level above the clearance capability of the subsequent purification process. To address this, retrovirus expression was measured in scaled down and full production scaled Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell cultures of four monoclonal antibodies and one recombinant protein before and after process changes. Two highly sensitive, quantitative (Q)-PCR-based assays were used to measure endogenous retroviruses. It is shown that cell culture process changes that primarily alter media components, nutrient feed volume, seed density, cell bank source (i.e., master cell bank vs. working cell bank), and vial size, or culture scale, singly or in combination, do not impact the rate of retrovirus expression to an extent greater than the variability of the Q-PCR assays (0.2-0.5 log(10)). Cell culture changes that significantly alter the metabolic state of the cells and/or rates of protein expression (e.g., pH and temperature shifts, NaButyrate addition) measurably impact the rate of retrovirus synthesis (up to 2 log(10)). The greatest degree of variation in endogenous retrovirus expression was observed between individual cell lines (up to 3 log(10)). These data support the practice of measuring endogenous retrovirus output for each new cell line introduced into manufacturing or after process changes that significantly increase product-specific productivity or alter the metabolic state, but suggest that reassessment of retrovirus expression after other

  9. In vitro formation of the Merkel cell-neurite complex in embryonic mouse whiskers using organotypic co-cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ishida, Kentaro; Saito, Tetsuichiro; Mitsui, Toshiyuki

    2018-06-01

    A Merkel cell-neurite complex is a touch receptor composed of specialized epithelial cells named Merkel cells and peripheral sensory nerves in the skin. Merkel cells are found in touch-sensitive skin components including whisker follicles. The nerve fibers that innervate Merkel cells of a whisker follicle extend from the maxillary branch of the trigeminal ganglion. Whiskers as a sensory organ attribute to the complicated architecture of the Merkel cell-neurite complex, and therefore it is intriguing how the structure is formed. However, observing the dynamic process of the formation of a Merkel cell-neurite complex in whiskers during embryonic development is still difficult. In this study, we tried to develop an organotypic co-culture method of a whisker pad and a trigeminal ganglion explant to form the Merkel cell-neurite complex in vitro. We initially developed two distinct culture methods of a single whisker row and a trigeminal ganglion explant, and then combined them. By dissecting and cultivating a single row from a whisker pad, the morphogenesis of whisker follicles could be observed under a microscope. After the co-cultivation of the whisker row with a trigeminal ganglion explant, a Merkel cell-neurite complex composed of Merkel cells, which were positive for both cytokeratin 8 and SOX2, Neurofilament-H-positive trigeminal nerve fibers and Schwann cells expressing Nestin, SOX2 and SOX10 was observed via immunohistochemical analyses. These results suggest that the process for the formation of a Merkel cell-neurite complex can be observed under a microscope using our organotypic co-culture method. © 2018 Japanese Society of Developmental Biologists.

  10. Loss of notochordal cell phenotype in 3D-cell cultures: implications for disc physiology and disc repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Omlor, G W; Nerlich, A G; Tirlapur, U K; Urban, J P; Guehring, T

    2014-12-01

    Embryonic notochordal disc nucleus cells (NC) have been identified to protect disc tissue against disc degeneration but in human beings NC phenotype gets lost with aging and the pathophysiological mechanisms are poorly understood. NC may stimulate other cells via soluble factors, and NC-conditioned medium can be used to stimulate matrix production of other disc cells and mesenchymal stem cells and thus may be of special interest for biological disc repair. As this stimulatory effect is associated with the NC phenotype, we investigated how cell morphology and gene-expression of the NC phenotype changes with time in 3D-cell culture. NC and inner annulus chondrocyte-like cells (CLC) from immature pigtails (freshly isolated cells/tissue, 3D-alginate beads, 3D-clusters) were cultured for up to 16 days under normoxia and hypoxia. Protein-expression was analysed by immunohistology and gene-expression analysis was carried out on freshly isolated cells and cultured cells. Cell morphology and proliferation were analysed by two-photon-laser-microscopy. Two-photon-laser-microscopy showed a homogenous and small CLC population in the inner annulus, which differed from the large vacuole-containing NC in the nucleus. Immunohistology found 93 % KRT8 positive cells in the nucleus and intracellular and pericellular Col2, IL6, and IL12 staining while CLC were KRT8 negative. Freshly isolated NC showed significantly higher KRT8 and CAIII but lower Col2 gene-expression than CLC. NC in 3D-cultures demonstrated significant size reduction and loss of vacuoles with culture time, all indicating a loss of the characteristic NC morphology. Hypoxia reduced the rate of decrease in NC size and vacuoles. Gene-expression of KRT8 and CAIII in NC fell significantly early in culture while Col2 did not decrease significantly within the culture period. In CLC, KRT8 and CAIII gene-expression was low and did not change noticeably in culture, whereas Col2 expression fell with time in culture. 3D-culture

  11. Radiosensitivity of primary cultured fish cells with different ploidy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitani, Hiroshi; Egami, Nobuo; Kobayashi, Hiromu.

    1986-01-01

    The radiosensitivity of primary cultured goldfish cells (Carassius auratus) was investigated by colony formation assay. The radiosensitivity of cells from two varieties of goldfish, which show different sensitivity to lethal effect of ionizing radiation in vivo, was almost identical. Primary cultured cells from diploid, triploid and tetraploid fish retained their DNA content as measured by microfluorometry, and the nuclear size increases as ploidy increases. However, radiosensitivity was not related to ploidy. (author)

  12. Dynamic culture substrate that captures a specific extracellular matrix protein in response to light

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakanishi, Jun; Nakayama, Hidekazu; Horiike, Yasuhiro; Yamaguchi, Kazuo; Garcia, Andres J

    2011-01-01

    The development of methods for the off-on switching of immobilization or presentation of cell-adhesive peptides and proteins during cell culture is important because such surfaces are useful for the analysis of the dynamic processes of cell adhesion and migration. This paper describes a chemically functionalized gold substrate that captures a genetically tagged extracellular matrix protein in response to light. The substrate was composed of mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of three disulfide compounds containing (i) a photocleavable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), (ii) nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and (iii) hepta(ethylene glycol) (EG 7 ). Although the NTA group has an intrinsic high affinity for oligohistidine tag (His-tag) sequences in its Ni 2+ -ion complex, the interaction was suppressed by the steric hindrance of coexisting PEG on the substrate surface. Upon photoirradiation of the substrate to release the PEG chain from the surface, this interaction became possible and hence the protein was captured at the irradiated regions, while keeping the non-specific adsorption of non-His-tagged proteins blocked by the EG 7 underbrush. In this way, we selectively immobilized a His-tagged fibronectin fragment (FNIII 7-10 ) to the irradiated regions. In contrast, when bovine serum albumin-a major serum protein-was added as a non-His-tagged protein, the surface did not permit its capture, with or without irradiation. In agreement with these results, cells were selectively attached to the irradiated patterns only when a His-tagged FNIII 7-10 was added to the medium. These results indicate that the present method is useful for studying the cellular behavior on the specific extracellular matrix protein in cell-culturing environments.

  13. Dynamic culture substrate that captures a specific extracellular matrix protein in response to light

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakanishi, Jun; Nakayama, Hidekazu; Horiike, Yasuhiro [World Premier International (WPI) Research Center Initiative, International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (MANA), National Institute for Materials Science - NIMS (Japan); Yamaguchi, Kazuo [Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science and Research Institute for Photofunctionalized Materials, Kanagawa University (Japan); Garcia, Andres J, E-mail: NAKANISHI.Jun@nims.go.jp [Institute for Bioengineering and Bioscience, Woodruff School of Mechanical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology (United States)

    2011-08-15

    The development of methods for the off-on switching of immobilization or presentation of cell-adhesive peptides and proteins during cell culture is important because such surfaces are useful for the analysis of the dynamic processes of cell adhesion and migration. This paper describes a chemically functionalized gold substrate that captures a genetically tagged extracellular matrix protein in response to light. The substrate was composed of mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) of three disulfide compounds containing (i) a photocleavable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), (ii) nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA) and (iii) hepta(ethylene glycol) (EG{sub 7}). Although the NTA group has an intrinsic high affinity for oligohistidine tag (His-tag) sequences in its Ni{sup 2+}-ion complex, the interaction was suppressed by the steric hindrance of coexisting PEG on the substrate surface. Upon photoirradiation of the substrate to release the PEG chain from the surface, this interaction became possible and hence the protein was captured at the irradiated regions, while keeping the non-specific adsorption of non-His-tagged proteins blocked by the EG{sub 7} underbrush. In this way, we selectively immobilized a His-tagged fibronectin fragment (FNIII{sub 7-10}) to the irradiated regions. In contrast, when bovine serum albumin-a major serum protein-was added as a non-His-tagged protein, the surface did not permit its capture, with or without irradiation. In agreement with these results, cells were selectively attached to the irradiated patterns only when a His-tagged FNIII{sub 7-10} was added to the medium. These results indicate that the present method is useful for studying the cellular behavior on the specific extracellular matrix protein in cell-culturing environments.

  14. Dynamic culture substrate that captures a specific extracellular matrix protein in response to light

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jun Nakanishi, Hidekazu Nakayama, Kazuo Yamaguchi, Andres J Garcia and Yasuhiro Horiike

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available The development of methods for the off–on switching of immobilization or presentation of cell-adhesive peptides and proteins during cell culture is important because such surfaces are useful for the analysis of the dynamic processes of cell adhesion and migration. This paper describes a chemically functionalized gold substrate that captures a genetically tagged extracellular matrix protein in response to light. The substrate was composed of mixed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs of three disulfide compounds containing (i a photocleavable poly(ethylene glycol (PEG, (ii nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA and (iii hepta(ethylene glycol (EG7. Although the NTA group has an intrinsic high affinity for oligohistidine tag (His-tag sequences in its Ni2+-ion complex, the interaction was suppressed by the steric hindrance of coexisting PEG on the substrate surface. Upon photoirradiation of the substrate to release the PEG chain from the surface, this interaction became possible and hence the protein was captured at the irradiated regions, while keeping the non-specific adsorption of non-His-tagged proteins blocked by the EG7 underbrush. In this way, we selectively immobilized a His-tagged fibronectin fragment (FNIII7–10 to the irradiated regions. In contrast, when bovine serum albumin—a major serum protein—was added as a non-His-tagged protein, the surface did not permit its capture, with or without irradiation. In agreement with these results, cells were selectively attached to the irradiated patterns only when a His-tagged FNIII7-10 was added to the medium. These results indicate that the present method is useful for studying the cellular behavior on the specific extracellular matrix protein in cell-culturing environments.

  15. Neural differentiation of adipose-derived stem cells by indirect co-culture with Schwann cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li Xiaojie

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available To investigate whether adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs could be subject to neural differentiation induced only by Schwann cell (SC factors, we co-cultured ADSCs and SCs in transwell culture dishes. Immunoassaying, Western blot analysis, and RT-PCR were performed (1, 3, 7, 14 d and the co-cultured ADSCs showed gene and protein expression of S-100, Nestin, and GFAP. Further, qRT-PCR disclosed relative quantitative differences in the above three gene expressions. We think ADSCs can undergo induced neural differentiation by being co-cultured with SCs, and such differentia­tions begin 1 day after co-culture, become apparent after 7 days, and thereafter remain stable till the 14th day.

  16. The Evolution of Polystyrene as a Cell Culture Material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lerman, Max J; Lembong, Josephine; Muramoto, Shin; Gillen, Greg; Fisher, John P

    2018-04-10

    Polystyrene (PS) has brought in vitro cell culture from its humble beginnings to the modern era, propelling dozens of research fields along the way. This review discusses the development of the material, fabrication, and treatment approaches to create the culture material. However, native PS surfaces poorly facilitate cell adhesion and growthin vitro. To overcome this, liquid surface deposition, energetic plasma activation, and emerging functionalization methods transform the surface chemistry. This review seeks to highlight the many potential applications of the first widely accepted polymer growth surface. Although the majority of in vitro research occurs on 2D surfaces, the importance of 3D culture models cannot be overlooked. Here the methods to transition PS to specialized 3D culture surfaces are also reviewed. Specifically, casting, electrospinning, 3D printing, and microcarrier approaches to shift PS to a 3D culture surface are highlighted. The breadth of applications of the material makes it impossible to highlight every use, but the aim remains to demonstrate the versatility and potential as both a general and custom cell culture surface. The review concludes with emerging scaffolding approaches and, based on the findings, presents our insights on the future steps for PS as a tissue culture platform.

  17. Cell death in Tetrahymena thermophila: new observations on culture conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Christensen, S T; Sørensen, H; Beyer, N H; Kristiansen, K; Rasmussen, L; Rasmussen, M I

    2001-01-01

    We previously suggested that the cell fate of the protozoan ciliate, Tetrahymena thermophila, effectively relates to a quorum-sensing mechanism where cell-released factors support cell survival and proliferation. The cells have to be present above a critical initial density in a chemically defined nutrient medium in order to release a sufficient level of these factors to allow a new colony to flourish. At a relatively high rate of metabolism and/or macromolecular synthesis and below this critical density, cells began to die abruptly within 30 min of inoculation, and this death took the form of an explosive disintegration lasting less than 50 milliseconds. The cells died at any location in the culture, and the frequency of cell death was always lower in well-filled vials than those with medium/air interface. Cell death was inhibited by the addition of Actinomycin D or through modifications of the culture conditions either by reducing the oxygen tension or by decreasing the temperature of the growth medium. In addition, plastic caps in well-filled vials release substances, which promote cell survival. The fate of low-density cultures is related to certain 'physical' conditions, in addition to the availability of oxygen within closed culture systems. Copyright 2001 Academic Press.

  18. A method for culturing human hair follicle cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weterings, P J; Vermorken, A J; Bloemendal, H

    1981-01-01

    For the first time a method for culturing human hair follicle cells is described. The bovine eye lens capsule, a basement membrane-like structure, is used as the substrate for the cultures. In a culture medium supplemented with hydrocortisone and insulin about 70% of the original follicles will form growing colonies of diploid keratinocytes.

  19. Improved Performance in Mammalian Cell Perfusion Cultures by Growth Inhibition.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolf, Moritz K F; Closet, Aurélie; Bzowska, Monika; Bielser, Jean-Marc; Souquet, Jonathan; Broly, Hervé; Morbidelli, Massimo

    2018-05-21

    Mammalian cell perfusion cultures represent a promising alternative to the current fed-batch technology for the production of various biopharmaceuticals. Long-term operation at a fixed viable cell density (VCD) requires a viable culture and a constant removal of excessive cells. Product loss in the cell removing bleed stream deteriorates the process yield. In this study, the authors investigate the use of chemical and environmental growth inhibition on culture performance by either adding valeric acid (VA) to the production media or by reducing the culture temperature (33.0 °C) with respect to control conditions (36.5 °C, no VA). Low temperature significantly reduces cellular growth, thus, resulting in lower bleed rates accompanied by a reduced product loss of 11% compared to 26% under control conditions. Additionally, the cell specific productivity of the target protein improves and maintained stable leading to media savings per mass of product. VA shows initially an inhibitory effect on cellular growth. However, cells seemed to adapt to the presence of the inhibitor resulting in a recovery of the cellular growth. Cell cycle and Western blot analyses support the observed results. This work underlines the role of temperature as a key operating variable for the optimization of perfusion cultures. © 2018 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  20. Self-assembling Fmoc dipeptide hydrogel for in situ 3D cell culturing

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Akpe Victor

    2007-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Conventional cell culture studies have been performed on 2D surfaces, resulting in flat, extended cell growth. More relevant studies are desired to better mimic 3D in vivo tissue growth. Such realistic environments should be the aim of any cell growth study, requiring new methods for culturing cells in vitro. Cell biology is also tending toward miniaturization for increased efficiency and specificity. This paper discusses the application of a self-assembling peptide-derived hydrogel for use as a 3D cell culture scaffold at the microscale. Results Phenylalanine derivative hydrogel formation was seen to occur in multiple dispersion media. Cells were immobilized in situ within microchambers designed for cell analysis. Use of the highly biocompatible hydrogel components and simplistic procedures significantly reduced the cytotoxic effects seen with alternate 3D culture materials and microstructure loading methods. Cells were easily immobilized, sustained and removed from microchambers. Differences in growth morphology were seen in the cultured cells, owing to the 3-dimentional character of the gel structure. Degradation improved the removal of hydrogel from the microstructures, permitting reuse of the analysis platforms. Conclusion Self-assembling diphenylalanine derivative hydrogel provided a method to dramatically reduce the typical difficulties of microculture formation. Effective generation of patterned 3D cultures will lead to improved cell study results by better modeling in vivo growth environments and increasing efficiency and specificity of cell studies. Use of simplified growth scaffolds such as peptide-derived hydrogel should be seen as highly advantageous and will likely become more commonplace in cell culture methodology.

  1. Cluster–cluster aggregation with particle replication and chemotaxy: a simple model for the growth of animal cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alves, S G; Martins, M L

    2010-01-01

    Aggregation of animal cells in culture comprises a series of motility, collision and adhesion processes of basic relevance for tissue engineering, bioseparations, oncology research and in vitro drug testing. In the present paper, a cluster–cluster aggregation model with stochastic particle replication and chemotactically driven motility is investigated as a model for the growth of animal cells in culture. The focus is on the scaling laws governing the aggregation kinetics. Our simulations reveal that in the absence of chemotaxy the mean cluster size and the total number of clusters scale in time as stretched exponentials dependent on the particle replication rate. Also, the dynamical cluster size distribution functions are represented by a scaling relation in which the scaling function involves a stretched exponential of the time. The introduction of chemoattraction among the particles leads to distribution functions decaying as power laws with exponents that decrease in time. The fractal dimensions and size distributions of the simulated clusters are qualitatively discussed in terms of those determined experimentally for several normal and tumoral cell lines growing in culture. It is shown that particle replication and chemotaxy account for the simplest cluster size distributions of cellular aggregates observed in culture

  2. Culture in embryonic kidney serum and xeno-free media as renal cell carcinoma and renal cell carcinoma cancer stem cells research model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krawczyk, Krzysztof M; Matak, Damian; Szymanski, Lukasz; Szczylik, Cezary; Porta, Camillo; Czarnecka, Anna M

    2018-04-01

    The use of fetal bovine serum hinders obtaining reproducible experimental results and should also be removed in hormone and growth factor studies. In particular hormones found in FBS act globally on cancer cell physiology and influence transcriptome and metabolome. The aim of our study was to develop a renal carcinoma serum free culture model optimized for (embryonal) renal cells in order to select the best study model for downstream auto-, para- or endocrine research. Secondary aim was to verify renal carcinoma stem cell culture for this application. In the study, we have cultured renal cell carcinoma primary tumour cell line (786-0) as well as human kidney cancer stem cells in standard 2D monolayer cultures in Roswell Park Memorial Institute Medium or Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium and Complete Human Kidney Cancer Stem Cell Medium, respectively. Serum-free, animal-component free Human Embryonic Kidney 293 media were tested. Our results revealed that xeno-free embryonal renal cells optimized culture media provide a useful tool in RCC cancer biology research and at the same time enable effective growth of RCC. We propose bio-mimic RCC cell culture model with specific serum-free and xeno-free medium that promote RCC cell viability.

  3. Quality by control: Towards model predictive control of mammalian cell culture bioprocesses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sommeregger, Wolfgang; Sissolak, Bernhard; Kandra, Kulwant; von Stosch, Moritz; Mayer, Martin; Striedner, Gerald

    2017-07-01

    The industrial production of complex biopharmaceuticals using recombinant mammalian cell lines is still mainly built on a quality by testing approach, which is represented by fixed process conditions and extensive testing of the end-product. In 2004 the FDA launched the process analytical technology initiative, aiming to guide the industry towards advanced process monitoring and better understanding of how critical process parameters affect the critical quality attributes. Implementation of process analytical technology into the bio-production process enables moving from the quality by testing to a more flexible quality by design approach. The application of advanced sensor systems in combination with mathematical modelling techniques offers enhanced process understanding, allows on-line prediction of critical quality attributes and subsequently real-time product quality control. In this review opportunities and unsolved issues on the road to a successful quality by design and dynamic control implementation are discussed. A major focus is directed on the preconditions for the application of model predictive control for mammalian cell culture bioprocesses. Design of experiments providing information about the process dynamics upon parameter change, dynamic process models, on-line process state predictions and powerful software environments seem to be a prerequisite for quality by control realization. © 2017 The Authors. Biotechnology Journal published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Sensor Access to the Cellular Microenvironment Using the Sensing Cell Culture Flask.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kieninger, Jochen; Tamari, Yaara; Enderle, Barbara; Jobst, Gerhard; Sandvik, Joe A; Pettersen, Erik O; Urban, Gerald A

    2018-04-26

    The Sensing Cell Culture Flask (SCCF) is a cell culture monitoring system accessing the cellular microenvironment in 2D cell culture using electrochemical microsensors. The system is based on microfabricated sensor chips embedded in standard cell culture flasks. Ideally, the sensor chips could be equipped with any electrochemical sensor. Its transparency allows optical inspection of the cells during measurement. The surface of the sensor chip is in-plane with the flask surface allowing undisturbed cell growth on the sensor chip. A custom developed rack system allows easy usage of multiple flasks in parallel within an incubator. The presented data demonstrates the application of the SCCF with brain tumor (T98G) and breast cancer (T-47D) cells. Amperometric oxygen sensors were used to monitor cellular respiration with different incubation conditions. Cellular acidification was accessed with potentiometric pH sensors using electrodeposited iridium oxide films. The system itself provides the foundation for electrochemical monitoring systems in 3D cell culture.

  5. Sensor Access to the Cellular Microenvironment Using the Sensing Cell Culture Flask

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jochen Kieninger

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The Sensing Cell Culture Flask (SCCF is a cell culture monitoring system accessing the cellular microenvironment in 2D cell culture using electrochemical microsensors. The system is based on microfabricated sensor chips embedded in standard cell culture flasks. Ideally, the sensor chips could be equipped with any electrochemical sensor. Its transparency allows optical inspection of the cells during measurement. The surface of the sensor chip is in-plane with the flask surface allowing undisturbed cell growth on the sensor chip. A custom developed rack system allows easy usage of multiple flasks in parallel within an incubator. The presented data demonstrates the application of the SCCF with brain tumor (T98G and breast cancer (T-47D cells. Amperometric oxygen sensors were used to monitor cellular respiration with different incubation conditions. Cellular acidification was accessed with potentiometric pH sensors using electrodeposited iridium oxide films. The system itself provides the foundation for electrochemical monitoring systems in 3D cell culture.

  6. Preparing nuclei from cells in monolayer cultures suitable for counting and for following synchronized cells through the cell cycle.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Butler, W B

    1984-08-15

    A procedure is described for preparing nuclei from cells in monolayer culture so that they may be counted using an electronic particle counter. It takes only 10 to 15 min, and consists of swelling the cells in hypotonic buffer and then lysing them with the quaternary ammonium salt, ethylhexadecyldimethylammonium bromide. The cells are completely lysed, yielding a suspension of clean single nuclei which is stable, free of debris, and easily counted. The method was developed for a cell line of epithelial origin (MCF-7), which is often difficult to trypsinize to single cells. It works equally well at all cell densities up to and beyond confluence, and has been used with a variety of cells in culture, including 3T3 cells, bovine macrophages, rat mammary epithelial cells, mouse mammary tumor cell lines, and human fibroblasts. The size of the nuclei produced by this procedure is related to their DNA content, and the method is thus suitable for following cultures of synchronized cells through the cell cycle, and for performing differential counts of cells with substantial differences in DNA content.

  7. MAPLE deposition of 3D micropatterned polymeric substrates for cell culture

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Paun, Irina Alexandra, E-mail: irina.paun@physics.pub.ro [National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, RO-077125, Magurele, Bucharest (Romania); Faculty of Applied Sciences, University Politehnica of Bucharest, RO-060042, Bucharest (Romania); Mihailescu, Mona [Faculty of Applied Sciences, University Politehnica of Bucharest, RO-060042, Bucharest (Romania); Calenic, Bogdan [Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Dentistry, UMF Carol Davila, Bucharest (Romania); Luculescu, Catalin Romeo [National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, RO-077125, Magurele, Bucharest (Romania); Greabu, Maria [Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Dentistry, UMF Carol Davila, Bucharest (Romania); Dinescu, Maria, E-mail: dinescum@nipne.ro [National Institute for Laser, Plasma and Radiation Physics, RO-077125, Magurele, Bucharest (Romania)

    2013-08-01

    3D micropatterned poly(lactide-co-glycolide)/polyurethane (PLGA/PU) substrates were produced by MAPLE deposition through masks and used for regulating the behavior of oral keratinocyte stem cells in response to topography. Flat PLGA/PU substrates were produced for comparison. 3D imaging of the PLGA/PU substrates and of the cultured cells was performed by Digital Holographic Microscopy. The micropatterns were in the shape of squares of 50 × 50 and 80 × 80 μm{sup 2} areas, ∼1.8 μm in height and separated by 20 μm wide channels. It was found that substrate topography guided the adhesion of the cultured cells: on the smooth substrates the cells adhered randomly and showed no preferred orientation; in contrast, on the micropatterned substrates the cells adhered preferentially onto the squares and not in the separating channels. Furthermore, key properties of the cells (size, viability, proliferation rate and stem cell marker expression) did not show any dependence on substrate topography. The size of the cultured cells, their viability, the proportions of actively/slow proliferating cells, as well as the stem cell markers expressions, were similar for both flat and micropatterned substrates. Finally, it was found that the cells cultured on the PLGA/PU substrates deposited by MAPLE exhibited similar properties as the controls (i.e. cells cultured on glass slides), indicating the capability of the former to preserve the properties of the keratinocyte stem cells.

  8. Lingual Epithelial Stem Cells and Organoid Culture of Them

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hiroko Hisha

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available As tongue cancer is one of the major malignant cancers in the world, understanding the mechanism of maintenance of lingual epithelial tissue, which is known to be the origin of tongue cancer, is unquestionably important. However, the actual stem cells that are responsible for the long-term maintenance of the lingual epithelium have not been identified. Moreover, a simple and convenient culture method for lingual epithelial stem cells has not yet been established. Recently, we have shown that Bmi1-positive cells, residing at the second or third layer of the epithelial cell layer at the base of the interpapillary pit (IPP, were slow-cycling and could supply keratinized epithelial cells for over one year, indicating that Bmi1-positive cells are long-term lingual epithelial stem cells. In addition, we have developed a novel lingual epithelium organoid culture system using a three-dimensional matrix and growth factors. Here, we discuss current progress in the identification of lingual stem cells and future applications of the lingual culture system for studying the regulatory mechanisms of the lingual epithelium and for regenerative medicine.

  9. Plant Cell Cultures as Source of Cosmetic Active Ingredients

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ani Barbulova

    2014-04-01

    Full Text Available The last decades witnessed a great demand of natural remedies. As a result, medicinal plants have been increasingly cultivated on a commercial scale, but the yield, the productive quality and the safety have not always been satisfactory. Plant cell cultures provide useful alternatives for the production of active ingredients for biomedical and cosmetic uses, since they represent standardized, contaminant-free and biosustainable systems, which allow the production of desired compounds on an industrial scale. Moreover, thanks to their totipotency, plant cells grown as liquid suspension cultures can be used as “biofactories” for the production of commercially interesting secondary metabolites, which are in many cases synthesized in low amounts in plant tissues and differentially distributed in the plant organs, such as roots, leaves, flowers or fruits. Although it is very widespread in the pharmaceutical industry, plant cell culture technology is not yet very common in the cosmetic field. The aim of the present review is to focus on the successful research accomplishments in the development of plant cell cultures for the production of active ingredients for cosmetic applications.

  10. Establishment of an immortalized mouse dermal papilla cell strain with optimized culture strategy

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Haiying Guo

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available Dermal papilla (DP plays important roles in hair follicle regeneration. Long-term culture of mouse DP cells can provide enough cells for research and application of DP cells. We optimized the culture strategy for DP cells from three dimensions: stepwise dissection, collagen I coating, and optimized culture medium. Based on the optimized culture strategy, we immortalized primary DP cells with SV40 large T antigen, and established several immortalized DP cell strains. By comparing molecular expression and morphologic characteristics with primary DP cells, we found one cell strain named iDP6 was similar with primary DP cells. Further identifications illustrate that iDP6 expresses FGF7 and α-SMA, and has activity of alkaline phosphatase. During the process of characterization of immortalized DP cell strains, we also found that cells in DP were heterogeneous. We successfully optimized culture strategy for DP cells, and established an immortalized DP cell strain suitable for research and application of DP cells.

  11. Cell Homogeneity Indispensable for Regenerative Medicine by Cultured Human Corneal Endothelial Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamuro, Junji; Toda, Munetoyo; Asada, Kazuko; Hiraga, Asako; Schlötzer-Schrehardt, Ursula; Montoya, Monty; Sotozono, Chie; Ueno, Morio; Kinoshita, Shigeru

    2016-09-01

    To identify the subpopulation (SP) among heterogeneous cultured human corneal endothelial cells (cHCECs) devoid of cell-state transition applicable for cell-based therapy. Subpopulation presence in cHCECs was confirmed via surface CD-marker expression level by flow cytometry. CD markers effective for distinguishing distinct SPs were selected by analyzing those on established cHCECs with a small cell area and high cell density. Contrasting features among three typical cHCEC SPs was confirmed by PCR array for extracellular matrix (ECM). Combined analysis of CD markers was performed to identify the SP (effector cells) applicable for therapy. ZO-1 and Na+/K+ ATPase, CD200, and HLA expression were compared among heterogeneous SPs. Flow cytometry analysis identified the effector cell expressing CD166+CD105-CD44-∼+/-CD26-CD24-, but CD200-, and the presence of other SPs with CD166+ CD105-CD44+++ (CD26 and CD24, either + or -) was confirmed. PCR array revealed three distinct ECM expression profiles. Some SPs expressed ZO-1 and Na+/K+ ATPase at comparable levels with effector cells, while only one SP expressed CD200, but not on effector cells. Human leukocyte antigen expression was most reduced in the effector SP. The proportion of effector cells (E-ratio) inversely paralleled donor age and decreased during prolonged culture passages. The presence of Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) inhibitor increased the E-ratio in cHCECs. The average area of effector cells was approximately 200∼220 μm2, and the density of cHCECs exceeded 2500 cells/mm2. A specified cultured effector cell population sharing the surface phenotypes with mature HCECs in corneal tissues may serve as an alternative to donor corneas for the treatment of corneal endothelial dysfunction.

  12. Mouse cell culture - Methods and protocols

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    CarloAlberto Redi

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The mouse is, out of any doubt, the experimental animal par excellence for many many colleagues within the scientific community, notably for those working in mammalian biology (in a broad sense, from basic genetic to modeling human diseases, starting at least from 1664 Robert Hooke experiments on air’s propertyn. Not surprising then that mouse cell cultures is a well established field of research itself and that there are several handbooks devoted to this discipline. Here, Andrew Ward and David Tosh provide a necessary update of the protocols currently needed. In fact, nearly half of the book is devoted to stem cells culture protocols, mainly embryonic, from a list of several organs (kidney, lung, oesophagus and intestine, pancreas and liver to mention some........

  13. A stromal cell free culture system generates mouse pro-T cells that can reconstitute T-cell compartments in vivo.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gehre, Nadine; Nusser, Anja; von Muenchow, Lilly; Tussiwand, Roxane; Engdahl, Corinne; Capoferri, Giuseppina; Bosco, Nabil; Ceredig, Rhodri; Rolink, Antonius G

    2015-03-01

    T-cell lymphopenia following BM transplantation or diseases such as AIDS result in immunodeficiency. Novel approaches to ameliorate this situation are urgently required. Herein, we describe a novel stromal cell free culture system in which Lineage(-) Sca1(+)c-kit(+) BM hematopoietic progenitors very efficiently differentiate into pro-T cells. This culture system consists of plate-bound Delta-like 4 Notch ligand and the cytokines SCF and IL-7. The pro-T cells developing in these cultures express CD25, CD117, and partially CD44; express cytoplasmic CD3ε; and have their TCRβ locus partially D-J rearranged. They could be expanded for over 3 months and used to reconstitute the T-cell compartments of sublethally irradiated T-cell-deficient CD3ε(-/-) mice or lethally irradiated WT mice. Pro-T cells generated in this system could partially correct the T-cell lymphopenia of pre-Tα(-/-) mice. However, reconstituted CD3ε(-/-) mice suffered from a wasting disease that was prevented by co-injection of purified CD4(+) CD25(high) WT Treg cells. In a T-cell-sufficient or T-lymphopenic setting, the development of disease was not observed. Thus, this in vitro culture system represents a powerful tool to generate large numbers of pro-T cells for transplantation and possibly with clinical applications. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Cultures and co-cultures of human blood mononuclear cells and endothelial cells for the biocompatibility assessment of surface modified AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Stio, Maria; Martinesi, Maria; Treves, Cristina [Dipartimento di Scienze Biomediche, Sperimentali e Cliniche ‘Mario Serio’, Sezione di Scienze Biochimiche, Università di Firenze, viale Morgagni 50, 50134 Firenze (Italy); Borgioli, Francesca, E-mail: francesca.borgioli@unifi.it [Dipartimento di Ingegneria Industriale (DIEF), Università di Firenze, via S. Marta 3, 50139 Firenze (Italy)

    2016-12-01

    Samples of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel were subjected either to grinding and polishing procedure, or to grinding and then low temperature glow-discharge nitriding treatment, or to grinding, nitriding and subsequently coating with collagen-I. Nitrided samples, even if only ground, show a higher corrosion resistance in PBS solution, in comparison with ground and polished AISI 316L. Biocompatibility was evaluated in vitro by incubating the samples with either peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), tested separately or in co-culture. HUVEC-PBMC co-culture and co-incubation of HUVEC with PBMC culture medium, after the previous incubation of PBMC with metallic samples, allowed to determine whether the incubation of PBMC with the different samples might affect HUVEC behaviour. Many biological parameters were considered: cell proliferation, release of cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and sICAM-1, gelatinolytic activity of MMPs, and ICAM-1 protein expression. Nitriding treatment, with or without collagen coating of the samples, is able to ameliorate some of the biological parameters taken into account. The obtained results point out that biocompatibility may be successfully tested in vitro, using cultures of normal human cells, as blood and endothelial cells, but more than one cell line should be used, separately or in co-culture, and different parameters should be determined, in particular those correlated with inflammatory phenomena. - Highlights: • Nitriding improves corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of ground AISI 316L. • The metallic samples differently affect different human cell cultures. • PBMC and HUVEC are a suitable model to test in vitro biocompatibility. • Co-cultures show that HUVEC are affected by pre-incubation of PBMC with the samples. • Inflammation parameters must be taken into account for assessing biocompatibility.

  15. Cultures and co-cultures of human blood mononuclear cells and endothelial cells for the biocompatibility assessment of surface modified AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Stio, Maria; Martinesi, Maria; Treves, Cristina; Borgioli, Francesca

    2016-01-01

    Samples of AISI 316L austenitic stainless steel were subjected either to grinding and polishing procedure, or to grinding and then low temperature glow-discharge nitriding treatment, or to grinding, nitriding and subsequently coating with collagen-I. Nitrided samples, even if only ground, show a higher corrosion resistance in PBS solution, in comparison with ground and polished AISI 316L. Biocompatibility was evaluated in vitro by incubating the samples with either peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) or human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), tested separately or in co-culture. HUVEC-PBMC co-culture and co-incubation of HUVEC with PBMC culture medium, after the previous incubation of PBMC with metallic samples, allowed to determine whether the incubation of PBMC with the different samples might affect HUVEC behaviour. Many biological parameters were considered: cell proliferation, release of cytokines, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and sICAM-1, gelatinolytic activity of MMPs, and ICAM-1 protein expression. Nitriding treatment, with or without collagen coating of the samples, is able to ameliorate some of the biological parameters taken into account. The obtained results point out that biocompatibility may be successfully tested in vitro, using cultures of normal human cells, as blood and endothelial cells, but more than one cell line should be used, separately or in co-culture, and different parameters should be determined, in particular those correlated with inflammatory phenomena. - Highlights: • Nitriding improves corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of ground AISI 316L. • The metallic samples differently affect different human cell cultures. • PBMC and HUVEC are a suitable model to test in vitro biocompatibility. • Co-cultures show that HUVEC are affected by pre-incubation of PBMC with the samples. • Inflammation parameters must be taken into account for assessing biocompatibility.

  16. Contacting co-culture of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells alters barrier function of human embryonic stem cell derived retinal pigment epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skottman, H; Muranen, J; Lähdekorpi, H; Pajula, E; Mäkelä, K; Koivusalo, L; Koistinen, A; Uusitalo, H; Kaarniranta, K; Juuti-Uusitalo, K

    2017-10-01

    Here we evaluated the effects of human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hREC) on mature human embryonic stem cell (hESC) derived retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells. The hESC-RPE cells (Regea08/017, Regea08/023 or Regea11/013) and hREC (ACBRI 181) were co-cultured on opposite sides of transparent membranes for up to six weeks. Thereafter barrier function, small molecule permeability, localization of RPE and endothelial cell marker proteins, cellular fine structure, and growth factor secretion of were evaluated. After co-culture, the RPE specific CRALBP and endothelial cell specific von Willebrand factor were appropriately localized. In addition, the general morphology, pigmentation, and fine structure of hESC-RPE cells were unaffected. Co-culture increased the barrier function of hESC-RPE cells, detected both with TEER measurements and cumulative permeability of FD4 - although the differences varied among the cell lines. Co-culturing significantly altered VEGF and PEDF secretion, but again the differences were cell line specific. The results of this study showed that co-culture with hREC affects hESC-RPE functionality. In addition, co-culture revealed drastic cell line specific differences, most notably in growth factor secretion. This model has the potential to be used as an in vitro outer blood-retinal barrier model for drug permeability testing. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Immunoglobulin production in human mixed lymphocyte cultures: implications for co-cultures of cells from patients and healthy donors

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ruemke, H.C.; Terpstra, F.G.; Huis, B.; Out, T.A.; Zeijlemaker, W.P.

    1982-01-01

    When human peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) are cultured in the presence of irradiated allogeneic lymphocytes, the resulting mixed lymphocyte reaction (MLR) leads to the secretion into the supernatant of substantial amounts of IgM and IgG, derived from nonirradiated responder B lymphocytes. Our data indicate that stimulation to Ig production by responder B cells may result from different types of of interactions. First, B cells and monocytes among the irradiated stimulator cells activate T responder B cells to produce Ig; second, ''responder'' B cells activate irradiated ''stimulator'' T cells, leading to a ''helper'' signal, back to the responder B cells and leading to Ig production. The latter system is radiosensitive, because allogeneic T cells, irradiated at a dose of 4000 rad or more, failed to induce Ig production by responder B cells. In some combinations of human allogeneic lymphocytes, the co-culture of the cells leads to inhibition of Ig production, both in the presence and in the absence of PWM. Thus, co-culture of allogeneic cells may cause ''positive'' as well as ''negative'' allogeneic effects. The implications of these findings for the interpretation of co-cultures that are aimed at establishing defects in lymphocytes from patients with, for example, immunodeficiencies, who fail to produce Ig in the presence of PWM are discussed

  18. Control of fibronectin synthesis by rat granulosa cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Skinner, M.K.; Dorrington, J.H.

    1984-01-01

    The secreted and cellular [ 35 S]methionine-radiolabeled proteins of cultured rat granulosa cells were separated by electrophoresis on sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS) polyacrylamide gradient slab gels. From 24 to 72 h of culture FSH increased the intensity of labeling of most of the secreted proteins. A 220,000-dalton protein, however, increased in intensity only in control cultures and became the major secreted protein after 72 h, comprising 20% of the total radiolabeled proteins. This protein was identified as fibronectin by immunoprecipitation. There was no increase in the secreted or cellular fibronectin in FSH- or testosterone- and insulin-treated cultures. These studies indicate that a component of extracellular matrix is a major secretory product of unstimulated immature granulosa cells. As hormones induce the differentiated functions of granulosa cells in culture, the secretion of fibronectin is inhibited

  19. Differential heat shock response of primary human cell cultures and established cell lines

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Richter, W W; Issinger, O G

    1986-01-01

    degrees C treatment, whereas in immortalized cell lines usually 90% of the cells were found in suspension. Enhanced expression of the major heat shock protein (hsp 70) was found in all heat-treated cells. In contrast to the primary cell cultures, established and transformed cell lines synthesized...

  20. Predictions for optimal mitigation of paracrine inhibitory signalling in haemopoietic stem cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berry, Joseph D; Godara, Pankaj; Liovic, Petar; Haylock, David N

    2015-04-16

    Recent studies in the literature have highlighted the critical role played by cell signalling in determining haemopoietic stem cell (HSC) fate within ex vivo culture systems. Stimulatory signals can enhance proliferation and promote differentiation, whilst inhibitory signals can significantly limit culture output. Numerical models of various mitigation strategies are presented and applied to determine effectiveness of these strategies toward mitigation of paracrine inhibitory signalling inherent in these culture systems. The strategies assessed include mixing, media-exchange, fed-batch and perfusion. The models predict that significant spatial concentration gradients exist in typical cell cultures, with important consequences for subsequent cell expansion. Media exchange is shown to be the most effective mitigation strategy, but remains labour intensive and difficult to scale-up for large culture systems. The fed-batch strategy is only effective at very small Peclet number, and its effect is diminished as the cell culture volume grows. Conversely, mixing is effective at high Peclet number, and ineffective at low Peclet number. The models predict that cell expansion in fed-batch cultures becomes independent of increasing dilution rate, consistent with experimental results previously reported in the literature. In contrast, the models predict that increasing the flow rate in perfused cultures will lead to increased cell expansion, indicating the suitability of perfusion for use as an automated, tunable strategy. The effect of initial cell seeding density is also investigated, with the model showing that perfusion outperforms dilution for all densities considered. The models predict that the impact of inhibitory signalling in HSC cultures can be mitigated against using media manipulation strategies, with the optimal strategy dependent upon the protein diffusion time-scale relative to the media manipulation time-scale. The key messages from this study can be applied to

  1. Human disc cells in monolayer vs 3D culture: cell shape, division and matrix formation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hanley Edward N

    2000-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The relationship between cell shape, proliferation, and extracellular matrix (ECM production, important aspects of cell behavior, is examined in a little-studied cell type, the human annulus cell from the intervertebral disc, during monolayer vs three-dimensional (3D culture. Results Three experimental studies showed that cells respond specifically to culture microenvironments by changes in cell shape, mitosis and ECM production: 1 Cell passages showed extensive immunohistochemical evidence of Type I and II collagens only in 3D culture. Chondroitin sulfate and keratan sulfate were abundant in both monolayer and 3D cultures. 2 Cells showed significantly greater proliferation in monolayer in the presence of platelet-derived growth factor compared to cells in 3D. 3 Cells on Matrigel™-coated monolayer substrates became rounded and formed nodular colonies, a finding absent during monolayer growth. Conclusions The cell's in vivo interactions with the ECM can regulate shape, gene expression and other cell functions. The shape of the annulus cell changes markedly during life: the young, healthy disc contains spindle shaped cells and abundant collagen. With aging and degeneration, many cells assume a strikingly different appearance, become rounded and are surrounded by unusual accumulations of ECM products. In vitro manipulation of disc cells provides an experimental window for testing how disc cells from given individuals respond when they are grown in environments which direct cells to have either spindle- or rounded-shapes. In vitro assessment of the response of such cells to platelet-derived growth factor and to Matrigel™ showed a continued influence of cell shape even in the presence of a growth factor stimulus. These findings contribute new information to the important issue of the influence of cell shape on cell behavior.

  2. Preparation of high bioactivity multilayered bone-marrow mesenchymal stem cell sheets for myocardial infarction using a 3D-dynamic system.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Yingwei; Zhang, Jianhua; Qin, Zixi; Fan, Zepei; Lu, Cheng; Chen, Baoxin; Zhao, Jupeng; Li, Xiaojuan; Xiao, Fei; Lin, Xi; Wu, Zheng

    2018-05-01

    Cell sheet techniques offer a promising future for myocardial infarction (MI) therapy; however, insufficient nutrition supply remains the major limitation in maintaining stem cell bioactivity in vitro. In order to enhance cell sheet mechanical strength and bioactivity, a decellularized porcine pericardium (DPP) scaffold was prepared by the phospholipase A2 method, and aspartic acid was used as a spacer arm to improve the vascular endothelial growth factor crosslink efficiency on the DPP scaffold. Based on this scaffold, multilayered bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell sheets were rapidly constructed, using RAD16-I peptide hydrogel as a temporary 3D scaffold, and cell sheets were cultured in either the 3D-dynamic system (DCcs) or the traditional static condition (SCcs). The multilayered structure, stem cell bioactivity, and ultrastructure of DCcs and SCcs were assessed. The DCcs exhibited lower apoptosis, lower differentiation, and an improved paracrine effect after a 48 h culture in vitro compared to the SCcs. Four groups were set to evaluate the cell sheet effect in rat MI model: sham group, MI control group, DCcs group, and SCcs group. The DCcs group improved cardiac function and decreased the infarcted area compared to the MI control group, while no significant improvements were observed in the SCcs group. Improved cell survival, angiogenesis, and Sca-1 + cell and c-kit + cell amounts were observed in the DCcs group. In conclusion, the DCcs maintained higher stem cell bioactivity by using the 3D-dynamic system to provide sufficient nutrition, and transplanting DCcs significantly improved the cardiac function and angiogenesis. This study provides an efficient method to prepare vascular endothelial growth factor covalent decellularized pericardium scaffold with aspartic acid, and a multilayered bone marrow mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) sheet is constructed on it using a 3D-dynamic system. The dynamic nutrition supply showed a significant benefit on BMSC bioactivity

  3. Ultrastructure of cells of Ulmus americana cultured in vitro and exposed to the culture filtrate of Ceratocystis ulmi

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paula M. Pijut; R. Daniel Lineberger; Subhash C. Domir; Jann M. Ichida; Charles R. Krause

    1990-01-01

    Calli of American elm susceptible and resistant to Dutch elm disease were exposed to a culture filtrate of a pathogenic isolate of Ceratocystis ulmi. Cells from untreated tissue exhibited typical internal composition associated with healthy, actively growing cells. All cells exposed to culture filtrate showed appreciable ultrastructural changes....

  4. Establishment of a long-term three-dimensional primary culture of mouse glandular stomach epithelial cells within the stem cell niche

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Katano, Takahito; Ootani, Akifumi; Mizoshita, Tsutomu; Tanida, Satoshi; Tsukamoto, Hironobu; Ozeki, Keiji; Ebi, Masahide; Mori, Yoshinori; Kataoka, Hiromi; Kamiya, Takeshi; Toda, Shuji; Joh, Takashi

    2013-01-01

    Highlights: ► We established a 3D culture system to allow long-term culture of stomach cells. ► In this culture system, gastric epithelial cells grew for about 3 months. ► The cultured cells differentiated into multi-units of the stomach. ► This culture method should be useful for elucidating the cause of gastric diseases. -- Abstract: Compared to the small intestine and colon, little is known about stem cells in the stomach because of a lack of specific stem cell markers and an in vitro system that allows long-term culture. Here we describe a long-term three-dimensional (3D) primary gastric culture system within the stem cell niche. Glandular stomach cells from neonatal mice cultured in collagen gel yielded expanding sphere-like structures for 3 months. The wall of the gastrospheres consisted of a highly polarized epithelial monolayer with an outer lining of myofibroblasts. The epithelial cells showed a tall columnar cell shape, basal round nuclei, and mucus-filled cytoplasm as well as expression of MUC5AC, indicating differentiation into gastric surface mucous cells. These cells demonstrated the features of fully differentiated gastric surface mucous cells such as microvilli, junctional complexes, and glycogen and secretory granules. Fewer than 1% of cultured epithelial cells differentiated into enteroendocrine cells. Active proliferation of the epithelial cells and many apoptotic cells in the inner lumen revealed the rapid cell turnover in gastrospheres in vitro. This method enables us to investigate the role of signaling between cell–cell and epithelial–mesenchymal interactions in an environment that is extremely similar to the in vivo environment

  5. Establishment of a long-term three-dimensional primary culture of mouse glandular stomach epithelial cells within the stem cell niche

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Katano, Takahito [Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan); Ootani, Akifumi [Department of Gastroenterology and GI Endoscopy Center, Shin-Kokura Hospital, Federation of National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Associations, 1-3-1 Kanada, Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu 803-0816 (Japan); Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501 (Japan); Mizoshita, Tsutomu, E-mail: tmizoshi@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp [Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan); Tanida, Satoshi; Tsukamoto, Hironobu; Ozeki, Keiji; Ebi, Masahide; Mori, Yoshinori; Kataoka, Hiromi; Kamiya, Takeshi [Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan); Toda, Shuji [Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849-8501 (Japan); Joh, Takashi [Department of Gastroenterology and Metabolism, Nagoya City University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, 1 Kawasumi, Mizuho-cho, Mizuho-ku, Nagoya 467-8601 (Japan)

    2013-03-22

    Highlights: ► We established a 3D culture system to allow long-term culture of stomach cells. ► In this culture system, gastric epithelial cells grew for about 3 months. ► The cultured cells differentiated into multi-units of the stomach. ► This culture method should be useful for elucidating the cause of gastric diseases. -- Abstract: Compared to the small intestine and colon, little is known about stem cells in the stomach because of a lack of specific stem cell markers and an in vitro system that allows long-term culture. Here we describe a long-term three-dimensional (3D) primary gastric culture system within the stem cell niche. Glandular stomach cells from neonatal mice cultured in collagen gel yielded expanding sphere-like structures for 3 months. The wall of the gastrospheres consisted of a highly polarized epithelial monolayer with an outer lining of myofibroblasts. The epithelial cells showed a tall columnar cell shape, basal round nuclei, and mucus-filled cytoplasm as well as expression of MUC5AC, indicating differentiation into gastric surface mucous cells. These cells demonstrated the features of fully differentiated gastric surface mucous cells such as microvilli, junctional complexes, and glycogen and secretory granules. Fewer than 1% of cultured epithelial cells differentiated into enteroendocrine cells. Active proliferation of the epithelial cells and many apoptotic cells in the inner lumen revealed the rapid cell turnover in gastrospheres in vitro. This method enables us to investigate the role of signaling between cell–cell and epithelial–mesenchymal interactions in an environment that is extremely similar to the in vivo environment.

  6. Adherence of Moraxella bovis to cell cultures of bovine origin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Annuar, B O; Wilcox, G E

    1985-09-01

    The adherence of five strains of Moraxella bovis to cell cultures was investigated. M bovis adhered to cultures of bovine corneal epithelial and Madin-Darby bovine kidney cells but not to cell types of non-bovine origin. Both piliated and unpiliated strains adhered but piliated strains adhered to a greater extent than unpiliated strains. Antiserum against pili of one strain inhibited adherence of piliated strains but caused only slight inhibition of adherence to the unpiliated strains. Treatment of bacteria with magnesium chloride caused detachment of pili from the bacterial cell and markedly inhibited adherence of piliated strains but caused only slight inhibition of adherence by the unpiliated strains. The results suggested that adhesion of piliated strains to cell cultures was mediated via pili but that adhesins other than pili may be involved in the attachment of unpiliated strains of M bovis to cells.

  7. Dosage and cell line dependent inhibitory effect of bFGF supplement in human pluripotent stem cell culture on inactivated human mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quang, Tara; Marquez, Maribel; Blanco, Giselle; Zhao, Yuanxiang

    2014-01-01

    Many different culture systems have been developed for expanding human pluripotent stem cells (hESCs and hiPSCs). In general, 4-10 ng/ml of bFGF is supplemented in culture media in feeder-dependent systems regardless of feeder cell types, whereas in feeder-free systems, up to 100 ng/ml of bFGF is required for maintaining long-term culture on various substrates. The amount of bFGF required in native hESCs growth niche is unclear. Here we report using inactivated adipose-derived human mesenchymal stem cells as feeder cells to examine long-term parallel cultures of two hESCs lines (H1 and H9) and one hiPSCs line (DF19-9-7T) in media supplemented with 0, 0.4 or 4 ng/ml of bFGF for up to 23 passages, as well as parallel cultures of H9 and DF19 in media supplemented with 4, 20 or 100 ng/ml bFGF for up to 13 passages for comparison. Across all cell lines tested, bFGF supplement demonstrated inhibitory effect over growth expansion, single cell colonization and recovery from freezing in a dosage dependent manner. In addition, bFGF exerted differential effects on different cell lines, inducing H1 and DF19 differentiation at 4 ng/ml or higher, while permitting long-term culture of H9 at the same concentrations with no apparent dosage effect. Pluripotency was confirmed for all cell lines cultured in 0, 0.4 or 4 ng/ml bFGF excluding H1-4 ng, as well as H9 cultured in 4, 20 and 100 ng/ml bFGF. However, DF19 demonstrated similar karyotypic abnormality in both 0 and 4 ng/ml bFGF media while H1 and H9 were karyotypically normal in 0 ng/ml bFGF after long-term culture. Our results indicate that exogenous bFGF exerts dosage and cell line dependent effect on human pluripotent stem cells cultured on mesenchymal stem cells, and implies optimal use of bFGF in hESCs/hiPSCs culture should be based on specific cell line and its culture system.

  8. AMMONIA REMOVAL FROM MAMMALIAN CELL CULTURE MEDIUM BY ION-EXCHANGE MEMBRANES

    Science.gov (United States)

    Metabolites such as ammonia and lactic acid formed during mammalian cell culture can frequently be toxic to the cells themselves beyond a threshold concentration of the metabolites. Cell culture conducted in the presence of such accumulated metabolites is therefore limited in pro...

  9. Advanced three-dimensional culture of equine intestinal epithelial stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stewart, A Stieler; Freund, J M; Gonzalez, L M

    2018-03-01

    Intestinal epithelial stem cells are critical to epithelial repair following gastrointestinal injury. The culture of intestinal stem cells has quickly become a cornerstone of a vast number of new research endeavours that range from determining tissue viability to testing drug efficacy for humans. This study aims to describe the methods of equine stem cell culture and highlights the future benefits of these techniques for the advancement of equine medicine. To describe the isolation and culture of small intestinal stem cells into three-dimensional (3D) enteroids in horses without clinical gastrointestinal abnormalities. Descriptive study. Intestinal samples were collected by sharp dissection immediately after euthanasia. Intestinal crypts containing intestinal stem cells were dissociated from the underlying tissue layers, plated in a 3D matrix and supplemented with growth factors. After several days, resultant 3D enteroids were prepared for immunofluorescent imaging and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis to detect and characterise specific cell types present. Intestinal crypts were cryopreserved immediately following collection and viability assessed. Intestinal crypts were successfully cultured and matured into 3D enteroids containing a lumen and budding structures. Immunofluorescence and PCR were used to confirm the existence of stem cells and all post mitotic, mature cell types, described to exist in the horse intestinal epithelium. Previously frozen crypts were successfully cultured following a freeze-thaw cycle. Tissues were all derived from normal horses. Application of this technique for the study of specific disease was not performed at this time. The successful culture of equine intestinal crypts into 3D "mini-guts" allows for in vitro studies of the equine intestine. Additionally, these results have relevance to future development of novel therapies that harness the regenerative potential of equine intestine in horses with gastrointestinal disease

  10. Assessment of long-term effects of nanoparticles in a microcarrier cell culture system.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Mrakovcic

    Full Text Available Nano-sized materials could find multiple applications in medical diagnosis and therapy. One main concern is that engineered nanoparticles, similar to combustion-derived nanoparticles, may cause adverse effects on human health by accumulation of entire particles or their degradation products. Chronic cytotoxicity must therefore be evaluated. In order to perform chronic cytotoxicity testing of plain polystyrene nanoparticles on the endothelial cell line EAhy 926, we established a microcarrier cell culture system for anchorage-dependent cells (BioLevitator(TM. Cells were cultured for four weeks and exposed to doses, which were not cytotoxic upon 24 hours of exposure. For comparison, these particles were also studied in regularly sub-cultured cells, a method that has traditionally been used to assess chronic cellular effects. Culturing on basal membrane coated microcarriers produced very high cell densities. Fluorescent particles were mainly localized in the lysosomes of the exposed cells. After four weeks of exposure, the number of cells exposed to 20 nm polystyrene particles decreased by 60% as compared to untreated controls. When tested in sub-cultured cells, the same particles decreased cell numbers to 80% of the untreated controls. Dose-dependent decreases in cell numbers were also noted after exposure of microcarrier cultured cells to 50 nm short multi-walled carbon nanotubes. Our findings support that necrosis, but not apoptosis, contributed to cell death of the exposed cells in the microcarrier culture system. In conclusion, the established microcarrier model appears to be more sensitive for the identification of cellular effects upon prolonged and repeated exposure to nanoparticles than traditional sub-culturing.

  11. Isolation, culture and adenoviral transduction of parietal cells from mouse gastric mucosa

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gliddon, Briony L; Nguyen, Nhung V; Gunn, Priscilla A; Gleeson, Paul A; Driel, Ian R van

    2008-01-01

    Here we describe a method for the isolation of intact gastric glands from mice and primary culture and transfection of mouse gastric epithelial cells. Collagenase digestion of PBS-perfused mouse stomachs released large intact gastric glands that were plated on a basement membrane matrix. The heterogeneous gland cell cultures typically contain ∼60% parietal cells. Isolated mouse parietal cells remain viable in culture for up to 5 days and react strongly with an antibody specific to the gastric H + /K + ATPase. Isolated intact mouse gastric glands and primary cultures of mouse parietal cells respond to the secretagogue, histamine. Typical morphological changes from a resting to an acid-secreting active parietal cell were observed. In resting cultures of mouse parietal cells, the H + /K + ATPase displayed a cytoplasmic punctate staining pattern consistent with tubulovesicle element structures. Following histamine stimulation, an expansion of internal apical vacuole structures was observed together with a pronounced redistribution of the H + /K + ATPase from the cytoplasm to the apical vacuoles. A reproducible procedure to express genes of interest exogenously in these cultures of mouse parietal cells was also established. This method combines recombinant adenoviral transduction with magnetic field-assisted transfection resulting in ∼30% transduced parietal cells. Adenoviral-transduced parietal cells maintain their ability to undergo agonist-induced activation. This protocol will be useful for the isolation, culture and expression of genes in parietal cells from genetically modified mice and as such will be an invaluable tool for studying the complex exocytic and endocytic trafficking events of the H + /K + ATPase which underpin the regulation of acid secretion

  12. Risk Mitigation in Preventing Adventitious Agent Contamination of Mammalian Cell Cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shiratori, Masaru; Kiss, Robert

    2017-11-14

    Industrial-scale mammalian cell culture processes have been contaminated by viruses during the culturing phase. Although the historical frequency of such events has been quite low, the impact of contamination can be significant for the manufacturing company and for the supply of the product to patients. This chapter discusses sources of adventitious agent contamination risk in a cell culture process, provides a semiquantitative assessment of such risks, and describes potential process barriers that can be used to reduce contamination risk. High-temperature, short-time (HTST) heat treatment is recommended as the process barrier of choice, when compatible with the process. A case study assessing the compatibility of HTST heat treatment with a cell culture medium is presented, and lessons learned are shared from our experiences over many years of developing and implementing virus barriers in mammalian cell culture processes. Graphical Abstract.

  13. Pre-irradiation of tissue culture flasks leads to diminished stem and progenitor cell production in long-term bone marrow cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rooney, P.; Wright, E.G.

    1993-01-01

    Empty plastic tissue culture flasks were exposed to X-irradiation doses of 0.3-10.0 Gy, prior to the establishment of long-term bone marrow cultures. During the course of a 10 week culture period, all irradiated plastic flasks exhibited a dramatic decrease in the number of both haemopoietic stem cells and myeloid progenitor cells, in the non-adherent layer, when compared with controls. This decrease was not due to a decrease in the number of non-adherent cells produced. Histological examination of non-adherent cells showed an increase in mature granulocytic cells with few blast cells. Morphologically, the adherent layers of irradiated flasks demonstrated a delay in appearance or absence of fat cell production. X-irradiation of glass tissue culture flasks had no deleterious effect. (author)

  14. Cell in situ zymography: an in vitro cytotechnology for localization of enzyme activity in cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chhabra, Aastha; Jaiswal, Astha; Malhotra, Umang; Kohli, Shrey; Rani, Vibha

    2012-09-01

    In situ zymography is a unique technique for detection and localization of enzyme-substrate interactions majorly in histological sections. Substrate with quenched fluorogenic molecule is incorporated in gel over which tissue sections are mounted and then incubated in buffer. The enzymatic activity is observed in the form of fluorescent signal. With the advancements in the field of biological research, use of in vitro cell culture has become very popular and holds great significance in multiple fields including inflammation, cancer, stem cell biology and the still emerging 3-D cell cultures. The information on analysis of enzymatic activity in cell lines is inadequate presently. We propose a single-step methodology that is simple, sensitive, cost-effective, and functional to perform and study the 'in position' activity of enzyme on substrate for in vitro cell cultures. Quantification of enzymatic activity to carry out comparative studies on cells has also been illustrated. This technique can be applied to a variety of enzyme classes including proteases, amylases, xylanases, and cellulases in cell cultures.

  15. Cellular Microenvironment Dictates Androgen Production by Murine Fetal Leydig Cells in Primary Culture1

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carney, Colleen M.; Muszynski, Jessica L.; Strotman, Lindsay N.; Lewis, Samantha R.; O'Connell, Rachel L.; Beebe, David J.; Theberge, Ashleigh B.; Jorgensen, Joan S.

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Despite the fact that fetal Leydig cells are recognized as the primary source of androgens in male embryos, the mechanisms by which steroidogenesis occurs within the developing testis remain unclear. A genetic approach was used to visualize and isolate fetal Leydig cells from remaining cells within developing mouse testes. Cyp11a1-Cre mice were bred to mT/mG dual reporter mice to target membrane-tagged enhanced green fluorescent protein (GFP) within steroidogenic cells, whereas other cells expressed membrane-tagged tandem-dimer tomato red. Fetal Leydig cell identity was validated using double-labeled immunohistochemistry against GFP and the steroidogenic enzyme 3beta-HSD, and cells were successfully isolated as indicated by qPCR results from sorted cell populations. Because fetal Leydig cells must collaborate with neighboring cells to synthesize testosterone, we hypothesized that the fetal Leydig cell microenvironment defined their capacity for androgen production. Microfluidic culture devices were used to measure androstenedione and testosterone production of fetal Leydig cells that were cultured in cell-cell contact within a mixed population, were isolated but remained in medium contact via compartmentalized co-culture with other testicular cells, or were isolated and cultured alone. Results showed that fetal Leydig cells maintained their identity and steroidogenic activity for 3–5 days in primary culture. Microenvironment dictated proficiency of testosterone production. As expected, fetal Leydig cells produced androstenedione but not testosterone when cultured in isolation. More testosterone accumulated in medium from mixed cultures than from compartmentalized co-cultures initially; however, co-cultures maintained testosterone synthesis for a longer time. These data suggest that a combination of cell-cell contact and soluble factors constitute the ideal microenvironment for fetal Leydig cell activity in primary culture. PMID:25143354

  16. Isolation and culture of neural crest cells from embryonic murine neural tube.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pfaltzgraff, Elise R; Mundell, Nathan A; Labosky, Patricia A

    2012-06-02

    The embryonic neural crest (NC) is a multipotent progenitor population that originates at the dorsal aspect of the neural tube, undergoes an epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) and migrates throughout the embryo, giving rise to diverse cell types. NC also has the unique ability to influence the differentiation and maturation of target organs. When explanted in vitro, NC progenitors undergo self-renewal, migrate and differentiate into a variety of tissue types including neurons, glia, smooth muscle cells, cartilage and bone. NC multipotency was first described from explants of the avian neural tube. In vitro isolation of NC cells facilitates the study of NC dynamics including proliferation, migration, and multipotency. Further work in the avian and rat systems demonstrated that explanted NC cells retain their NC potential when transplanted back into the embryo. Because these inherent cellular properties are preserved in explanted NC progenitors, the neural tube explant assay provides an attractive option for studying the NC in vitro. To attain a better understanding of the mammalian NC, many methods have been employed to isolate NC populations. NC-derived progenitors can be cultured from post-migratory locations in both the embryo and adult to study the dynamics of post-migratory NC progenitors, however isolation of NC progenitors as they emigrate from the neural tube provides optimal preservation of NC cell potential and migratory properties. Some protocols employ fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) to isolate a NC population enriched for particular progenitors. However, when starting with early stage embryos, cell numbers adequate for analyses are difficult to obtain with FACS, complicating the isolation of early NC populations from individual embryos. Here, we describe an approach that does not rely on FACS and results in an approximately 96% pure NC population based on a Wnt1-Cre activated lineage reporter. The method presented here is adapted from

  17. Tailor-made three-dimensional hybrid scaffolds for cell cultures

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Psycharakis, Stylianos; Melissinaki, Vasileia; Giakoumaki, Anastasia; Ranella, Anthi; Tosca, Androniki

    2011-01-01

    The construction of the ideal three-dimensional scaffold for cell culture is one of the most intriguing topics in tissue engineering. It has been shown that cells can be cultured on most organic biomimetic materials, which now are losing popularity in favour of novel, hybrid systems. In this study, a series of photosensitive sol-gel hybrid materials, based on silicon-zirconium and silicon-titanium oxides, have been investigated for their suitability in three-dimensional scaffold fabrication. These materials can be structured by two-photon polymerization, a laser-based technique allowing the fabrication of micrometre-size structures with submicron resolution. The work presented here examined the effect of the organic/inorganic composition of the materials on cell behaviour and the establishment of a 'cell-culture friendly' environment. This is vital for cell adhesion, growth and differentiation, as the organic part of the material provides the soft matrix for cell growth, whereas the inorganic component gives the mechanical stability and rigidity of the three-dimensional structures. In addition, the use of femtosecond laser structuring permits the fabrication of a wide range of mechanically stable scaffolds of different sizes and shapes to be tested in terms of cell viability, proliferation and orientation.

  18. An antitubulin agent BCFMT inhibits proliferation of cancer cells and induces cell death by inhibiting microtubule dynamics.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ankit Rai

    Full Text Available Using cell based screening assay, we identified a novel anti-tubulin agent (Z-5-((5-(4-bromo-3-chlorophenylfuran-2-ylmethylene-2-thioxothiazolidin-4-one (BCFMT that inhibited proliferation of human cervical carcinoma (HeLa (IC(50, 7.2 ± 1.8 µM, human breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7 (IC(50, 10.0 ± 0.5 µM, highly metastatic breast adenocarcinoma (MDA-MB-231 (IC(50, 6.0 ± 1 µM, cisplatin-resistant human ovarian carcinoma (A2780-cis (IC(50, 5.8 ± 0.3 µM and multi-drug resistant mouse mammary tumor (EMT6/AR1 (IC(50, 6.5 ± 1 µM cells. Using several complimentary strategies, BCFMT was found to inhibit cancer cell proliferation at G2/M phase of the cell cycle apparently by targeting microtubules. In addition, BCFMT strongly suppressed the dynamics of individual microtubules in live MCF-7 cells. At its half maximal proliferation inhibitory concentration (10 µM, BCFMT reduced the rates of growing and shortening phases of microtubules in MCF-7 cells by 37 and 40%, respectively. Further, it increased the time microtubules spent in the pause (neither growing nor shortening detectably state by 135% and reduced the dynamicity (dimer exchange per unit time of microtubules by 70%. In vitro, BCFMT bound to tubulin with a dissociation constant of 8.3 ± 1.8 µM, inhibited tubulin assembly and suppressed GTPase activity of microtubules. BCFMT competitively inhibited the binding of BODIPY FL-vinblastine to tubulin with an inhibitory concentration (K(i of 5.2 ± 1.5 µM suggesting that it binds to tubulin at the vinblastine site. In cultured cells, BCFMT-treatment depolymerized interphase microtubules, perturbed the spindle organization and accumulated checkpoint proteins (BubR1 and Mad2 at the kinetochores. BCFMT-treated MCF-7 cells showed enhanced nuclear accumulation of p53 and its downstream p21, which consequently activated apoptosis in these cells. The results suggested that BCFMT inhibits proliferation of several types of cancer cells including drug

  19. Somatic embryogenesis in cell cultures of Glycine species.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gamborg, O L; Davis, B P; Stahlhut, R W

    1983-08-01

    This report describes the development of procedures for the production of somatic embryos in cell cultures of Glycine species including soybean. The conditions for callus induction and initiation of rapidly growing cell suspension cultures were defined. Methods for inducing embryogenesis were tested on 16 lines of several Glycine species and cultivars of soybean. The SB-26 Culture of a G. soja gave the best results and was used in the experiments. Embryogenesis required the presence of picloram or 2,4-D. AMO 1618, CCC, PP-333 and Ancymidol enhanced the embryogenesis frequency. Plants of the G. soja (SB-26) were grown to maturity from seed-derived shoot tips. Characteristics of the plants are discussed.

  20. Is cell culture a risky business? Risk analysis based on scientist survey data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shannon, Mark; Capes-Davis, Amanda; Eggington, Elaine; Georghiou, Ronnie; Huschtscha, Lily I; Moy, Elsa; Power, Melinda; Reddel, Roger R; Arthur, Jonathan W

    2016-02-01

    Cell culture is a technique that requires vigilance from the researcher. Common cell culture problems, including contamination with microorganisms or cells from other cultures, can place the reliability and reproducibility of cell culture work at risk. Here we use survey data, contributed by research scientists based in Australia and New Zealand, to assess common cell culture risks and how these risks are managed in practice. Respondents show that sharing of cell lines between laboratories continues to be widespread. Arrangements for mycoplasma and authentication testing are increasingly in place, although scientists are often uncertain how to perform authentication testing. Additional risks are identified for preparation of frozen stocks, storage and shipping. © 2015 UICC.

  1. Pigment Cell Differentiation in Sea Urchin Blastula-Derived Primary Cell Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ageenko, Natalya V.; Kiselev, Konstantin V.; Dmitrenok, Pavel S.; Odintsova, Nelly A.

    2014-01-01

    The quinone pigments of sea urchins, specifically echinochrome and spinochromes, are known for their effective antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and antitumor activities. We developed in vitro technology for inducing pigment differentiation in cell culture. The intensification of the pigment differentiation was accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in cell proliferation. The number of pigment cells was two-fold higher in the cells cultivated in the coelomic fluids of injured sea urchins than in those intact. The possible roles of the specific components of the coelomic fluids in the pigment differentiation process and the quantitative measurement of the production of naphthoquinone pigments during cultivation were examined by MALDI and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Echinochrome A and spinochrome E were produced by the cultivated cells of the sand dollar Scaphechinus mirabilis in all tested media, while only spinochromes were found in the cultivated cells of another sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus intermedius. The expression of genes associated with the induction of pigment differentiation was increased in cells cultivated in the presence of shikimic acid, a precursor of naphthoquinone pigments. Our results should contribute to the development of new techniques in marine biotechnology, including the generation of cell cultures producing complex bioactive compounds with therapeutic potential. PMID:24979272

  2. The Effect of Spaceflight on Bone Cell Cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Landis, William J.

    1999-01-01

    Understanding the response of bone to mechanical loading (unloading) is extremely important in defining the means of adaptation of the body to a variety of environmental conditions such as during heightened physical activity or in extended explorations of space or the sea floor. The mechanisms of the adaptive response of bone are not well defined, but undoubtedly they involve changes occurring at the cellular level of bone structure. This proposal has intended to examine the hypothesis that the loading (unloading) response of bone is mediated by specific cells through modifications of their activity cytoskeletal elements, and/or elaboration of their extracellular matrices. For this purpose, this laboratory has utilized the results of a number of previous studies defining molecular biological, biochemical, morphological, and ultrastructural events of the reproducible mineralization of a primary bone cell (osteoblast) culture system under normal loading (1G gravity level). These data and the culture system then were examined following the use of the cultures in two NASA shuttle flights, STS-59 and STS-63. The cells collected from each of the flights were compared to respective synchronous ground (1G) control cells examined as the flight samples were simultaneously analyzed and to other control cells maintained at 1G until the time of shuttle launch, at which point they were terminated and studied (defined as basal cells). Each of the cell cultures was assayed in terms of metabolic markers- gene expression; synthesis and secretion of collagen and non-collagenous proteins, including certain cytoskeletal components; assembly of collagen into macrostructural arrays- formation of mineral; and interaction of collagen and mineral crystals during calcification of the cultures. The work has utilized a combination of biochemical techniques (radiolabeling, electrophoresis, fluorography, Western and Northern Blotting, and light microscopic immunofluorescence) and structural

  3. Culture of Mouse Neural Stem Cell Precursors

    OpenAIRE

    Currle, D. Spencer; Hu, Jia Sheng; Kolski-Andreaco, Aaron; Monuki, Edwin S.

    2007-01-01

    Primary neural stem cell cultures are useful for studying the mechanisms underlying central nervous system development. Stem cell research will increase our understanding of the nervous system and may allow us to develop treatments for currently incurable brain diseases and injuries. In addition, stem cells should be used for stem cell research aimed at the detailed study of mechanisms of neural differentiation and transdifferentiation and the genetic and environmental signals that direct the...

  4. Induction of expression of two phenotypic markers of pulmonary type II cells in a cultured cell line

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Henderson, R.F.; Waide, J.J.; Scott, G.G.

    1994-01-01

    The functions of pulmonary type II cells, such as synthesis of pulmonary surfactant and metabolism of inhaled xenobiotics, can be studied in primary isolates of lung cells. However, isolated type II cells, when cultured, quickly lose the phenotypic expressions characteristics of type II cells, including surfactant lipid and protein synthesis and alkaline phosphatase (AP) activity. A cultured cell line that maintained expression of type II cell markers of differentiation would be advantageous for the study of such functions as surfactant synthesis and secretion. Such a cell line would allow generation of a large number of homogeneous cells for study. The purpose of the current study was to induce markers of differentiated type II cells in a cultured cell line to facilitate studies of factors that control surfactant synthesis and secretion

  5. Incorporation of tritium into planctonic algae in a continuous culture under dynamic conditions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Strack, S.; Kistner, G.; Emeis, C.C.

    1979-01-01

    For the purpose of modelling the ecologic behaviour of organically bound tritium (OBT) in aquatic food chains under dynamic conditions (i.e. by changing tritium concentrations), a continuous culture of algae was chosen to which tritium was added by a single injection as tritiated water (HTO). The culture was working according to the chemostatic principle where the concentration of cells is in a steady state. Therefore, according to the growth of algae, tritium is incorporated into the organic substance, while in a parallel process HTO and algae are eliminated from the system at the same rate. From these two processes of first-order kinetics, a special function resulted for the concentration process of OBT in the fermenter that is well known in the field of drug kinetics. Initially it increases until it reaches a maximum value where it intersects the elimination curve of HTO, then decreases and asymptotically approaches the time axis - in the same manner as the elimination curve - only at a superior level. A comparison of this theoretically calculated function with the concentration actually found shows that also under dynamic conditions tritium is undergoing discrimination because of isotopic effects up to a ratio of I=0.80. The calculation of the ratios R=(OBT)/(HTO) in the continuous culture by comparing the function for OBT with the elimination curve for HTO shows a linear increase of R-values during the experiment. At maximum tritium concentration in the algae, the ratio becomes greater than one, and at the end of the experiment it reaches a value of about 6. However, by extrapolating to a time of 40 half-lives, when the absolute concentration of HTO has already decreased by a factor of 10 -12 , a ratio of about 25 was found. The discrimination enters the estimation of R-values at a constant factor of 0.80. (author)

  6. Three-dimensional spheroid culture of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells promotes cell yield and stemness maintenance.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yi; Guo, Gang; Li, Li; Chen, Fei; Bao, Ji; Shi, Yu-Jun; Bu, Hong

    2015-05-01

    Mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) transplantation is a promising treatment of many diseases. However, conventional techniques with cells being cultured as a monolayer result in slow cell proliferation and insufficient yield to meet clinical demands. Three-dimensional (3D) culture systems are gaining attention with regard to recreating a complex microenvironment and to understanding the conditions experienced by cells. Our aim is to establish a novel 3D system for the culture of human umbilical cord MSCs (hUC-MSCs) within a real 3D microenvironment but with no digestion or passaging. Primary hUC-MSCs were isolated and grown in serum-free medium (SFM) on a suspension Rocker system. Cell characteristics including proliferation, phenotype and multipotency were recorded. The therapeutic effects of 3D-cultured hUC-MSCs on carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)-induced acute liver failure in mouse models were examined. In the 3D Rocker system, hUC-MSCs formed spheroids in SFM and maintained high viability and active proliferation. Compared with monolayer culture, the 3D-culture system yielded more hUC-MSCs cells within the same volume. The spheroids expressed higher levels of stem cell markers and displayed stronger multipotency. After transplantation into mouse, 3D hUC-MSCs significantly promoted the secretion of interferon-γ and interleukin-6 but inhibited that of tumor necrosis factor-α, thereby alleviating liver necrosis and promoting regeneration following CCl4 injury. The 3D culture of hUC-MSCs thus promotes cell yield and stemness maintenance and represents a promising strategy for hUC-MSCs expansion on an industrial scale with great potential for cell therapy and biotechnology.

  7. Evaluation of mechanical and morphologic features of PLLA membranes as supports for perfusion cells culture systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Montesanto, S., E-mail: salvatore.montesanto1985@gmail.com [Department of Civil, Environmental, Aerospace, Materials Engineering (DICAM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 8, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Brucato, V. [Department of Civil, Environmental, Aerospace, Materials Engineering (DICAM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 8, 90128 Palermo (Italy); La Carrubba, V. [Department of Civil, Environmental, Aerospace, Materials Engineering (DICAM), University of Palermo, Viale delle Scienze Ed. 8, 90128 Palermo (Italy); Euro-Mediterranean Institute of Science and Technology (IEMEST), Via Michele Miraglia, 20, 90128 Palermo (Italy)

    2016-12-01

    Porous biodegradable PLLA membranes, which can be used as supports for perfusion cell culture systems were designed, developed and characterized. PLLA membranes were prepared via diffusion induced phase separation (DIPS). A glass slab was coated with a binary PLLA–dioxane solution (8 wt.% PLLA) via dip coating, then pool immersed in two subsequent coagulation baths, and finally dried in a humidity-controlled environment. Surface and mechanical properties were evaluated by measuring pore size, porosity via scanning electron microscopy, storage modulus, loss modulus and loss angle by using a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Cell adhesion assays on different membrane surfaces were also performed by using a standard count method. Results provide new insights into the foaming methods for producing polymeric membranes and supply indications on how to optimise the fabrication parameters to design membranes for tissue cultures and regeneration. - Highlights: • Design, development and characterization of porous biodegradable PLLA membranes via DIPS technology. • Easy-to-tune processing parameters in terms of surface and volumetric properties and cell adhesion. • Evaluation of the impact of the interconnection degree on membrane's mechanical properties. • Evaluation of cell adhesion on different membrane surface textures.

  8. Evaluation of mechanical and morphologic features of PLLA membranes as supports for perfusion cells culture systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Montesanto, S.; Brucato, V.; La Carrubba, V.

    2016-01-01

    Porous biodegradable PLLA membranes, which can be used as supports for perfusion cell culture systems were designed, developed and characterized. PLLA membranes were prepared via diffusion induced phase separation (DIPS). A glass slab was coated with a binary PLLA–dioxane solution (8 wt.% PLLA) via dip coating, then pool immersed in two subsequent coagulation baths, and finally dried in a humidity-controlled environment. Surface and mechanical properties were evaluated by measuring pore size, porosity via scanning electron microscopy, storage modulus, loss modulus and loss angle by using a dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). Cell adhesion assays on different membrane surfaces were also performed by using a standard count method. Results provide new insights into the foaming methods for producing polymeric membranes and supply indications on how to optimise the fabrication parameters to design membranes for tissue cultures and regeneration. - Highlights: • Design, development and characterization of porous biodegradable PLLA membranes via DIPS technology. • Easy-to-tune processing parameters in terms of surface and volumetric properties and cell adhesion. • Evaluation of the impact of the interconnection degree on membrane's mechanical properties. • Evaluation of cell adhesion on different membrane surface textures.

  9. Roles of CD34+ cells and ALK5 signaling in the reconstruction of seminiferous tubule-like structures in 3-D re-aggregate culture of dissociated cells from neonatal mouse testes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Abe, Shin-Ichi; Abe, Kazuko; Zhang, Jidong; Harada, Tomoaki; Mizumoto, Go; Oshikawa, Hiroki; Akiyama, Haruhiko; Shimamura, Kenji

    2017-01-01

    Tissue reconstruction in vitro can provide, if successful, a refined and simple system to analyze the underlying mechanisms that drive the morphogenesis and maintain the ordered structure. We have recently succeeded in reconstruction of seminiferous cord-like and tubule-like structures using 3-D re-aggregate culture of dissociated testicular cells. In testis formation, endothelial cells that migrated from mesonephroi to embryonic gonads have been shown to be critical for development of testis cords, but how endothelial cells contribute to testis cord formation remains unknown. To decipher the roles of endothelial and peritubular cells in the reconstruction of cord-like and tubule-like structures, we investigated the behavior of CD34+ endothelial and p75+ cells, and peritubular myoid cells (PTMCs) in 3-D re-aggregate cultures of testicular cells. The results showed that these 3 types of cells had the capacity of re-aggregation on their own and with each other, and of segregation into 3 layers in a re-aggregate, which were very similar to interstitial and peritubular tissues in vivo. Observation of behaviors of fluorescent Sertoli cells and other non-fluorescent types of cells using testes from Sox9-EGFP transgenic mice showed dynamic cell movement and segregation in re-aggregate cultures. Cultures of testicular cells deprived of interstitial and peritubular cells resulted in dysmorphic structures, but re-addition of them restored tubule-like structures. Purified CD34+ cells in culture differentiated into p75+ cells and PTMCs. These results indicate that CD34+ cells differentiate into p75+ cells, which then differentiate into PTMCs. TGFβ signaling inhibitors, SB431542 and ALK5i, disturbed the reconstruction of cord-like and tubule-like structures, and the latter compromised re-construction of interstitial-like and peritubular-like structures, as well as the proliferation of CD34+, p75+, PTMCs, and Sertoli cells, and their movement and differentiation. These results

  10. Thymic epithelial cells. I. Expression of strong suppressive (veto) activity in mouse thymic epithelial cell cultures

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Claesson, Mogens Helweg; Ropke, C

    1990-01-01

    We show that thymic epithelial cells grown under serum-free conditions in a chemically defined culture medium can act as veto cells in vitro. The veto activity of thymic epithelial cells results in inactivation of specific alloreactive cytotoxic T-cell precursors at the clonal level. It is conclu......We show that thymic epithelial cells grown under serum-free conditions in a chemically defined culture medium can act as veto cells in vitro. The veto activity of thymic epithelial cells results in inactivation of specific alloreactive cytotoxic T-cell precursors at the clonal level...

  11. CD34+ cells cultured in stem cell factor and interleukin-2 generate CD56+ cells with antiproliferative effects on tumor cell lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hensel Nancy

    2005-04-01

    Full Text Available Abstract In vitro stimulation of CD34+ cells with IL-2 induces NK cell differentiation. In order to define the stages of NK cell development, which influence their generation from CD34 cells, we cultured G-CSF mobilized peripheral blood CD34+ cells in the presence of stem cell factor and IL-2. After three weeks culture we found a diversity of CD56+ subsets which possessed granzyme A, but lacked the cytotoxic apparatus required for classical NK-like cytotoxicity. However, these CD56+ cells had the unusual property of inhibiting proliferation of K562 and P815 cell lines in a cell-contact dependent fashion.

  12. Cultured meat from stem cells: challenges and prospects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Post, Mark J

    2012-11-01

    As one of the alternatives for livestock meat production, in vitro culturing of meat is currently studied. The generation of bio-artificial muscles from satellite cells has been ongoing for about 15 years, but has never been used for generation of meat, while it already is a great source of animal protein. In order to serve as a credible alternative to livestock meat, lab or factory grown meat should be efficiently produced and should mimic meat in all of its physical sensations, such as visual appearance, smell, texture and of course, taste. This is a formidable challenge even though all the technologies to create skeletal muscle and fat tissue have been developed and tested. The efficient culture of meat will primarily depend on culture conditions such as the source of medium and its composition. Protein synthesis by cultured skeletal muscle cells should further be maximized by finding the optimal combination of biochemical and physical conditions for the cells. Many of these variables are known, but their interactions are numerous and need to be mapped. This involves a systematic, if not systems, approach. Given the urgency of the problems that the meat industry is facing, this endeavor is worth undertaking. As an additional benefit, culturing meat may provide opportunities for production of novel and healthier products. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. A carbon dioxide stripping model for mammalian cell culture in manufacturing scale bioreactors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, Zizhuo; Lewis, Amanda M; Borys, Michael C; Li, Zheng Jian

    2017-06-01

    Control of carbon dioxide within the optimum range is important in mammalian bioprocesses at the manufacturing scale in order to ensure robust cell growth, high protein yields, and consistent quality attributes. The majority of bioprocess development work is done in laboratory bioreactors, in which carbon dioxide levels are more easily controlled. Some challenges in carbon dioxide control can present themselves when cell culture processes are scaled up, because carbon dioxide accumulation is a common feature due to longer gas-residence time of mammalian cell culture in large scale bioreactors. A carbon dioxide stripping model can be used to better understand and optimize parameters that are critical to cell culture processes at the manufacturing scale. The prevailing carbon dioxide stripping models in literature depend on mass transfer coefficients and were applicable to cell culture processes with low cell density or at stationary/cell death phase. However, it was reported that gas bubbles are saturated with carbon dioxide before leaving the culture, which makes carbon dioxide stripping no longer depend on a mass transfer coefficient in the new generation cell culture processes characterized by longer exponential growth phase, higher peak viable cell densities, and higher specific production rate. Here, we present a new carbon dioxide stripping model for manufacturing scale bioreactors, which is independent of carbon dioxide mass transfer coefficient, but takes into account the gas-residence time and gas CO 2 saturation time. The model was verified by CHO cell culture processes with different peak viable cell densities (7 to 12 × 10 6  cells mL -1 ) for two products in 5,000-L and 25,000-L bioreactors. The model was also applied to a next generation cell culture process to optimize cell culture conditions and reduce carbon dioxide levels at manufacturing scale. The model provides a useful tool to understand and better control cell culture carbon dioxide

  14. Culture of human cells in experimental units for spaceflight impacts on their behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cazzaniga, Alessandra; Moscheni, Claudia; Maier, Jeanette Am; Castiglioni, Sara

    2017-05-01

    Because space missions produce pathophysiological alterations such as cardiovascular disorders and bone demineralization which are very common on Earth, biomedical research in space is a frontier that holds important promises not only to counterbalance space-associated disorders in astronauts but also to ameliorate the health of Earth-bound population. Experiments in space are complex to design. Cells must be cultured in closed cell culture systems (from now defined experimental units (EUs)), which are biocompatible, functional, safe to minimize any potential hazard to the crew, and with a high degree of automation. Therefore, to perform experiments in orbit, it is relevant to know how closely culture in the EUs reflects cellular behavior under normal growth conditions. We compared the performances in these units of three different human cell types, which were recently space flown, i.e. bone mesenchymal stem cells, micro- and macrovascular endothelial cells. Endothelial cells are only slightly and transiently affected by culture in the EUs, whereas these devices accelerate mesenchymal stem cell reprogramming toward osteogenic differentiation, in part by increasing the amounts of reactive oxygen species. We conclude that cell culture conditions in the EUs do not exactly mimic what happens in a culture dish and that more efforts are necessary to optimize these devices for biomedical experiments in space. Impact statement Cell cultures represent valuable preclinical models to decipher pathogenic circuitries. This is true also for biomedical research in space. A lot has been learnt about cell adaptation and reaction from the experiments performed on many different cell types flown to space. Obviously, cell culture in space has to meet specific requirements for the safety of the crew and to comply with the unique environmental challenges. For these reasons, specific devices for cell culture in space have been developed. It is important to clarify whether these

  15. Microbial community dynamics in thermophilic undefined milk starter cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parente, Eugenio; Guidone, Angela; Matera, Attilio; De Filippis, Francesca; Mauriello, Gianluigi; Ricciardi, Annamaria

    2016-01-18

    Model undefined thermophilic starter cultures were produced from raw milk of nine pasta-filata cheesemaking plants using a selective procedure based on pasteurization and incubation at high temperature with the objective of studying the microbial community dynamics and the variability in performances under repeated (7-13) reproduction cycles with backslopping. The traditional culture-dependent approach, based on random isolation and molecular characterization of isolates was coupled to the determination of pH and the evaluation of the ability to produce acid and fermentation metabolites. Moreover, a culture-independent approach based on amplicon-targeted next-generation sequencing was employed. The microbial diversity was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene sequencing (V1-V3 regions), while the microdiversity of Streptococcus thermophilus populations was explored by using novel approach based on sequencing of partial amplicons of the phosphoserine phosphatase gene (serB). In addition, the occurrence of bacteriophages was evaluated by qPCR and by multiplex PCR. Although it was relatively easy to select for a community dominated by thermophilic lactic acid bacteria (LAB) within a single reproduction cycle, final pH, LAB populations and acid production activity fluctuated over reproduction cycles. Both culture-dependent and -independent methods showed that the cultures were dominated by either S. thermophilus or Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis or by both species. Nevertheless, subdominant mesophilic species, including lactococci and spoilage organisms, persisted at low levels. A limited number of serB sequence types (ST) were present in S. thermophilus populations. L. delbrueckii and Lactococcus lactis bacteriophages were below the detection limit of the method used and high titres of cos type S. thermophilus bacteriophages were detected in only two cases. In one case a high titre of bacteriophages was concurrent with a S. thermophilus biotype shift in the culture

  16. Assessment of genetic and epigenetic variation during long-term Taxus cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Chunhua; Li, Liqin; Wu, Wenjuan; Li, Maoteng; Yu, Xiaoqing; Yu, Longjiang

    2012-07-01

    Gradual loss of secondary metabolite production is a common obstacle in the development of a large-scale plant cell production system. In this study, cell morphology, paclitaxel (Taxol®) biosynthetic ability, and genetic and epigenetic variations in the long-term culture of Taxus media cv Hicksii cells were assessed over a 5-year period to evaluate the mechanisms of the loss of secondary metabolites biosynthesis capacity in Taxus cell. The results revealed that morphological variations, gradual loss of paclitaxel yield and decreased transcriptional level of paclitaxel biosynthesis key genes occurred during long-term subculture. Genetic and epigenetic variations in these cultures were also studied at different times during culture using amplified fragment-length polymorphism (AFLP), methylation-sensitive amplified polymorphism (MSAP), and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analyses. A total of 32 primer combinations were used in AFLP amplification, and none of the AFLP loci were found to be polymorphic, thus no major genetic rearrangements were detected in any of the tested samples. However, results from both MSAP and HPLC indicated that there was a higher level of DNA methylation in the low-paclitaxel yielding cell line after long-term culture. Based on these results, we proposed that accumulation of paclitaxel in Taxus cell cultures might be regulated by DNA methylation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of increased methylation with the prolongation of culture time in Taxus cell culture. It provides substantial clues for exploring the gradual loss of the taxol biosynthesis capacity of Taxus cell lines during long-term subculture. DNA methylation maybe involved in the regulation of paclitaxel biosynthesis in Taxus cell culture.

  17. Primary culture of human Schwann and schwannoma cells: improved and simplified protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dilwali, Sonam; Patel, Pratik B; Roberts, Daniel S; Basinsky, Gina M; Harris, Gordon J; Emerick, Kevin S; Stankovic, Konstantina M

    2014-09-01

    Primary culture of human Schwann cells (SCs) and vestibular schwannoma (VS) cells are invaluable tools to investigate SC physiology and VS pathobiology, and to devise effective pharmacotherapies against VS, which are sorely needed. However, existing culture protocols, in aiming to create robust, pure cultures, employ methods that can lead to loss of biological characteristics of the original cells, potentially resulting in misleading biological findings. We have developed a minimally manipulative method to culture primary human SC and VS cells, without the use of selective mitogens, toxins, or time-consuming and potentially transformative laboratory techniques. Schwann cell purity was quantified longitudinally using S100 staining in SC cultures derived from the great auricular nerve and VS cultures followed for 7 and 12 weeks, respectively. SC cultures retained approximately ≥85% purity for 2 weeks. VS cultures retained approximately ≥80% purity for the majority of the span of 12 weeks, with maximal purity of 87% at 2 weeks. The VS cultures showed high level of biological similarity (68% on average) to their respective parent tumors, as assessed using a protein array featuring 41 growth factors and receptors. Apoptosis rate in vitro negatively correlated with tumor volume. Our results, obtained using a faster, simplified culturing method than previously utilized, indicate that highly pure, primary human SC and VS cultures can be established with minimal manipulation, reaching maximal purity at 2 weeks of culture. The VS cultures recapitulate the parent tumors' biology to a great degree, making them relevant models to investigate VS pathobiology. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Effects of viscoelastic ophthalmic solutions on cell cultures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Madhavan Hajib

    1998-01-01

    Full Text Available The development of mild but significant inflammation probably attributable to viscoelastic ophthalmic solutions in cataract surgery was recently brought to the notice of the authors, and hence a study of the effects of these solutions available in India, on cell cultures was undertaken. We studied the effects of 6 viscoelastic ophthalmic solutions (2 sodium hyaluronate designated as A and B, and 4 hydroxypropylmethylcellulose designated as C, D, E and F on HeLa, Vero and BHK-21 cell lines in tissue culture microtitre plates using undiluted, 1:10 and 1:100 dilutions of the solutions, and in cover slip cultures using undiluted solutions. Phase contrast microscopic examination of the solutions was also done to determine the presence of floating particles. The products D and F produced cytotoxic changes in HeLa cell line and these products also showed the presence of floating particles under phase contrast microscopy. Other products did not have any adverse effects on the cell lines nor did they show floating particles. The viscoelastic ophthalmic pharmaceutical products designated D and F have cytotoxic effects on HeLa cell line which appears to be a useful cell line for testing these products for their toxicity. The presence of particulate materials in products D and F indicates that the methods used for purification of the solution are not effective.

  19. Free-energy carriers in human cultured muscle cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bolhuis, P. A.; de Zwart, H. J.; Ponne, N. J.; de Jong, J. M.

    1985-01-01

    Creatine phosphate (CrP), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), creatine kinase (CK), adenylate kinase (AK), protein, and DNA were quantified in human muscle cell cultures undergoing transition from dividing myoblasts to multinucleate myotubes. CrP is negligible in cultures grown in commonly applied media

  20. Proteins associated with adaptation of cultured tobacco cells to NaCl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, N.K.; Handa, A.K.; Hasegawa, P.M.; Bressan, R.A.

    1985-01-01

    Cultured tobacco cells (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Wisconsin 38) adapted to grow in medium containing high levels of NaCl or polyethylene glycol (PEG) produce several new or enhanced polypeptide bands on sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyarylamide gel electrophoresis. The intensities of some of the polypeptide bands increase with increasing levels of NaCl adaptation, while the intensities of other polypeptide bands are reduced. Synthesis of 26-kilodalton polypeptide(s) occurs at two different periods during culture growth of NaCl adapted cells. Unadapted cells also incorporate 35 S into a 26-kilodalton polypeptide during the later stage of culture growth beginning at midlog phase. The 26-kilodalton polypeptides from adapted and unadapted cells have similar partial proteolysis peptide maps and are immunologically cross-reactive. During adaptation to NaCl, unadapted cells synthesize and accumulate a major 26-kilodalton polypeptide, and the beginning of synthesis corresponds to the period of osmotic adjustment and culture growth. From their results, the authors suggest an involvement of the 26-kilodalton polypeptide in the adaptation of cultured tobacco cells to NaCl and water stress. 38 references, 11 figures, 2 tables

  1. Duchenne muscular dystrophy: normal ATP turnover in cultured cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fox, I.H.; Bertorini, T.; Palmieri, G.M.A.; Shefner, R.

    1986-01-01

    This paper examines ATP metabolism in cultured muscle cells and fibroblasts from patients with Duchenne dystrophy. ATP and ADP levels were the same in cultured cells from normal subjects and patients and there was no difference in ATP synthesis or degradation. The ATP synthesis was measured by the incorporation of C 14-U-adenine into aTP and ADP. although there was a significant decrease in radioactively labelled ATP after incubation with deoxyglucose in Duchenne muscle cells, there was no difference in ATP concentration of ADP metabolism

  2. Human dental pulp cell culture and cell transplantation with an alginate scaffold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kumabe, Shunji; Nakatsuka, Michiko; Kim, Gi-Seup; Jue, Seong-Suk; Aikawa, Fumiko; Shin, Je-Won; Iwai, Yasutomo

    2006-02-01

    Many studies on tissue stem cells have been conducted in the field of regenerative medicine, and some studies have indicated that cultured dental pulp mesenchymal cells secrete dentin matrix. In the present study we used alginate as a scaffold to transplant subcultured human dental pulp cells subcutaneously into the backs of nude mice. We found that when beta-glycerophosphate was added to the culture medium, dentin sialophosphoprotein mRNA coding dentin sialoprotein (DSP) was expressed. An increase in alkaline phosphatase, which is an early marker for odontoblast differentiation, was also demonstrated. At 6 weeks after implantation the subcutaneous formation of radio-opaque calcified bodies was observed in situ. Immunohistochemical and fine structure studies identified expression of type I collagen, type III collagen, and DSP in the mineralizing transplants. Isolated odontoblast-like cells initiated dentin-like hard tissue formation and scattered autolyzing apoptotic cells were also observed in the transplants. The study showed that subcultured dental pulp cells actively differentiate into odontoblast-like cells and induce calcification in an alginate scaffold.

  3. Microfluidic bioreactors for culture of non-adherent cells

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Shah, Pranjul Jaykumar; Vedarethinam, Indumathi; Kwasny, Dorota

    2011-01-01

    Microfluidic bioreactors (μBR) are becoming increasingly popular for cell culture, sample preparation and analysis in case of routine genetic and clinical diagnostics. We present a novel μBR for non-adherent cells designed to mimic in vivo perfusion of cells based on diffusion of media through...

  4. A Dynamic Simulation Model of Organizational Culture and Business Strategy Effects on Performance

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trivellas, Panagiotis; Reklitis, Panagiotis; Konstantopoulos, Nikolaos

    2007-12-01

    In the past two decades, organizational culture literature has gained tremendous interest for both academic and practitioners. This is based not only on the suggestion that culture is related to performance, but also on the view that it is subject of direct managerial control and manipulation to the desired direction. In the present paper, we adopt Competing Values Framework (CVF) to operationalise organizational culture and Porter's typology to conceptualize business strategy (cost leadership, innovative and marketing differentiation, and focus). Although simulation of social events is a quite difficult task, since there are so many considerations (not all well understood) involved, in the present study we developed a dynamic model to simulate the organizational culture and strategy effects on financial performance. Data obtained from a six-year survey in the banking sector of a European developing economy was used for the proposed dynamic model development.

  5. Cytokines effects on radio-induced apoptosis in cortical and hippocampal rat cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Coffigny, H.; Briot, D.; Le Nin, I.

    2000-01-01

    In the central nervous system in development the radio-induced cell death occurs mainly by apoptosis. The effects of modulating factors like cytokines were studied on this kind of death. To handle more easily parameters implicated in nerve cell apoptosis, we studied the effects of radiation with a in vitro system. Cells were isolated from rat foetal cortex and hippocampus, two of the major structures implicated in human mental retardation observed after exposition in utero at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Cortical or hippocampal cells were isolated from 17 day-old rat foetuses by enzymatic and mechanical treatments and irradiated with 0.50 or 1 Gy. The cells from both structures were cultured 1 or 3 days in serum free medium. Cytokines like βNGF, NT3, EGF, βTGF, α and βFGF, IGF I and II, interleukines like Il 1β, Il 2 and IL 6 were added to the medium. In 3 days cortical cell culture, only βFGF increased cell survival with as little as 10 ng/ml. This effect was dose dependent. In hippocampal cell culture, no significant increase of cell survival occurred with 10 ng/ml of any cytokines. In the same system culture with 1 Gy irradiation, the positive or negative effect of the association of βFGF with another cytokine was tested on cell survival. Only the association with EGF induced higher cell survival in cortical cell culture. In hippocampal cell culture where βFGF alone had no effect, the cell survival was not modified by the association. In the same system, the triple association of βFGF-EGF with another cytokine was tested on hippocampal and cortical cell cultures. No significant effect was observed in both cultures but cell survival trented to decrease with βTGF. In order to avoid the mitotic effect of cytokines in the 3 day-old culture, experiments were carried out on 20 hours cell culture, before the end of the first round of the cell cycle, with the selected cytokines (βFGF or βFGF-EGF). Without irradiation, the percentage of cortical cell survival

  6. Transdifferentiation of mouse adipose-derived stromal cells into acinar cells of the submandibular gland using a co-culture system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Jingu; Park, Sangkyu; Roh, Sangho

    2015-01-01

    A loss of salivary gland function often occurs after radiation therapy in head and neck tumors, though secretion of saliva by the salivary glands is essential for the health and maintenance of the oral environment. Transplantation of salivary acinar cells (ACs), in part, may overcome the side effects of therapy. Here we directly differentiated mouse adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) into ACs using a co-culture system. Multipotent ADSCs can be easily collected from stromal vascular fractions of adipose tissues. The isolated ADSCs showed positive expression of markers such as integrin beta-1 (CD29), cell surface glycoprotein (CD44), endoglin (CD105), and Nanog. The cells were able to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and neural-like cells after 14 days in culture. ADSCs at passage 2 were co-cultured with mouse ACs in AC culture medium using the double-chamber (co-culture system) to avoid mixing the cell types. The ADSCs in this co-culture system expressed markers of ACs, such as α-amylases and aquaporin5, in both mRNA and protein. ADSCs cultured in AC-conditioned medium also expressed AC markers. Cellular proliferation and senescence analyses demonstrated that cells in the co-culture group showed lower senescence and a higher proliferation rate than the AC-conditioned medium group at Days 14 and 21. The results above imply direct conversion of ADSCs into ACs under the co-culture system; therefore, ADSCs may be a stem cell source for the therapy for salivary gland damage. - Highlights: • ADSCs could transdifferentiate into acinar cells (ACs) using ACs co-culture (CCA). • Transdifferentiated ADSCs expressed ACs markers such as α-amylase and aquaporin5. • High proliferation and low senescence were presented in CCA at Day 14. • Transdifferentiation of ADSCs into ACs using CCA may be an appropriate method for cell-based therapy

  7. Transdifferentiation of mouse adipose-derived stromal cells into acinar cells of the submandibular gland using a co-culture system

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Jingu; Park, Sangkyu; Roh, Sangho, E-mail: sangho@snu.ac.kr

    2015-05-15

    A loss of salivary gland function often occurs after radiation therapy in head and neck tumors, though secretion of saliva by the salivary glands is essential for the health and maintenance of the oral environment. Transplantation of salivary acinar cells (ACs), in part, may overcome the side effects of therapy. Here we directly differentiated mouse adipose-derived stromal cells (ADSCs) into ACs using a co-culture system. Multipotent ADSCs can be easily collected from stromal vascular fractions of adipose tissues. The isolated ADSCs showed positive expression of markers such as integrin beta-1 (CD29), cell surface glycoprotein (CD44), endoglin (CD105), and Nanog. The cells were able to differentiate into adipocytes, osteoblasts, and neural-like cells after 14 days in culture. ADSCs at passage 2 were co-cultured with mouse ACs in AC culture medium using the double-chamber (co-culture system) to avoid mixing the cell types. The ADSCs in this co-culture system expressed markers of ACs, such as α-amylases and aquaporin5, in both mRNA and protein. ADSCs cultured in AC-conditioned medium also expressed AC markers. Cellular proliferation and senescence analyses demonstrated that cells in the co-culture group showed lower senescence and a higher proliferation rate than the AC-conditioned medium group at Days 14 and 21. The results above imply direct conversion of ADSCs into ACs under the co-culture system; therefore, ADSCs may be a stem cell source for the therapy for salivary gland damage. - Highlights: • ADSCs could transdifferentiate into acinar cells (ACs) using ACs co-culture (CCA). • Transdifferentiated ADSCs expressed ACs markers such as α-amylase and aquaporin5. • High proliferation and low senescence were presented in CCA at Day 14. • Transdifferentiation of ADSCs into ACs using CCA may be an appropriate method for cell-based therapy.

  8. Universal lab-on-a-chip platform for complex, perfused 3D cell cultures

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sonntag, F.; Schmieder, F.; Ströbel, J.; Grünzner, S.; Busek, M.; Günther, K.; Steege, T.; Polk, C.; Klotzbach, U.

    2016-03-01

    The miniaturization, rapid prototyping and automation of lab-on-a-chip technology play nowadays a very important role. Lab-on-a-chip technology is successfully implemented not only for environmental analysis and medical diagnostics, but also as replacement of animals used for the testing of substances in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industries. For that purpose the Fraunhofer IWS and partners developed a lab-on-a-chip platform for perfused cell-based assays in the last years, which includes different micropumps, valves, channels, reservoirs and customized cell culture modules. This technology is already implemented for the characterization of different human cell cultures and organoids, like skin, liver, endothelium, hair follicle and nephron. The advanced universal lab-on-a-chip platform for complex, perfused 3D cell cultures is divided into a multilayer basic chip with integrated micropump and application-specific 3D printed cell culture modules. Moreover a technology for surface modification of the printed cell culture modules by laser micro structuring and a complex and flexibly programmable controlling device based on an embedded Linux system was developed. A universal lab-on-a-chip platform with an optional oxygenator and a cell culture module for cubic scaffolds as well as first cell culture experiments within the cell culture device will be presented. The module is designed for direct interaction with robotic dispenser systems. This offers the opportunity to combine direct organ printing of cells and scaffolds with the microfluidic cell culture module. The characterization of the developed system was done by means of Micro-Particle Image Velocimetry (μPIV) and an optical oxygen measuring system.

  9. Polymer microfilters with nanostructured surfaces for the culture of circulating cancer cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Makarova, Olga V.; Adams, Daniel L.; Divan, Ralu; Rosenmann, Daniel; Zhu, Peixuan; Li, Shuhong; Amstutz, Platte; Tang, Cha-Mei

    2016-01-01

    There is a critical need to improve the accuracy of drug screening and testing through the development of in vitro culture systems that more effectively mimic the in vivo environment. Surface topographical features on the nanoscale level, in short nanotopography, effect the cell growth patterns, and hence affect cell function in culture. We report the preliminary results on the fabrication, and subsequent cellular growth, of nanoscale surface topography on polymer microfilters using cell lines as a precursor to circulating tumor cells (CTCs). To create various nanoscale features on the microfilter surface, we used reactive ion etching (RIE) with and without an etching mask. An anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane fabricated directly on the polymer surface served as an etching mask. Polymer filters with a variety of modified surfaces were used to compare the effects on the culture of cancer cell lines in blank culture wells, with untreated microfilters or with RIE-treated microfilters. We then report the differences of cell shape, phenotype and growth patterns of bladder and glioblastoma cancer cell lines after isolation on the various types of material modifications. Our data suggest that RIE modified polymer filters can isolate model cell lines while retaining ell viability, and that the RIE filter modification allows T24 monolayering cells to proliferate as a structured cluster. - Highlights: • Surface topographical effects the growth patterns and cell function of cancer cells • Nanoscale surface topography on polymer filters for circulating tumor cell culture • Membrane fabricated directly on polymer surfaces utilized for polymer etching • Nanotopography alters cell shape, phenotype and growth patterns of cancer cells • Nanoscale surface topography dictates monolayering or 3D structured cell culture

  10. Polymer microfilters with nanostructured surfaces for the culture of circulating cancer cells

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Makarova, Olga V. [Creatv MicroTech, Inc., 2242 West Harrison St., Chicago 60612, IL (United States); Adams, Daniel L., E-mail: dan@creatvmicrotech.com [Creatv MicroTech, Inc., 1 Deer Park Drive, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852 (United States); Divan, Ralu; Rosenmann, Daniel [Center for Nanoscale Materials, Argonne National Laboratory, 9700 South Cass Ave., Argonne 60439, IL (United States); Zhu, Peixuan; Li, Shuhong; Amstutz, Platte; Tang, Cha-Mei [Creatv MicroTech, Inc., 11609 Lake Potomac Drive, Potomac 20854, MD (United States)

    2016-09-01

    There is a critical need to improve the accuracy of drug screening and testing through the development of in vitro culture systems that more effectively mimic the in vivo environment. Surface topographical features on the nanoscale level, in short nanotopography, effect the cell growth patterns, and hence affect cell function in culture. We report the preliminary results on the fabrication, and subsequent cellular growth, of nanoscale surface topography on polymer microfilters using cell lines as a precursor to circulating tumor cells (CTCs). To create various nanoscale features on the microfilter surface, we used reactive ion etching (RIE) with and without an etching mask. An anodized aluminum oxide (AAO) membrane fabricated directly on the polymer surface served as an etching mask. Polymer filters with a variety of modified surfaces were used to compare the effects on the culture of cancer cell lines in blank culture wells, with untreated microfilters or with RIE-treated microfilters. We then report the differences of cell shape, phenotype and growth patterns of bladder and glioblastoma cancer cell lines after isolation on the various types of material modifications. Our data suggest that RIE modified polymer filters can isolate model cell lines while retaining ell viability, and that the RIE filter modification allows T24 monolayering cells to proliferate as a structured cluster. - Highlights: • Surface topographical effects the growth patterns and cell function of cancer cells • Nanoscale surface topography on polymer filters for circulating tumor cell culture • Membrane fabricated directly on polymer surfaces utilized for polymer etching • Nanotopography alters cell shape, phenotype and growth patterns of cancer cells • Nanoscale surface topography dictates monolayering or 3D structured cell culture.

  11. Count of splenic stromal precursor cells in mice and expression of cytokine genes in these cells in primary cultures during different periods after immunization of animals with S. typhimurium antigens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gorskaya, Yu F; Danilova, T A; Mezentseva, M V; Shapoval, I M; Narovlyanskii, A N; Nesterenko, V G

    2011-06-01

    Injection of S. typhimurium antigens significantly (9-fold) increased cloning efficiency and, hence, the content of stromal precursor cells in the spleen as soon as after 24 h. These parameters returned to normal by days 6-15 after immunization. Cultured splenocytes collected from immune (but not intact) animals expressed the genes of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β (on days 1, 6, 15) and IL-6 (on days 1 and 6), TNF-α (on days 6 and 15), and of IFN-α and IL-18 (on days 6 and 15). The expression of IL-4 gene was suppressed on day 6 after immunization, of IL-10 gene on days 1 and 6, of IL-6 gene on day 15. Hence, no signs of immune response suppression by stromal cells were found in this system. The spectrum and dynamics of the expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine genes in stromal cell cultures from the spleen of immunized mice seemed to correspond to those needed for support of the immune response to S. typhimurium antigens, observed in immunized animals. The results indicate possible involvement of stromal cells in the realization of immune response in vivo. The increase of stromal precursor cells cloning efficiency in response to antigen injection could not be reproduced in vitro: the presence of S. typhimurium antigens in primary cultures of intact mouse bone marrow and spleen throughout the entire period of culturing ≈ 20-fold reduced cloning efficiency in cultures.

  12. Effect of Co-Culturing of Mice Liver Cells and Embryonic Carcinomatous Stem Cells on the Rate of Differentiation to Hematopoietic Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AA Pourfatollah

    2005-10-01

    Full Text Available Introduction: Considering the importance of co-culture in differentiation of embryonic stem cells, the aim of this study was evaluation of the effect of co-culturing fetal liver stroma cells with P19 cells on the line of differentiation. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, P19 cells were cultured directly in semisolid medium. These cells proliferated and primarily differentiated to colonies know as embryoid bodies (EBs after 8-12 days. The Ebs cells were trypsinized and dissociated to single or double cells. Then these cells were co-cultured on the mouse fetal liver feeder layer in the absence of exogenous factors. After 14-18 days, the colonies were studied morphologically by benzidine and giemsa staining and also counted under invert microscope. Results: The percentages of benzidine positive (or erythroid and negative colonies were 94% and 6% respectively and also the cells of colonies were studied by Giemsa staining. Results showed that they were myeloid or lymphoid type cells. Thus, the results show that in the presence of mouse fetal liver feeder layer, the number of erythroid colonies was increased. Conclusions: Therefore, this technique may be effective for differentiation of stem cells from different sources into hematopoietic cells and can be used in future for human cell therapy.

  13. Development of an innovative 3D cell culture system to study tumour--stroma interactions in non-small cell lung cancer cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arno Amann

    Full Text Available INTRODUCTION: We describe a novel 3D co-culture model using non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC cell lines in combination with lung fibroblasts. This model allows the investigation of tumour-stroma interactions and addresses the importance of having a more in vivo like cell culture model. METHODS: Automation-compatible multi-well hanging drop microtiter plates were used for the production of 3D mono- and co-cultures. In these hanging drops the two NSCLC cell lines A549 and Colo699 were cultivated either alone or co-cultured with lung fibroblasts. The viability of tumour spheroids was confirmed after five and ten days by using Annexin V/Propidium Iodide staining for flow-cytometry. Tumour fibroblast spheroid formation was characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM, semi-thin sections, fluorescence microscope and immunohistochemistry (IHC. In addition to conventional histology, protein expression of E-Cadherin, vimentin, Ki67, fibronectin, cytokeratin 7 and α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA was investigated by IHC. RESULTS: Lower viability was observed in A549 monocultures compared to co-cultures, whereas Colo699 monocultures showed better viability compared to co-cultures. Ki67 expression varied significantly between mono- and co-cultures in both tumour cell lines. An increase of vimentin and decreased E-Cadherin expression could be detected during the course of the cultivation suggesting a transition to a more mesenchymal phenotype. Furthermore, the fibroblast cell line showed an expression of α-SMA only in co-culture with the cancer cell line A549, thereby indicating a mesenchymal to mesenchymal shift to an even more myofibroblast phenotype. CONCLUSION: We demonstrate that our method is a promising tool for the generation of tumour spheroid co-cultures. Furthermore, these spheroids allow the investigation of tumour-stroma interactions and a better reflection of in vivo conditions of cancer cells in their microenvironment. Our method holds

  14. Cell culture plastics with immobilized interleukin-4 for monocyte differentiation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Morten; Hjortø, Gertrud Malene; Met, Özcan

    2011-01-01

    Standard cell culture plastic was surface modified by passive adsorption or covalent attachment of interleukin (IL)-4 and investigated for its ability to induce differentiation of human monocytes into mature dendritic cells, a process dose-dependently regulated by IL-4. Covalent attachment of IL-4...... in water instead of phosphate-buffered saline. Passively adsorbed IL-4 was observed to induce differentiation to dendritic cells, but analysis of cell culture supernatants revealed that leakage of IL-4 into solution could account for the differentiation observed. Covalent attachment resulted in bound IL-4...... at similar concentrations to the passive adsorption process, as measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, and the bound IL-4 did not leak into solution to any measurable extent during cell culture. However, covalently bound IL-4 was incapable of inducing monocyte differentiation. This may be caused...

  15. A microfluidic cell culture device with integrated microelectrodes for barrier studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tan, Hsih-Yin; Dufva, Martin; Kutter, Jörg P.

    We present an eight cell culture microfluidic device fabricated using thiol-ene ‘click’ chemistry with embedded microelectrodes for evaluating barrier properties of human intestinal epithelial cells. The capability of the microelectrodes for trans-epithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measureme......) measurements was demonstrated by using confluent human colorectal epithelial cells (Caco-2) and rat fibroblast (CT 26) cells cultured in the microfluidic device....

  16. A study of chromosomal aberrations in amniotic fluid cell cultures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wolstenholme, J; Crocker, M; Jonasson, J

    1988-06-01

    This paper represents the analysis of 1916 routine amniotic fluid specimens harvested by an in situ fixation technique in a prospective study with regard to cultural chromosome anomalies. Excluding constitutional abnormalities, 2.9 per cent of 19,432 cells analysed showed some form of chromosome anomaly, terminal deletions (57 per cent) and chromatid/chromosome breaks and gaps (18 per cent) being the most frequent, followed by interchange aberrations (13 per cent) and trisomy (5 per cent). No case was found of more than one colony from the same culture showing the same anomaly without it being present in other cultures from the same fluid. The wholly abnormal colonies had a surplus of trisomies and from the mathematical considerations presented one may infer that these are likely to reflect the presence of abnormal cells in the amniotic fluid. Partly abnormal colonies appeared at a frequency that would correspond to virtual absence of selection against chromosomally abnormal cells when cultured in vitro. The aberrations found were similar to those seen as single cell anomalies, except for chromatid breaks and exchanges. The data suggest a basic preferential induction of trisomy for chromosomes 2, 18, 21, and the Y-chromosome. Structural aberrations showed a marked clustering of breakpoints around the centromeres. The frequency of mutant cells was low (1.4 X 10(-3)) before culture was initiated. At harvest, the frequency of abnormal cells was much higher (3 X 10(-2)) corresponding to 3 X 10(-3) mutations per cell per generation accumulating over approximately ten generations in vitro.

  17. On the effect of long-term electrical stimulation on three-dimensional cell cultures: Hen embryo brain spheroids

    OpenAIRE

    Uroukov, Ivan S; Bull, Larry

    2008-01-01

    A comprehensive dataset of multielectrode array recordings was collected from three-dimensional hen embryo brain cell cultures, termed spheroids, under long-term electrical stimulation. The aim is to understand the ongoing changes in the spiking activity under electrical stimulation within the lifetime of 14–72DIV of the neuronal networks contained therein. The spiking dynamics were analyzed and behavioral characteristics derived. Some effects on spiking patterns and exhaustion were followed ...

  18. Dynamics of the transcriptome response of cultured human embryonic stem cells to ionizing radiation exposure

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sokolov, Mykyta V.; Panyutin, Irina V.; Panyutin, Igor G.; Neumann, Ronald D.

    2011-01-01

    One of the key consequences of exposure of human cells to genotoxic agents is the activation of DNA damage responses (DDR). While the mechanisms underpinning DDR in fully differentiated somatic human cells have been studied extensively, molecular signaling events and pathways involved in DDR in pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) remain largely unexplored. We studied changes in the human genome-wide transcriptome of H9 hESC line following exposures to 1 Gy of gamma-radiation at 2 h and 16 h post-irradiation. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to verify the expression data for a subset of genes. In parallel, the cell growth, DDR kinetics, and expression of pluripotency markers in irradiated hESC were monitored. The changes in gene expression in hESC after exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) are substantially different from those observed in somatic human cell lines. Gene expression patterns at 2 h post-IR showed almost an exclusively p53-dependent, predominantly pro-apoptotic, signature with a total of only 30 up-regulated genes. In contrast, the gene expression patterns at 16 h post-IR showed 354 differentially expressed genes, mostly involved in pro-survival pathways, such as increased expression of metallothioneins, ubiquitin cycle, and general metabolism signaling. Cell growth data paralleled trends in gene expression changes. DDR in hESC followed the kinetics reported for human somatic differentiated cells. The expression of pluripotency markers characteristic of undifferentiated hESC was not affected by exposure to IR during the time course of our analysis. Our data on dynamics of transcriptome response of irradiated hESCs may provide a valuable tool to screen for markers of IR exposure of human cells in their most naive state; thus unmasking the key elements of DDR; at the same time, avoiding the complexity of interpreting distinct cell type-dependent genotoxic stress responses of terminally differentiated cells.

  19. Dynamics of the transcriptome response of cultured human embryonic stem cells to ionizing radiation exposure

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sokolov, Mykyta V., E-mail: sokolovm@mail.nih.gov [Nuclear Medicine Division, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Panyutin, Irina V., E-mail: ipanyutinv@mail.nih.gov [Nuclear Medicine Division, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Panyutin, Igor G., E-mail: igorp@helix.nih.gov [Nuclear Medicine Division, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States); Neumann, Ronald D., E-mail: rneumann@mail.nih.gov [Nuclear Medicine Division, Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, Clinical Center, National Institutes of Health, 9000 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20892 (United States)

    2011-05-10

    One of the key consequences of exposure of human cells to genotoxic agents is the activation of DNA damage responses (DDR). While the mechanisms underpinning DDR in fully differentiated somatic human cells have been studied extensively, molecular signaling events and pathways involved in DDR in pluripotent human embryonic stem cells (hESC) remain largely unexplored. We studied changes in the human genome-wide transcriptome of H9 hESC line following exposures to 1 Gy of gamma-radiation at 2 h and 16 h post-irradiation. Quantitative real-time PCR was performed to verify the expression data for a subset of genes. In parallel, the cell growth, DDR kinetics, and expression of pluripotency markers in irradiated hESC were monitored. The changes in gene expression in hESC after exposure to ionizing radiation (IR) are substantially different from those observed in somatic human cell lines. Gene expression patterns at 2 h post-IR showed almost an exclusively p53-dependent, predominantly pro-apoptotic, signature with a total of only 30 up-regulated genes. In contrast, the gene expression patterns at 16 h post-IR showed 354 differentially expressed genes, mostly involved in pro-survival pathways, such as increased expression of metallothioneins, ubiquitin cycle, and general metabolism signaling. Cell growth data paralleled trends in gene expression changes. DDR in hESC followed the kinetics reported for human somatic differentiated cells. The expression of pluripotency markers characteristic of undifferentiated hESC was not affected by exposure to IR during the time course of our analysis. Our data on dynamics of transcriptome response of irradiated hESCs may provide a valuable tool to screen for markers of IR exposure of human cells in their most naive state; thus unmasking the key elements of DDR; at the same time, avoiding the complexity of interpreting distinct cell type-dependent genotoxic stress responses of terminally differentiated cells.

  20. A Rapid Culture Technique Produces Functional Dendritic-Like Cells from Human Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cell Lines

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jian Ning

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Most anti-cancer immunotherapeutic strategies involving dendritic cells (DC as vaccines rely upon the adoptive transfer of DC loaded with exogenous tumour-peptides. This study utilized human acute myeloid leukemia (AML cells as progenitors from which functional dendritic-like antigen presenting cells (DLC were generated, that constitutively express tumour antigens for recognition by CD8+ T cells. DLC were generated from AML cell lines KG-1 and MUTZ-3 using rapid culture techniques and appropriate cytokines. DLC were evaluated for their cell-surface phenotype, antigen uptake and ability to stimulate allogeneic responder cell proliferation, and production of IFN-γ; compared with DC derived from normal human PBMC donors. KG-1 and MUTZ-3 DLC increased expression of CD80, CD83, CD86, and HLA-DR, and MUTZ-3 DLC downregulated CD14 and expressed CD1a. Importantly, both KG-1 and MUTZ-3-derived DLC promoted proliferation of allogeneic responder cells more efficiently than unmodified cells; neither cells incorporated FITC-labeled dextran, but both stimulated IFN-γ production from responding allogeneic CD8+ T cells. Control DC produced from PBMC using the FastDC culture also expressed high levels of critical cell surface ligands and demonstrated good APC function. This paper indicates that functional DLC can be cultured from the AML cell lines KG-1 and MUTZ-3, and FastDC culture generates functional KG-1 DLC.

  1. [Culture of pancreatic progenitor cells in hanging drop and on floating filter].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ma, Feng-xia; Chen, Fang; Chi, Ying; Yang, Shao-guang; Lu, Shi-hong; Han, Zhong-chao

    2013-06-01

    To construct a method to culture pancreatic progenitor cells in hanging drop and on floating filter,and to examine if pancreatic progenitor cells can differentiate into mature endocrine cells with this method. Murine embryos at day 12.5 were isolated and digested into single cells,which were then cultured in hanging drop for 24h and formed spheres.Spheres were cultured on the filter for 6 days,which floated in the dish containing medium.During culture,the expressions of pancreas duodenum homeobox-1(PDX-1)and neurogenin3(Ngn3)were determined.The expressions of endocrine and exocrine markers,insulin,glucagon,and carboxypeptidase(CPA)were determined on day 7 by immunohistochemistry.Insulin secretion of spheres stimulated by glucose was detected by ELISA.The changes of pancreatic marker expressions during culture were monitored by real-time polymerase chain reaction(PCR). One day after the culture,there were still a large amount of PDX-1 positive cells in pancreatic spheres,and these cells proliferated.On day 3,high expression of Ngn3 was detected,and the Ngn3-positive cells did not proliferate.On day 7,The expressions of endocrine and exocrine markers in the differentiated pancreatic progenitor cells were detected,which were consistent with that in vivo.Insulin was secreted by spheres upon the stimulation of glucose. In hanging drop and on floating filter,pancreatic progenitor cells can differentiate into mature endocrine cells.

  2. A co-cultured skin model based on cell support membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dai, N.-T.; Yeh, M.-K.; Liu, Demeral David; Adams, E.F.; Chiang, C.-H.; Yen, C.-Y.; Shih, C.-M.; Sytwu, H.-K.; Chen, Tim-Mo; Wang, H.-J.; Williamson, M.R.; Coombes, A.G.A.

    2005-01-01

    Tissue engineering of skin based on collagen: PCL biocomposites using a designed co-culture system is reported. The collagen: PCL biocomposites having collagen: PCL (w/w) ratios of 1:4, 1:8, and 1:20 have been proven to be biocompatible materials to support both adult normal human epidermal Keratinocyte (NHEK) and mouse 3T3 fibroblast growth in cell culture, respectively, by Dai, Coombes, et al. in 2004. Films of collagen: PCL biocomposites were prepared using non-crosslinking method by impregnation of lyophilized collagen mats with PCL/dichloromethane solutions followed by solvent evaporation. To mimic the dermal/epidermal structure of skin, the 1:20 collagen: PCL biocomposites were selected for a feasibility study of a designed co-culture technique that would subsequently be used for preparing fibroblast/biocomposite/keratinocyte skin models. A 55.3% increase in cell number was measured in the designed co-culture system when fibroblasts were seeded on both sides of a biocomposite film compared with cell culture on one surface of the biocomposite in the feasibility study. The co-culture of human keratinocytes and 3T3 fibroblasts on each side of the membrane was therefore studied using the same co-culture system by growing keratinocytes on the top surface of membrane for 3 days and 3T3 fibroblasts underneath the membrane for 6 days. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and immunohistochemistry assay revealed good cell attachment and proliferation of both human keratinocytes and 3T3 fibroblasts with these two types of cells isolated well on each side of the membrane. Using a modified co-culture technique, a co-cultured skin model presenting a confluent epidermal sheet on one side of the biocomposite film and fibroblasts populated on the other side of the film was developed successfully in co-culture system for 28 days under investigations by SEM and immunohistochemistry assay. Thus, the design of a co-culture system based on 1:20 (w/w) collagen: PCL biocomposite

  3. Cancer cells mimic in vivo spatial-temporal cell-cycle phase distribution and chemosensitivity in 3-dimensional Gelfoam® histoculture but not 2-dimensional culture as visualized with real-time FUCCI imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yano, Shuya; Miwa, Shinji; Mii, Sumiyuki; Hiroshima, Yukihiko; Uehara, Fuminaru; Kishimoto, Hiroyuki; Tazawa, Hiroshi; Zhao, Ming; Bouvet, Michael; Fujiwara, Toshiyoshi; Hoffman, Robert M

    2015-01-01

    The phase of the cell cycle can determine whether a cancer cell can respond to a given drug. We previously reported monitoring of real-time cell cycle dynamics of cancer cells throughout a live tumor, intravitally in live mice, using a fluorescence ubiquitination-based cell-cycle indicator (FUCCI). Approximately 90% of cancer cells in the center and 80% of total cells of an established tumor are in G0/G1 phase. Longitudinal real-time imaging demonstrated that cytotoxic agents killed only proliferating cancer cells at the surface and, in contrast, had little effect on quiescent cancer cells, which are the vast majority of an established tumor. Moreover, resistant quiescent cancer cells restarted cycling after cessation of chemotherapy. These results suggested why most drugs currently in clinical use, which target cancer cells in S/G2/M, are mostly ineffective on solid tumors. In the present report, we used FUCCI imaging and Gelfoam® collagen-sponge-gel histoculture, to demonstrate in real time, that the cell-cycle phase distribution of cancer cells in Gelfoam® and in vivo tumors is highly similar, whereby only the surface cells proliferate and interior cells are quiescent in G0/G1. This is in contrast to 2D culture where most cancer cells cycle. Similarly, the cancer cells responded similarly to toxic chemotherapy in Gelfoam® culture as in vivo, and very differently than cancer cells in 2D culture which were much more chemosensitive. Gelfoam® culture of FUCCI-expressing cancer cells offers the opportunity to image the cell cycle of cancer cells continuously and to screen for novel effective therapies to target quiescent cells, which are the majority in a tumor and which would have a strong probability to be effective in vivo.

  4. Micro fluidic System for Culturing and Monitoring of Neuronal Cells and Tissue

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bakmand, Tanya; Waagepetersen, Helle S.

    The aim of this Ph.D. project was to combine experience within cell and tissue culturing, electrochemistry and microfabrication in order to develop an in vivo-like fluidic culturing platform, challenging the traditional culturing methods. The first goal was to develope a fluidic system for cultur...... with mass production. The last part of this thesis also includes perspectives on how to expand the latest designed device to facilitate culturing of tissue and co-culturing of cells....

  5. Proliferation differentiation and therapeutic effect of short-term cultured murine bone marrow cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao Zekun; Cong Jianbo

    1986-01-01

    Murine bone marrow cells were cultured in conditioned medium of muscle. After 24 hours of culture, both adherent and suspended cells appeared in the culture. The adherent cells mainly consisted of macrophages and the suspended cells were predominantly granulocytes. After 6 days, the total number of nucleated cells and CFU-C in the culture increased about 400% and 600% respectively, but CFU-S reduced to 21% approximately. Lymphocytes persisted only for 4 days. The stem cells (CFU-S) from 6-day culture were injected into the lethally irradiated syngenic mice. The 30 day survival rate of the treated mice was 89% whereas that of the controls was only 7%. The bone marrow cells in 2/8 of recipients sacrificed at 30 or 60 days were of donor type and 6/8 of the recipients were chimeras

  6. A Novel Microgravity Simulator Applicable for Three-Dimensional Cell Culturing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wuest, Simon L.; Richard, Stéphane; Walther, Isabelle; Furrer, Reinhard; Anderegg, Roland; Sekler, Jörg; Egli, Marcel

    2014-10-01

    Random Positioning Machines (RPM) were introduced decades ago to simulate microgravity. Since then numerous experiments have been carried out to study its influence on biological samples. The machine is valued by the scientific community involved in space relevant topics as an excellent experimental tool to conduct pre-studies, for example, before sending samples into space. We have developed a novel version of the traditional RPM to broaden its operative range. This novel version has now become interesting to researchers who are working in the field of tissue engineering, particularly those interested in alternative methods for three-dimensional (3D) cell culturing. The main modifications concern the cell culture condition and the algorithm that controls the movement of the frames for the nullification of gravity. An incubator was integrated into the inner frame of the RPM allowing precise control over the cell culture environment. Furthermore, several feed-throughs now allow a permanent supply of gas like CO 2. All these modifications substantially improve conditions to culture cells; furthermore, the rewritten software responsible for controlling the movement of the frames enhances the quality of the generated microgravity. Cell culture experiments were carried out with human lymphocytes on the novel RPM model to compare the obtained response to the results gathered on an older well-established RPM as well as to data from space flights. The overall outcome of the tests validates this novel RPM for cell cultivation under simulated microgravity conditions.

  7. Community Collectivism: A social dynamic approach to conceptualizing culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Akkuş, Birol; Postmes, Tom; Stroebe, Katherine

    2017-01-01

    Culture shapes individuals, but the measurement of cultural differences has proven a challenge. Traditional measures of cultural values focus on individual perceptions. We suggest that values are established and maintained within social communities of proximate others, such as the family and its social environment. Within such communities, values serve to maintain collective harmony whilst preserving individual agency. From a social-dynamic analysis of communities, we infer that community values of loyalty regulate individual commitment, values of honor regulate norm compliance, and values of group hierarchy maintain a division of labor. In addition, communities may regulate the ways in which individuals have independent agency. A new scale to measure these values was validated in four studies (N = 398, 112, 465 and 111) among Dutch (religious and non-religious), Turkish-Dutch, Surinamese and Turkish groups. Values and practices were measured at the level of the individual ('What do you value?') and at the level of the perceived community ('What does your community value?'). Results show that, unlike individual-level measures of individualism/collectivism, this scale has excellent reliability, differentiates between cultural groups, and has predictive validity for future (voting) behavior. This approach provides a new way of conceptualizing culture, a new measure of collectivism and new insights into the role of proximate others in shaping culture.

  8. Optimization of human corneal endothelial cell culture: density dependency of successful cultures in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peh, Gary S L; Toh, Kah-Peng; Ang, Heng-Pei; Seah, Xin-Yi; George, Benjamin L; Mehta, Jodhbir S

    2013-05-03

    Global shortage of donor corneas greatly restricts the numbers of corneal transplantations performed yearly. Limited ex vivo expansion of primary human corneal endothelial cells is possible, and a considerable clinical interest exists for development of tissue-engineered constructs using cultivated corneal endothelial cells. The objective of this study was to investigate the density-dependent growth of human corneal endothelial cells isolated from paired donor corneas and to elucidate an optimal seeding density for their extended expansion in vitro whilst maintaining their unique cellular morphology. Established primary human corneal endothelial cells were propagated to the second passage (P2) before they were utilized for this study. Confluent P2 cells were dissociated and seeded at four seeding densities: 2,500 cells per cm2 ('LOW'); 5,000 cells per cm2 ('MID'); 10,000 cells per cm2 ('HIGH'); and 20,000 cells per cm2 ('HIGH(×2)'), and subsequently analyzed for their propensity to proliferate. They were also subjected to morphometric analyses comparing cell sizes, coefficient of variance, as well as cell circularity when each culture became confluent. At the two lower densities, proliferation rates were higher than cells seeded at higher densities, though not statistically significant. However, corneal endothelial cells seeded at lower densities were significantly larger in size, heterogeneous in shape and less circular (fibroblastic-like), and remained hypertrophic after one month in culture. Comparatively, cells seeded at higher densities were significantly homogeneous, compact and circular at confluence. Potentially, at an optimal seeding density of 10,000 cells per cm2, it is possible to obtain between 10 million to 25 million cells at the third passage. More importantly, these expanded human corneal endothelial cells retained their unique cellular morphology. Our results demonstrated a density dependency in the culture of primary human corneal endothelial

  9. Cell cycle progression in irradiated endothelial cells cultured from bovine aorta

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rubin, D.B.; Drab, E.A.; Ward, W.F.; Bauer, K.D.

    1988-01-01

    Logarithmically growing endothelial cells from bovine aortas were exposed to single doses of 0-10 Gy of 60Co gamma rays, and cell cycle phase distribution and progression were examined by flow cytometry and autoradiography. In some experiments, cells were synchronized in the cell cycle with hydroxyurea (1 mM). Cell number in sham-irradiated control cultures doubled in approximately 24 h. Estimated cycle stage times for control cells were 14.4 h for G1 phase, 7.2 h for S phase, and 2.4 h for G2 + M phase. Irradiated cells demonstrated a reduced distribution at the G1/S phase border at 4 h, and an increased distribution in G2 + M phase at 24 h postirradiation. Autoradiographs of irradiated cells after continuous [3H]thymidine labeling indicated a block in G1 phase or at the G1/S-phase border. The duration of the block was dose dependent (2-3 min/cGy). Progression of the endothelial cells through S phase after removal of the hydroxyurea block also was retarded by irradiation, as demonstrated by increased distribution in early S phase and decreased distribution in late S phase. These results indicate that progression of asynchronous cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells through the DNA synthetic cycle is susceptible to radiation inhibition at specific sites in the cycle, resulting in redistribution and partial synchronization of the population. Thus aortic endothelial cells, diploid cells from a normal tissue, resemble many immortal cell types that have been examined in this regard in vitro

  10. Cloning higher plants from aseptically cultured tissues and cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krikorian, A. D.

    1982-01-01

    A review of aseptic culture methods for higher plants is presented, which focuses on the existing problems that limit or prevent the full realization of cloning plants from free cells. It is shown that substantial progress in clonal multiplication has been made with explanted stem tips or lateral buds which can be stimulated to produce numerous precocious axillary branches. These branches can then be separated or subdivided and induced to root in order to yield populations of genetically and phenotypically uniorm plantlets. Similarly, undifferentiated calluses can sometimes be induced to form shoots and/or roots adventitiously. Although the cell culture techniques required to produce somatic embryos are presently rudimentary, steady advances are being made in learning how to stimulate formation of somatic or adventive embryos from totipotent cells grown in suspension cultures. It is concluded that many problems exist in the producing and growing of totipotent or morphogenetically competent cell suspensions, but the potential benefits are great.

  11. Culture of human cell lines by a pathogen-inactivated human platelet lysate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fazzina, R; Iudicone, P; Mariotti, A; Fioravanti, D; Procoli, A; Cicchetti, E; Scambia, G; Bonanno, G; Pierelli, L

    2016-08-01

    Alternatives to the use of fetal bovine serum (FBS) have been investigated to ensure xeno-free growth condition. In this study we evaluated the efficacy of human platelet lysate (PL) as a substitute of FBS for the in vitro culture of some human cell lines. PL was obtained by pools of pathogen inactivated human donor platelet (PLT) concentrates. Human leukemia cell lines (KG-1, K562, JURKAT, HL-60) and epithelial tumor cell lines (HeLa and MCF-7) were cultured with either FBS or PL. Changes in cell proliferation, viability, morphology, surface markers and cell cycle were evaluated for each cell line. Functional characteristics were analysed by drug sensitivity test and cytotoxicity assay. Our results demonstrated that PL can support growth and expansion of all cell lines, although the cells cultured in presence of PL experienced a less massive proliferation compared to those grown with FBS. We found a comparable percentage of viable specific marker-expressing cells in both conditions, confirming lineage fidelity in all cultures. Functionality assays showed that cells in both FBS- and PL-supported cultures maintained their normal responsiveness to adriamycin and NK cell-mediated lysis. Our findings indicate that PL is a feasible serum substitute for supporting growth and propagation of haematopoietic and epithelial cell lines with many advantages from a perspective of process standardization, ethicality and product safety.

  12. Effects of deprivation of background environmental radiation on cultured human cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Carbone, M.C.; Pinto, M.; Antonelli, F.; Balata, M.

    2010-01-01

    In this paper we present results from an experiment aimed at investigating whether living cells are influenced by background ionizing radiation. Parallel human cell cultures were set-up in two separate laboratories and maintained for several months under identical conditions but for a 80 x different level of background ionizing radiation. Periodically, the cell cultures were monitored for the onset of divergences in biochemical behavior, using two distinct cellular biology assays, namely micronuclei induction and activity of enzymes implicated in the management of oxidative stress. To reveal any subtle modifications, responses were also amplified by subjecting cell cultures to acute stress induced by exposure to moderately high doses of ionizing radiation. Compared to reference radiation background conditions, cultures maintained in a reduced background radiation environment handled the consequences of acute stress with diminished efficacy.

  13. Karyometric observations of WISH cell cultures irradiated with 3 GHz microwaves

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Szmigielski, S.; Luczak, M.; Wiranowska, M.

    1975-01-01

    WISH cell cultures 24 hours after passage were irradiated with 3 GHz microwaves (10 cm) at far field conditions in free space (anechoic chamber) for 30 minutes, at field power density 5 or 20 mW/cm/sup 2/. Within 1, 24, and 48 hours of the exposure to microwave fields the volumes of nuclei and nucleoli were measured with the use of a micrometer, and logvolumes and nucleo-nucleolar ratios were calculated. Under the applied irradiation conditions the culture medium temperature did not exceed 37/sup 0/C. In cultures irradiated at field power density 20 mW/cm/sup 2/ increased number of cells with small nuclei and enlarged nucleoli was noted within 1 hour of the exposure. Within 24 and 48 hours after irradiation the nucleolar volume showed a slight decrease, whereas the nuclear volume increased. In cultures irradiated at field power density 5 mW/cm/sup 2/ increased numbers of cells with enlarged nuclei and nucleoli were found. Analysis of the distribution curves of nuclear and nucleolar volumes suggests that non-thermal power densities of microwaves stimulate the metabolism of cell cultures. However, at higher power densities (20 mW/cm/sup 2/) the stimulation phase is preceded by a period of reduced viability of cell cultures.

  14. Tailor-made three-dimensional hybrid scaffolds for cell cultures

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Psycharakis, Stylianos; Melissinaki, Vasileia; Giakoumaki, Anastasia; Ranella, Anthi [Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas, PO Box 1527, 711 10 Heraklion, Crete (Greece); Tosca, Androniki, E-mail: ranthi@iesl.forth.gr [Department of Medicine, University of Crete, 710 03 Heraklion, Crete (Greece)

    2011-08-15

    The construction of the ideal three-dimensional scaffold for cell culture is one of the most intriguing topics in tissue engineering. It has been shown that cells can be cultured on most organic biomimetic materials, which now are losing popularity in favour of novel, hybrid systems. In this study, a series of photosensitive sol-gel hybrid materials, based on silicon-zirconium and silicon-titanium oxides, have been investigated for their suitability in three-dimensional scaffold fabrication. These materials can be structured by two-photon polymerization, a laser-based technique allowing the fabrication of micrometre-size structures with submicron resolution. The work presented here examined the effect of the organic/inorganic composition of the materials on cell behaviour and the establishment of a 'cell-culture friendly' environment. This is vital for cell adhesion, growth and differentiation, as the organic part of the material provides the soft matrix for cell growth, whereas the inorganic component gives the mechanical stability and rigidity of the three-dimensional structures. In addition, the use of femtosecond laser structuring permits the fabrication of a wide range of mechanically stable scaffolds of different sizes and shapes to be tested in terms of cell viability, proliferation and orientation.

  15. Molecular purging of multiple myeloma cells by ex-vivo culture and retroviral transduction of mobilized-blood CD34+ cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Corneo Gianmarco

    2007-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Tumor cell contamination of the apheresis in multiple myeloma is likely to affect disease-free and overall survival after autografting. Objective To purge myeloma aphereses from tumor contaminants with a novel culture-based purging method. Methods We cultured myeloma-positive CD34+ PB samples in conditions that retained multipotency of hematopoietic stem cells, but were unfavourable to survival of plasma cells. Moreover, we exploited the resistance of myeloma plasma cells to retroviral transduction by targeting the hematopoietic CD34+ cell population with a retroviral vector carrying a selectable marker (the truncated form of the human receptor for nerve growth factor, ΔNGFR. We performed therefore a further myeloma purging step by selecting the transduced cells at the end of the culture. Results Overall recovery of CD34+ cells after culture was 128.5%; ΔNGFR transduction rate was 28.8% for CD34+ cells and 0% for CD138-selected primary myeloma cells, respectively. Recovery of CD34+ cells after ΔNGFR selection was 22.3%. By patient-specific Ig-gene rearrangements, we assessed a decrease of 0.7–1.4 logs in tumor load after the CD34+ cell selection, and up to 2.3 logs after culture and ΔNGFR selection. Conclusion We conclude that ex-vivo culture and retroviral-mediated transduction of myeloma leukaphereses provide an efficient tumor cell purging.

  16. Serum-free media formulations are cell line-specific and require optimization for microcarrier culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Kah Yong; Teo, Kim Leng; Lim, Jessica F Y; Chen, Allen K L; Choolani, Mahesh; Reuveny, Shaul; Chan, Jerry; Oh, Steve Kw

    2015-08-01

    Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are being investigated as potential cell therapies for many different indications. Current methods of production rely on traditional monolayer culture on tissue-culture plastic, usually with the use of serum-supplemented growth media. However, the monolayer culturing system has scale-up limitations and may not meet the projected hundreds of billions to trillions batches of cells needed for therapy. Furthermore, serum-free medium offers several advantages over serum-supplemented medium, which may have supply and contaminant issues, leading to many serum-free medium formulations being developed. We cultured seven MSC lines in six different serum-free media and compared their growth between monolayer and microcarrier culture. We show that (i) expansion levels of MSCs in serum-free monolayer cultures may not correlate with expansion in serum-containing media; (ii) optimal culture conditions (serum-free media for monolayer or microcarrier culture) differ for each cell line; (iii) growth in static microcarrier culture does not correlate with growth in stirred spinner culture; (iv) and that early cell attachment and spreading onto microcarriers does not necessarily predict efficiency of cell expansion in agitated microcarrier culture. Current serum-free media developed for monolayer cultures of MSCs may not support MSC proliferation in microcarrier cultures. Further optimization in medium composition will be required for microcarrier suspension culture for each cell line. Copyright © 2015 International Society for Cellular Therapy. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Cell culture for three-dimensional modeling in rotating-wall vessels: an application of simulated microgravity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schwarz, R. P.; Goodwin, T. J.; Wolf, D. A.

    1992-01-01

    High-density, three-dimensional cell cultures are difficult to grow in vitro. The rotating-wall vessel (RWV) described here has cultured BHK-21 cells to a density of 1.1 X 10(7) cells/ml. Cells on microcarriers were observed to grow with enhanced bridging in this batch culture system. The RWV is a horizontally rotated tissue culture vessel with silicon membrane oxygenation. This design results in a low-turbulence, low-shear cell culture environment with abundant oxygenation. The RWV has the potential to culture a wide variety of normal and neoplastic cells.

  18. Long-Term Oocyte-Like Cell Development in Cultures Derived from Neonatal Marmoset Monkey Ovary

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bentolhoda Fereydouni

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available We use the common marmoset monkey (Callithrix jacchus as a preclinical nonhuman primate model to study reproductive and stem cell biology. The neonatal marmoset monkey ovary contains numerous primitive premeiotic germ cells (oogonia expressing pluripotent stem cell markers including OCT4A (POU5F1. This is a peculiarity compared to neonatal human and rodent ovaries. Here, we aimed at culturing marmoset oogonia from neonatal ovaries. We established a culture system being stable for more than 20 passages and 5 months. Importantly, comparative transcriptome analysis of the cultured cells with neonatal ovary, embryonic stem cells, and fibroblasts revealed a lack of germ cell and pluripotency genes indicating the complete loss of oogonia upon initiation of the culture. From passage 4 onwards, however, the cultured cells produced large spherical, free-floating cells resembling oocyte-like cells (OLCs. OLCs strongly expressed several germ cell genes and may derive from the ovarian surface epithelium. In summary, our novel primate ovarian cell culture initially lacked detectable germ cells but then produced OLCs over a long period of time. This culture system may allow a deeper analysis of early phases of female primate germ cell development and—after significant refinement—possibly also the production of monkey oocytes.

  19. Centering Single Cells in Microgels via Delayed Crosslinking Supports Long-Term 3D Culture by Preventing Cell Escape

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kamperman, Tom; Henke, Sieger; Visser, Claas Willem; Karperien, Marcel; Leijten, Jeroen

    2017-01-01

    Single-cell-laden microgels support physiological 3D culture conditions while enabling straightforward handling and high-resolution readouts of individual cells. However, their widespread adoption for long-term cultures is limited by cell escape. In this work, it is demonstrated that cell escape is

  20. Neuron-specific enolase is a useful maker of neuroendocrine origin in pheochromocytoma cell culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Abelin, N.; Dahia, P.L.M.; Martin, R.; Kato, S.; Toledo, S.P.A.

    1994-01-01

    Neuron-specific enolase (NSE) has been used as a marker for neuroendocrine tumors either in immunocytochemical studies or in serum measurements. In this paper NSE levels were determined in cultured pheochromocytoma cells to test whether it is also a useful marker in cell culture of tumors derived from neuroendocrine system. Cultured pheochromocytoma cells came from a primary explant and were grown in RPMI supplemented with 20% fetal calf serum, 100 μg/mL ampicillin and 100 μ/mL streptomycin. NSE was measured in culture medium and cell homogenates. Samples from different pheochromocytoma cultures were analyzed and compared to normal cultured fibroblast cells derived from human skin. NSE was measured by a commercially available radioimmunoassay kit. NSE levels were higher in cell homogenates as compared to those in culture medium, reaching levels as high as 6-fold in the former in TE cell line (26.46 ng/mL and 4.39 ng/mL, respectively). Serial measurements in culture medium from TE cell line evidenced decreasing values in subsequential subcultures (from 9.24 ng/mL during primary explant to 1.7 ng/mL in the tenth subculture). In cultured normal fibroblasts, NSE levels in cultured media were definitely lower than those obtained from pheochromocytoma cultures. These preliminary data suggest that NSE may be a useful marker of neuroendocrine derived tumors, such as pheochromocytoma, in culture. Thus, the simplicity and availability of NSE radioimmunoassay provides an alternative to catecholamine measurement to better characterize pheochromocytoma cell lines in culture, with the advantage of faster result at lower costs. (author). 18 refs, 2 tabs

  1. Do rice suspension-cultured cells treated with abscisic acid mimic developing seeds?

    Science.gov (United States)

    Matsuno, Koya; Fujimura, Tatsuhito

    2015-08-01

    Starch synthesis is activated in the endosperm during seed development and also in rice suspension cells cultured with abscisic acid. In the anticipation that the mechanisms of starch synthesis are similar between the endosperm and the suspension cells cultured with abscisic acid, expression of genes involved in starch synthesis was evaluated in the suspension cells after abscisic acid treatment. However, it was found that the regulatory mechanism of starch synthesis in the suspension cells cultured with abscisic acid was different from that in developing seeds. Expression analyses of genes involved in oil bodies, which accumulate in the embryo and aleurone layer, and seed storage proteins, which accumulate mainly in the endosperm, showed that the former were activated in the suspension cells cultured with abscisic acid, but the latter were not. Master regulators for embryogenesis, OsVP1 (homologue of AtABI3) and OsLFL1 (homologue of AtFUS3 or AtLFL2), were expressed in the suspension cells at levels comparable to those in the embryo. From these results, it is suggested that interactions between regulators and abscisic acid control the synthesis of phytic acid and oil bodies in the cultured cells and embryo. We suggest that the system of suspension cells cultured with abscisic acid helps to reveal the mechanisms of phytic acid and oil body synthesis in embryo.

  2. Effect of anabolics on bovine granulosa-luteal cell primary cultures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bartolomeo Biolatti

    2007-10-01

    Full Text Available Granulosa cell tumours are observed with increased frequency among calves slaughtered in Northern Italy. The use of illegal anabolics in breeding was taken into account as a cause of this pathology. An in vitro approach was used to detect the possible alterations of cell proliferation induced by anabolics on primary cultures of bovine granulosa-luteal cells. Cultures were treated with different concentrations of substances illegally used in cattle (17beta-estradiol, clenbuterol and boldione. Cytotoxicity was determined by means of MTT test, to exclude toxic effects induced by anabolics and to determine the highest concentration to be tested. Morphological changes were evaluated by means of routine cytology, while PCNA expression was quantified in order to estimate cell proliferation. Cytotoxic effects were revealed at the highest concentrations. The only stimulating effect on cell proliferation was detected in boldione treated cultures: after 48 h treated cells, compared to controls, showed a doubled expression of PCNA. In clenbuterol and 17beta-estradiol treated cells PCNA expression was similar to controls or even decreased. As the data suggest an alteration in cell proliferation, boldione could have a role in the early stage of pathogenesis of granulosa cell tumour in cattle.

  3. Porcine spermatogonial stem cells self-renew effectively in a three dimensional culture microenvironment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Park, Ji Eun; Park, Min Hee; Kim, Min Seong; Park, Yeo Reum; Yun, Jung Im; Cheong, Hee Tae; Kim, Minseok; Choi, Jung Hoon; Lee, Eunsong; Lee, Seung Tae

    2017-12-01

    Generally, self-renewal of spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) is maintained in vivo in a three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment consisting of the seminiferous tubule basement membrane, indicating the importance of the 3D microenvironment for in vitro culture of SSCs. Here, we report a 3D culture microenvironment that effectively maintains porcine SSC self-renewal during culture. Porcine SSCs were cultured in an agarose-based 3D hydrogel and in 2D culture plates either with or without feeder cells. Subsequently, the effects of 3D culture on the maintenance of undifferentiated SSCs were identified by analyzing cell colony formation and morphology, AP activity, and transcriptional and translational regulation of self-renewal-related genes and the effects on proliferation by analyzing cell viability and single cell-derived colony number. The 3D culture microenvironment constructed using a 0.2% (w/v) agarose-based 3D hydrogel showed the strongest maintenance of porcine SSC self-renewal and induced significant improvements in proliferation compared with 2D culture microenvironments. These results demonstrate that self-renewal of porcine SSCs can be maintained more effectively in a 3D than in a 2D culture microenvironment. Moreover, this will play a significant role in developing novel culture systems for SSCs derived from diverse species in the future, which will contribute to SSC-related research. © 2017 International Federation for Cell Biology.

  4. Establishment of Cancer Stem Cell Cultures from Human Conventional Osteosarcoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palmini, Gaia; Zonefrati, Roberto; Mavilia, Carmelo; Aldinucci, Alessandra; Luzi, Ettore; Marini, Francesca; Franchi, Alessandro; Capanna, Rodolfo; Tanini, Annalisa; Brandi, Maria Luisa

    2016-10-14

    The current improvements in therapy against osteosarcoma (OS) have prolonged the lives of cancer patients, but the survival rate of five years remains poor when metastasis has occurred. The Cancer Stem Cell (CSC) theory holds that there is a subset of tumor cells within the tumor that have stem-like characteristics, including the capacity to maintain the tumor and to resist multidrug chemotherapy. Therefore, a better understanding of OS biology and pathogenesis is needed in order to advance the development of targeted therapies to eradicate this particular subset and to reduce morbidity and mortality among patients. Isolating CSCs, establishing cell cultures of CSCs, and studying their biology are important steps to improving our understanding of OS biology and pathogenesis. The establishment of human-derived OS-CSCs from biopsies of OS has been made possible using several methods, including the capacity to create 3-dimensional stem cell cultures under nonadherent conditions. Under these conditions, CSCs are able to create spherical floating colonies formed by daughter stem cells; these colonies are termed "cellular spheres". Here, we describe a method to establish CSC cultures from primary cell cultures of conventional OS obtained from OS biopsies. We clearly describe the several passages required to isolate and characterize CSCs.

  5. Erythroid differentiation and commitment in rat erythroleukemia cells with hypertonic culture conditions.

    OpenAIRE

    Yamaguchi, Y; Kluge, N; Ostertag, W; Furusawa, M

    1981-01-01

    Cell cultures of 7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene-induced rat erythroleukemia can be stimulated to synthesize hemoglobin when cultured in hypertonic media. During hypertonic treatment the intracellular osmotic conditions immediately readjust to those of the extracellular medium. None of the Friend virus-induced mouse erythroleukemia cell lines was inducible for differentiation with the same hypertonic culture conditions used for rat cells. Earliest commitment to erythroid terminal differentiati...

  6. Specific estrogen-induced cell proliferation of cultured Syrian hamster renal proximal tubular cells in serum-free chemically defined media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oberley, T.D.; Lauchner, L.J.; Pugh, T.D.; Gonzalez, A.; Goldfarb, S.; Li, S.A.; Li, J.J.

    1989-01-01

    It has long been recognized that the renal proximal tubular epithelium of the hamster is a bona fide estrogen target tissue. The effect of estrogens on the growth of proximal tubule cell explants and dissociated single cells derived from these explant outgrowths has been studied in culture. Renal tubular cells were grown on a PF-HR-9 basement membrane under serum-free chemically defined culture conditions. At 7-14 days in culture, cell number was enhanced 3-fold in the presence of either 17β-estradiol or diethylstilbestrol. A similar 3-fold increase in cell number was also seen at 1 nM 17β-estradiol in subcultured dissociated single tubular cells derived from hamster renal tubular explant outgrowths at 21 days in culture. Concomitant exposure of tamoxifen at 3-fold molar excess in culture completely abolished the increase in cell number seen with 17β-estradiol. The proliferation effect of estrogens on proximal tubular cell growth appears to be species specific since 17β-estradiol did not alter the growth of either rat or guinea pig proximal tubules in culture. In addition, at 7-10 days in culture in the presence of 17β-estradiol, [ 3 H]thymidine labeling of hamster tubular cells was enhanced 3-fold. These results clearly indicate that estrogens can directly induce primary epithelial cell proliferation at physiologic concentrations and provide strong additional evidence for an important hormonal role in the neoplastic transformation of the hamster kidney

  7. Transfection in perfused microfluidic cell culture devices: A case study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raimes, William; Rubi, Mathieu; Super, Alexandre; Marques, Marco P C; Veraitch, Farlan; Szita, Nicolas

    2017-08-01

    Automated microfluidic devices are a promising route towards a point-of-care autologous cell therapy. The initial steps of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derivation involve transfection and long term cell culture. Integration of these steps would help reduce the cost and footprint of micro-scale devices with applications in cell reprogramming or gene correction. Current examples of transfection integration focus on maximising efficiency rather than viable long-term culture. Here we look for whole process compatibility by integrating automated transfection with a perfused microfluidic device designed for homogeneous culture conditions. The injection process was characterised using fluorescein to establish a LabVIEW-based routine for user-defined automation. Proof-of-concept is demonstrated by chemically transfecting a GFP plasmid into mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs). Cells transfected in the device showed an improvement in efficiency (34%, n = 3) compared with standard protocols (17.2%, n = 3). This represents a first step towards microfluidic processing systems for cell reprogramming or gene therapy.

  8. Effects of exogenous growth regulators on cell suspension culture of yin-hong grape (vitis vinifera l.) and establishment of the optimum medium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chao, Y.; Feng, J.C.; Yan, W.Y.; Xiao, Y.; Jun, Y.Y

    2015-01-01

    Callus induced by stem of Yin-hong grape (Vitis vinifera L.) was used as materials and B5 medium as basic medium. The major growth parameters of cell suspension cultures with various levels of 1-Naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 6-Benzyl aminopurine (6-BA) were investigated to provide a basis for the optimum medium of suspension cell cultures of Yin-hong grape regarding cell number, packed cell volume (PCV), dry cell weight (DCW), cell viability, and morphology. All data were analysed by of two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results showed that the treatment of 6-BA and NAA would effect the cell growth dynamics, probably causing logarithmic phase in advance at higher levels of 6-BA. Different concentration of 6-BA and NAA had significant effects on cells number, PCV, DCW and viability (p<0.05), while no-significant effect was observed on the cells morphology. The optimum medium for suspension cell cultures of Yin-hong grape was identified as B5+1.5 mg/L6-BA+1.5 mg/LNAA+ 250 mg/L casein hydrolysate + 30 g/L sucrose. With the optimum medium, the maximum number of suspension cells after the logarithmic growth phase was 34.78 * 108 / mL, the highest cell viability reached 86.45%.; DCW reached 3.84 g/L and PCV reached 0.092 mL/mL after eight days cultivating. (author)

  9. Enhancement effect of shikonin in cell suspension culture and transfermanant culture by radiation application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kim, Jae Sung; Lee, Young Keun; Chung, Byung Yeoup; Lee, Young Bok; Hwang Hye Yeon

    2004-10-01

    The cell lines 679, 679-29 and 622-46 of L. erythrorhizon could be selected on LS agar medium for the production shikonin in cell suspension culture. The shikonin was increased moderately in suspension culture of cell line 622-46 in LS liquid medium containing BA 2 mg·L -1 and IAA 0.2 mg·L -1 in the dark, and was increased by adding 1 μM Cu 2+ and 100 μM methyl jasmonate The accumulation of shikonin in the liquid medium was increased significantly by 2 Gy irradiation to callus of cell line 622-46 and culture in LS liquid medium containing BA 2 mg·L -1 and IAA 0.2 mg·L -1 in the dark and shikonin in cell debris was higher by 16 Gy irradiation. The activity of p-hydroxybenzoate geranyltransferase was increased by irradiation of 2 Gy and 16 Gy of γ radiation. Seedling hypocotyles of L. erythrorhizon were infected with Agrogacterium rhizogenes strain 15834 harboring a binary vector with an intron bearing the GUS (β-glucuronidase) gene driven by cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promotor as well as the HPT (hygromycin phosphotransferase) gene as the selection marker. Hairy roots isolated were hygromycin resistant and had integrated GUS gene in DNA. The root tip grown on M-9 medium showed normal pigment production pattern in border cells and root hairs

  10. Aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) affects growth of endometrioma cells in culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Badawy, Shawky Z A; Brown, Shereene; Kaufman, Lydia; Wojtowycz, Martha A

    2015-05-01

    To study the effects of aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) on the growth and estradiol secretion of endometrioma cells in culture. Endometrioma cells are grown in vitro until maximum growth before used in this study. This was done in the research laboratory for tissue culture, in an academic hospital. Testosterone at a concentration of 10 μg/mL was added as a substrate for the intracellular aromatase. In addition, aromatase inhibitor was added at a concentration of 200 and 300 μg/mL. The effect on cell growth and estradiol secretion is evaluated using Student's t-test. The use of testosterone increased estradiol secretion by endometrioma cells in culture. The use of aromatase inhibitor significantly inhibited the growth of endometrioma cells, and estradiol secretion. Aromatase inhibitor (anastrozole) may be an effective treatment for endometriosis due to inhibition of cellular aromatase. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. An interplay between extracellular signalling and the dynamics of the exit from pluripotency drives cell fate decisions in mouse ES cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David A. Turner

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available Embryonic Stem cells derived from the epiblast tissue of the mammalian blastocyst retain the capability to differentiate into any adult cell type and are able to self-renew indefinitely under appropriate culture conditions. Despite the large amount of knowledge that we have accumulated to date about the regulation and control of self-renewal, efficient directed differentiation into specific tissues remains elusive. In this work, we have analysed in a systematic manner the interaction between the dynamics of loss of pluripotency and Activin/Nodal, BMP4 and Wnt signalling in fate assignment during the early stages of differentiation of mouse ES cells in culture. During the initial period of differentiation, cells exit from pluripotency and enter an Epi-like state. Following this transient stage, and under the influence of Activin/Nodal and BMP signalling, cells face a fate choice between differentiating into neuroectoderm and contributing to Primitive Streak fates. We find that Wnt signalling does not suppress neural development as previously thought and that it aids both fates in a context dependent manner. Our results suggest that as cells exit pluripotency they are endowed with a primary neuroectodermal fate and that the potency to become endomesodermal rises with time. We suggest that this situation translates into a “race for fates” in which the neuroectodermal fate has an advantage.

  12. Automation of 3D cell culture using chemically defined hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rimann, Markus; Angres, Brigitte; Patocchi-Tenzer, Isabel; Braum, Susanne; Graf-Hausner, Ursula

    2014-04-01

    Drug development relies on high-throughput screening involving cell-based assays. Most of the assays are still based on cells grown in monolayer rather than in three-dimensional (3D) formats, although cells behave more in vivo-like in 3D. To exemplify the adoption of 3D techniques in drug development, this project investigated the automation of a hydrogel-based 3D cell culture system using a liquid-handling robot. The hydrogel technology used offers high flexibility of gel design due to a modular composition of a polymer network and bioactive components. The cell inert degradation of the gel at the end of the culture period guaranteed the harmless isolation of live cells for further downstream processing. Human colon carcinoma cells HCT-116 were encapsulated and grown in these dextran-based hydrogels, thereby forming 3D multicellular spheroids. Viability and DNA content of the cells were shown to be similar in automated and manually produced hydrogels. Furthermore, cell treatment with toxic Taxol concentrations (100 nM) had the same effect on HCT-116 cell viability in manually and automated hydrogel preparations. Finally, a fully automated dose-response curve with the reference compound Taxol showed the potential of this hydrogel-based 3D cell culture system in advanced drug development.

  13. In silico characterization of cell-cell interactions using a cellular automata model of cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kihara, Takanori; Kashitani, Kosuke; Miyake, Jun

    2017-07-14

    Cell proliferation is a key characteristic of eukaryotic cells. During cell proliferation, cells interact with each other. In this study, we developed a cellular automata model to estimate cell-cell interactions using experimentally obtained images of cultured cells. We used four types of cells; HeLa cells, human osteosarcoma (HOS) cells, rat mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and rat smooth muscle A7r5 cells. These cells were cultured and stained daily. The obtained cell images were binarized and clipped into squares containing about 10 4 cells. These cells showed characteristic cell proliferation patterns. The growth curves of these cells were generated from the cell proliferation images and we determined the doubling time of these cells from the growth curves. We developed a simple cellular automata system with an easily accessible graphical user interface. This system has five variable parameters, namely, initial cell number, doubling time, motility, cell-cell adhesion, and cell-cell contact inhibition (of proliferation). Within these parameters, we obtained initial cell numbers and doubling times experimentally. We set the motility at a constant value because the effect of the parameter for our simulation was restricted. Therefore, we simulated cell proliferation behavior with cell-cell adhesion and cell-cell contact inhibition as variables. By comparing growth curves and proliferation cell images, we succeeded in determining the cell-cell interaction properties of each cell. Simulated HeLa and HOS cells exhibited low cell-cell adhesion and weak cell-cell contact inhibition. Simulated MSCs exhibited high cell-cell adhesion and positive cell-cell contact inhibition. Simulated A7r5 cells exhibited low cell-cell adhesion and strong cell-cell contact inhibition. These simulated results correlated with the experimental growth curves and proliferation images. Our simulation approach is an easy method for evaluating the cell-cell interaction properties of cells.

  14. Primary culture of glial cells from mouse sympathetic cervical ganglion: a valuable tool for studying glial cell biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    de Almeida-Leite, Camila Megale; Arantes, Rosa Maria Esteves

    2010-12-15

    Central nervous system glial cells as astrocytes and microglia have been investigated in vitro and many intracellular pathways have been clarified upon various stimuli. Peripheral glial cells, however, are not as deeply investigated in vitro despite its importance role in inflammatory and neurodegenerative diseases. Based on our previous experience of culturing neuronal cells, our objective was to standardize and morphologically characterize a primary culture of mouse superior cervical ganglion glial cells in order to obtain a useful tool to study peripheral glial cell biology. Superior cervical ganglia from neonatal C57BL6 mice were enzymatically and mechanically dissociated and cells were plated on diluted Matrigel coated wells in a final concentration of 10,000cells/well. Five to 8 days post plating, glial cell cultures were fixed for morphological and immunocytochemical characterization. Glial cells showed a flat and irregular shape, two or three long cytoplasm processes, and round, oval or long shaped nuclei, with regular outline. Cell proliferation and mitosis were detected both qualitative and quantitatively. Glial cells were able to maintain their phenotype in our culture model including immunoreactivity against glial cell marker GFAP. This is the first description of immunocytochemical characterization of mouse sympathetic cervical ganglion glial cells in primary culture. This work discusses the uses and limitations of our model as a tool to study many aspects of peripheral glial cell biology. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Myofibroblast androgen receptor expression determines cell survival in co-cultures of myofibroblasts and prostate cancer cells in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palethorpe, Helen M; Leach, Damien A; Need, Eleanor F; Drew, Paul A; Smith, Eric

    2018-04-10

    Fibroblasts express androgen receptor (AR) in the normal prostate and during prostate cancer development. We have reported that loss of AR expression in prostate cancer-associated fibroblasts is a poor prognostic indicator. Here we report outcomes of direct and indirect co-cultures of immortalised AR-positive (PShTert-AR) or AR-negative (PShTert) myofibroblasts with prostate cancer cells. In the initial co-cultures the AR-negative PC3 cell line was used so AR expression and signalling were restricted to the myofibroblasts. In both direct and indirect co-culture with PShTert-AR myofibroblasts, paracrine signalling to the PC3 cells slowed proliferation and induced apoptosis. In contrast, PC3 cells proliferated with PShTert myofibroblasts irrespective of the co-culture method. In direct co-culture PC3 cells induced apoptosis in and destroyed PShTerts by direct signalling. Similar results were seen in direct co-cultures with AR-negative DU145 and AR-positive LNCaP and C4-2B prostate cancer cell lines. The AR ligand 5α-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) inhibited the proliferation of the PShTert-AR myofibroblasts, thereby reducing the extent of their inhibitory effect on cancer cell growth. These results suggest loss of stromal AR would favour prostate cancer cell growth in vivo , providing an explanation for the clinical observation that reduced stromal AR is associated with a poorer outcome.

  16. Multistage carcinogenesis in cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rubin, H

    2001-01-01

    Rodent fibroblasts explanted from embryos to culture undergo a period of declining growth rate in serial passages leading to crisis, followed by the appearance of variants which can multiply indefinitely. If the "immortal" cell line was established by low density passage, i.e., 3T3 cells, it has a low saturation density and is non-tumorigenic. If it was established by high density passage, it has a high saturation density and is tumorigenic. The establishment of cells goes through successive stages, including increased capacity to multiply in low serum concentration, growth to high saturation density, growth in suspension, assisted tumour formation in susceptible hosts and unassisted tumour formation. Chromosome aberrations and aneuploidy occur long before the capacity to produce tumours appears. Contrary to conventional belief, human fibroblast populations also undergo a continuous loss of capacity to multiply from the time of explantation, with only the longest surviving clone reaching the Hayflick limit. Neoplastic transformation of rodent cells is strongly favoured by maintaining them in a quiescent state at confluence for prolonged periods, which results in genetic damage to the cells. It also produces a large variety of chromosomal aberrations in human cells and extends their replicative lifespan. Individual clones are more susceptible to spontaneous transformation than their heterogeneous parental cultures. The implications of these results for tumour development in vivo are that oncogenic genetic changes may be common under stressful conditions which restrict replication, and that such changes are maximized when a rogue clone reaches a critical size that reduces stabilizing interactions with neighbouring clones. An alternative explanation, described in the Addendum, which we retrospectively favor is that the easily transformed clones are a minority in the uncloned parental population. The reason they transform before the parental population is that when

  17. Surface-engineered substrates for improved human pluripotent stem cell culture under fully defined conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saha, Krishanu; Mei, Ying; Reisterer, Colin M; Pyzocha, Neena Kenton; Yang, Jing; Muffat, Julien; Davies, Martyn C; Alexander, Morgan R; Langer, Robert; Anderson, Daniel G; Jaenisch, Rudolf

    2011-11-15

    The current gold standard for the culture of human pluripotent stem cells requires the use of a feeder layer of cells. Here, we develop a spatially defined culture system based on UV/ozone radiation modification of typical cell culture plastics to define a favorable surface environment for human pluripotent stem cell culture. Chemical and geometrical optimization of the surfaces enables control of early cell aggregation from fully dissociated cells, as predicted from a numerical model of cell migration, and results in significant increases in cell growth of undifferentiated cells. These chemically defined xeno-free substrates generate more than three times the number of cells than feeder-containing substrates per surface area. Further, reprogramming and typical gene-targeting protocols can be readily performed on these engineered surfaces. These substrates provide an attractive cell culture platform for the production of clinically relevant factor-free reprogrammed cells from patient tissue samples and facilitate the definition of standardized scale-up friendly methods for disease modeling and cell therapeutic applications.

  18. Aragonite precipitation by "proto-polyps" in coral cell cultures.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Tali Mass

    Full Text Available The mechanisms of coral calcification at the molecular, cellular and tissue levels are poorly understood. In this study, we examine calcium carbonate precipitation using novel coral tissue cultures that aggregate to form "proto-polyps". Our goal is to establish an experimental system in which calcification is facilitated at the cellular level, while simultaneously allowing in vitro manipulations of the calcifying fluid. This novel coral culturing technique enables us to study the mechanisms of biomineralization and their implications for geochemical proxies. Viable cell cultures of the hermatypic, zooxanthellate coral, Stylophora pistillata, have been maintained for 6 to 8 weeks. Using an enriched seawater medium with aragonite saturation state similar to open ocean surface waters (Ω(arag~4, the primary cell cultures assemble into "proto-polyps" which form an extracellular organic matrix (ECM and precipitate aragonite crystals. These extracellular aragonite crystals, about 10 µm in length, are formed on the external face of the proto-polyps and are identified by their distinctive elongated crystallography and X-ray diffraction pattern. The precipitation of aragonite is independent of photosynthesis by the zooxanthellae, and does not occur in control experiments lacking coral cells or when the coral cells are poisoned with sodium azide. Our results demonstrate that proto-polyps, aggregated from primary coral tissue culture, function (from a biomineralization perspective similarly to whole corals. This approach provides a novel tool for investigating the biophysical mechanism of calcification in these organisms.

  19. Effects of external radiation in a co-culture model of endothelial cells and adipose-derived stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Haubner, Frank; Leyh, Michaela; Ohmann, Elisabeth; Pohl, Fabian; Prantl, Lukas; Gassner, Holger G

    2013-01-01

    The inflammatory response clinically observed after radiation has been described to correlate with elevated expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules by endothelial cells. Therapeutic compensation for this microvascular compromise could be an important approach in the treatment of irradiated wounds. Clinical reports describe the potential of adipose-derived stem cells to enhance wound healing, but the underlying cellular mechanisms remain largely unclear. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMEC) and human adipose-derived stem cells (ASC) were cultured in a co-culture setting and irradiated with sequential doses of 2 to 12 Gy. Cell count was determined 48 h after radiation using a semi-automated cell counting system. Levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) were determined in the supernatants using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Irradiated HDMEC and ASC as well as non-irradiated co-cultures, HDMEC or ASC respectively were used as controls. Cell count was significantly reduced in irradiated co-cultures of HDMEC and ASC compared to non-irradiated controls. Levels of IL-6, FGF, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 in the supernatants of the co-cultures were significantly less affected by external radiation in comparison to HDMEC. The increased expression of cytokines and adhesion molecules by HDMEC after external radiation is mitigated in the co-culture setting with ASC. These in vitro changes seem to support the clinical observation that ASC may have a stabilizing effect when injected into irradiated wounds

  20. Closed-channel culture system for efficient and reproducible differentiation of human pluripotent stem cells into islet cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirano, Kunio; Konagaya, Shuhei; Turner, Alexander; Noda, Yuichiro; Kitamura, Shigeru; Kotera, Hidetoshi; Iwata, Hiroo

    2017-01-01

    Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) are thought to be a promising cell-source solution for regenerative medicine due to their indefinite proliferative potential and ability to differentiate to functional somatic cells. However, issues remain with regard to achieving reproducible differentiation of cells with the required functionality for realizing human transplantation therapies and with regard to reducing the potential for bacterial or fungal contamination. To meet these needs, we have developed a closed-channel culture device and corresponding control system. Uniformly-sized spheroidal hPSCs aggregates were formed inside wells within a closed-channel and maintained continuously throughout the culture process. Functional islet-like endocrine cell aggregates were reproducibly induced following a 30-day differentiation protocol. Our system shows an easily scalable, novel method for inducing PSC differentiation with both purity and functionality. - Highlights: • A simple, closed-channel-based, semi-automatic culture system is proposed. • Uniform cell aggregate formation and culture is realized in microwell structure. • Functional islet cells are successfully induced following 30-plus-day protocol. • System requires no daily medium replacement and reduces contamination risk.

  1. Irreducible coupling between physical and biological phenomena: overview of on-line and off-line physical measurements during high cell density cultures of yarrowia lipolytica

    OpenAIRE

    Kraiem, Hazar; Manon, Yannick; Anne-Archard, Dominique; Fillaudeau, Luc

    2012-01-01

    During cell cultures in bioreactor, micro-organism physiology closely interacts with physico-chemical parameters (gas and feed flow rates, mixing, temperature, pH, pressure). The specificity of microbial bioreactions in relation with irreducible couplings between heat and mass transfers and fluid mechanics, led into complex (three phases medium) and dynamic (auto-biocatalytic reaction) systems. Our scientific approach aims to investigate, understand and control dynamic interactions between ph...

  2. Dynamic imaging of cell-free and cell-associated viral capture in mature dendritic cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izquierdo-Useros, Nuria; Esteban, Olga; Rodriguez-Plata, Maria T; Erkizia, Itziar; Prado, Julia G; Blanco, Julià; García-Parajo, Maria F; Martinez-Picado, Javier

    2011-12-01

    Dendritic cells (DCs) capture human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through a non-fusogenic mechanism that enables viral transmission to CD4(+) T cells, contributing to in vivo viral dissemination. Although previous studies have provided important clues to cell-free viral capture by mature DCs (mDCs), dynamic and kinetic insight on this process is still missing. Here, we used three-dimensional video microscopy and single-particle tracking approaches to dynamically dissect both cell-free and cell-associated viral capture by living mDCs. We show that cell-free virus capture by mDCs operates through three sequential phases: virus binding through specific determinants expressed in the viral particle, polarized or directional movements toward concrete regions of the cell membrane and virus accumulation in a sac-like structure where trapped viral particles display a hindered diffusive behavior. Moreover, real-time imaging of cell-associated viral transfer to mDCs showed a similar dynamics to that exhibited by cell-free virus endocytosis leading to viral accumulation in compartments. However, cell-associated HIV type 1 transfer to mDCs was the most effective pathway, boosted throughout enhanced cellular contacts with infected CD4(+) T cells. Our results suggest that in lymphoid tissues, mDC viral uptake could occur either by encountering cell-free or cell-associated virus produced by infected cells generating the perfect scenario to promote HIV pathogenesis and impact disease progression. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  3. Spatial organization of mesenchymal stem cells in vitro--results from a new individual cell-based model with podia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martin Hoffmann

    Full Text Available Therapeutic application of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC requires their extensive in vitro expansion. MSC in culture typically grow to confluence within a few weeks. They show spindle-shaped fibroblastoid morphology and align to each other in characteristic spatial patterns at high cell density. We present an individual cell-based model (IBM that is able to quantitatively describe the spatio-temporal organization of MSC in culture. Our model substantially improves on previous models by explicitly representing cell podia and their dynamics. It employs podia-generated forces for cell movement and adjusts cell behavior in response to cell density. At the same time, it is simple enough to simulate thousands of cells with reasonable computational effort. Experimental sheep MSC cultures were monitored under standard conditions. Automated image analysis was used to determine the location and orientation of individual cells. Our simulations quantitatively reproduced the observed growth dynamics and cell-cell alignment assuming cell density-dependent proliferation, migration, and morphology. In addition to cell growth on plain substrates our model captured cell alignment on micro-structured surfaces. We propose a specific surface micro-structure that according to our simulations can substantially enlarge cell culture harvest. The 'tool box' of cell migratory behavior newly introduced in this study significantly enhances the bandwidth of IBM. Our approach is capable of accommodating individual cell behavior and collective cell dynamics of a variety of cell types and tissues in computational systems biology.

  4. Effects of cortisol on the primary response of mouse spleen cell cultures to heterologous erythrocytes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dracott, B.N.

    1974-01-01

    Cell viability and the production of direct PFC were studied in mouse spleen cell cultures after cortisol treatment in vivo or in vitro at various times relative to primary stimulation with SRBC in vitro. Cortisol treatment in vivo reduced spleen cell numbers by 88 percent after 48 hr, but cultures of the remaining cells produced as many PFC in vitro as did cultures of equal numbers of normal spleen cells. In normal spleen cell cultures incubated with cortisol for 4 hr prior to the addition of antigen, peak responses of PFC/culture and PFC/10 6 cells occurred 24 hr later than in controls and averaged, respectively, 27 and 141 percent of control values. Minimum viable cell numbers were observed in cortisol-treated cultures after 3 days; thereafter cell numbers gradually increased. These results were not significantly altered when cultures were treated simultaneously with cortisol and antigen. The response was not suppressed if the addition of antigen preceded that of cortisol by more than 4 hr. Suppression was also considerably reduced if fetal calf serum was used when preparing cells for culture

  5. Arnold Tongues in Cell Dynamics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jensen, Mogens

    In a recent work with Leo Kadanoff we studied the synchronization between an internal and an external frequency. One obtains a highly structured diagram with details that in essence are related to the difference between rational and irrational number. The synchronized regions appear as Arnold tongues that widen as the coupling between the frequencies increases. Such tongues have been observed in many physical systems, like in the Libchaber convective cell in the basement of the University of Chicago. In biological systems, where oscillators appear in in a broad variety, very little research on Arnold tongues has been performed. We discuss single cell oscillating dynamics triggered by an external cytokine signal. When this signal is overlaid by an oscillating variation, the two oscillators might couple leading to Arnold tongue diagram. When the tongues overlap, the cell dynamics can shift between the tongues eventually leading to a chaotic response. We quantify such switching in single cell experiments and in model systems based on Gillespie simulations. Kadanoff session.

  6. Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System Fluid Dynamics Investigation

    Science.gov (United States)

    2003-01-01

    Aboard the International Space Station (ISS), the Tissue Culture Medium (TCM) is the bioreactor vessel in which cell cultures are grown. With its two syringe ports, it is much like a bag used to administer intravenous fluid, except it allows gas exchange needed for life. The TCM contains cell culture medium, and when frozen cells are flown to the ISS, they are thawed and introduced to the TCM through the syringe ports. In the Cellular Biotechnology Operations Support System-Fluid Dynamics Investigation (CBOSS-FDI) experiment, several mixing procedures are being assessed to determine which method achieves the most uniform mixing of growing cells and culture medium.

  7. Thermo-responsive cell culture carrier: Effects on macrophage functionality and detachment efficiency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rennert, Knut; Nitschke, Mirko; Wallert, Maria; Keune, Natalie; Raasch, Martin; Lorkowski, Stefan; Mosig, Alexander S

    2017-01-01

    Harvesting cultivated macrophages for tissue engineering purposes by enzymatic digestion of cell adhesion molecules can potentially result in unintended activation, altered function, or behavior of these cells. Thermo-responsive polymer is a promising tool that allows for gentle macrophage detachment without artificial activation prior to subculture within engineered tissue constructs. We therefore characterized different species of thermo-responsive polymers for their suitability as cell substrate and to mediate gentle macrophage detachment by temperature shift. Primary human monocyte- and THP-1-derived macrophages were cultured on thermo-responsive polymers and characterized for phagocytosis and cytokine secretion in response to lipopolysaccharide stimulation. We found that both cell types differentially respond in dependence of culture and stimulation on thermo-responsive polymers. In contrast to THP-1 macrophages, primary monocyte-derived macrophages showed no signs of impaired viability, artificial activation, or altered functionality due to culture on thermo-responsive polymers compared to conventional cell culture. Our study demonstrates that along with commercially available UpCell carriers, two other thermo-responsive polymers based on poly(vinyl methyl ether) blends are attractive candidates for differentiation and gentle detachment of primary monocyte-derived macrophages. In summary, we observed similar functionality and viability of primary monocyte-derived macrophages cultured on thermo-responsive polymers compared to standard cell culture surfaces. While this first generation of custom-made thermo-responsive polymers does not yet outperform standard culture approaches, our results are very promising and provide the basis for exploiting the unique advantages offered by custom-made thermo-responsive polymers to further improve macrophage culture and recovery in the future, including the covalent binding of signaling molecules and the reduction of

  8. Influence of physicochemical properties of beryllium particles on cultured cell toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Finch, G.L.; Brooks, A.L.; Hoover, M.D.; Cuddihy, R.G.

    1988-01-01

    The toxicity of beryllium oxide (BeO)), beryllium metal, and beryllium sulfate (BeSO 4 ) was studied in two cell lines, Chinese hamster ovary cells (CHO) and lung epithelial cells (LEC). Beryllium oxide particles were prepared at either 500 or 1000 deg. C, and two different particle sizes of beryllium metal were used. Following a 20-h exposure to beryllium compounds, cells were grown in culture to quantitate cloning ability relative to controls as a measure of cell killing, The LEC cultures were more sensitive to beryllium cytotoxicity than the CHO cells. When expressed on the basis of the mass of material added to the cultures, the order of toxicity was BeSO 4 ≥ 500 deg. C -BeO > 1000 deg. C -BeO > Be metal (small) Be metal (large). When cytotoxic effects were expressed on the basis of particulate surface rather than mass, the relative differences in toxicity between compounds was decreased. The order of toxicity was Be metal (small) ∼ Be metal (large) ∼ 500 deg. C-BeO ∼ 1000 deg. C-BeO. These data indicate that solubility influences beryllium toxicity to short-term cell cultures. (author)

  9. Properties of Dental Pulp-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and the Effects of Culture Conditions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kawashima, Nobuyuki; Noda, Sonoko; Yamamoto, Mioko; Okiji, Takashi

    2017-09-01

    Dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells (DPMSCs) highly express mesenchymal stem cell markers and possess the potential to differentiate into neural cells, osteoblasts, adipocytes, and chondrocytes. Thus, DPMSCs are considered suitable for tissue regeneration. The colony isolation method has commonly been used to collect relatively large amounts of heterogeneous DPMSCs. Homogenous DPMSCs can be isolated by fluorescence-activated cell sorting using antibodies against mesenchymal stem cell markers, although this method yields a limited number of cells. Both quality and quantity of DPMSCs are critical to regenerative therapy, and cell culture methods need to be improved. We thus investigated the properties of DPMSCs cultured with different methods. DPMSCs in a three-dimensional spheroid culture system, which is similar to the hanging drop culture for differentiation of embryonic stem cells, showed upregulation of odonto-/osteoblastic markers and mineralized nodule formation. This suggests that this three-dimensional spheroid culturing system for DPMSCs may be suitable for inducing hard tissues. We further examined the effect of cell culture density on the properties of DPMSCs because the properties of stem cells can be altered depending on the cell density. DPMSCs cultured under the confluent cell density condition showed slight downregulation of some mesenchymal stem cell markers compared with those under the sparse condition. The ability of DPMSCs to differentiate into hard tissue-forming cells was found to be enhanced in the confluent condition, suggesting that the confluent culture condition may not be suitable for maintaining the stemness of DPMSCs. When DPMSCs are to be used for hard tissue regeneration, dense followed by sparse cell culture conditions may be a better alternative strategy. Copyright © 2017 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. Radiation transformation in differentiated human cells in culture

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mothersill, C.; Seymour, C.; Moriarty, M.; Malone, J.; Byrne, P.; Hennessy, T.

    1986-01-01

    A tissue culture technique is described for human thyroid tissue as an approach to studying mechanisms of human radiation carcinogenesis. Normal human tissue obtained from surgery is treated in one of two ways, depending upon size of specimen. Large pieces are completely digested in trypsin/ collagenase solution to a single cell suspension. Small pieces of tissue are plated as explants following partial digestion in trypsin/collagenase solution. Following irradiation of the primary differentiated monolayers (normally 10 days after plating), the development of transformed characteristics is monitored in the subsequent subcultures. A very high level of morphological and functional differentiation is apparent in the primary cultures. Over a period of approx. 6 months, the irradiated surviving cells continue to grow in culture, unlike the unirradiated controls which senesce after 2-3 subcultures. (UK)

  11. Immunophenotype of hematopoietic stem cells from placental/umbilical cord blood after culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    P. Pranke

    2005-12-01

    Full Text Available Identification and enumeration of human hematopoietic stem cells remain problematic, since in vitro and in vivo stem cell assays have different outcomes. We determined if the altered expression of adhesion molecules during stem cell expansion could be a reason for the discrepancy. CD34+CD38- and CD34+CD38+ cells from umbilical cord blood were analyzed before and after culture with thrombopoietin (TPO, FLT-3 ligand (FL and kit ligand (KL; or stem cell factor in different combinations: TPO + FL + KL, TPO + FL and TPO, at concentrations of 50 ng/mL each. Cells were immunophenotyped by four-color fluorescence using antibodies against CD11c, CD31, CD49e, CD61, CD62L, CD117, and HLA-DR. Low-density cord blood contained 1.4 ± 0.9% CD34+ cells, 2.6 ± 2.1% of which were CD38-negative. CD34+ cells were isolated using immuno-magnetic beads and cultured for up to 7 days. The TPO + FL + KL combination presented the best condition for maintenance of stem cells. The total cell number increased 4.3 ± 1.8-fold, but the number of viable CD34+ cells decreased by 46 ± 25%. On the other hand, the fraction of CD34+CD38- cells became 52.0 ± 29% of all CD34+ cells. The absolute number of CD34+CD38- cells was expanded on average 15 ± 12-fold when CD34+ cells were cultured with TPO + FL + KL for 7 days. The expression of CD62L, HLA-DR and CD117 was modulated after culture, particularly with TPO + FL + KL, explaining differences between the adhesion and engraftment of primary and cultured candidate stem cells. We conclude that culture of CD34+ cells with TPO + FL + KL results in a significant increase in the number of candidate stem cells with the CD34+CD38- phenotype.

  12. Efficient generation of hepatic cells from mesenchymal stromal cells by an innovative bio-microfluidic cell culture device.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yen, Meng-Hua; Wu, Yuan-Yi; Liu, Yi-Shiuan; Rimando, Marilyn; Ho, Jennifer Hui-Chun; Lee, Oscar Kuang-Sheng

    2016-08-19

    Mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) are multipotent and have great potential in cell therapy. Previously we reported the differentiation potential of human MSCs into hepatocytes in vitro and that these cells can rescue fulminant hepatic failure. However, the conventional static culture method neither maintains growth factors at an optimal level constantly nor removes cellular waste efficiently. In addition, not only is the duration of differentiating hepatocyte lineage cells from MSCs required to improve, but also the need for a large number of hepatocytes for cell therapy has not to date been addressed fully. The purpose of this study is to design and develop an innovative microfluidic device to overcome these shortcomings. We designed and fabricated a microfluidic device and a culture system for hepatic differentiation of MSCs using our protocol reported previously. The microfluidic device contains a large culture chamber with a stable uniform flow to allow homogeneous distribution and expansion as well as efficient induction of hepatic differentiation for MSCs. The device enables real-time observation under light microscopy and exhibits a better differentiation efficiency for MSCs compared with conventional static culture. MSCs grown in the microfluidic device showed a higher level of hepatocyte marker gene expression under hepatic induction. Functional analysis of hepatic differentiation demonstrated significantly higher urea production in the microfluidic device after 21 days of hepatic differentiation. The microfluidic device allows the generation of a large number of MSCs and induces hepatic differentiation of MSCs efficiently. The device can be adapted for scale-up production of hepatic cells from MSCs for cellular therapy.

  13. Six cloned calves produced from adult fibroblast cells after long-term culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kubota, Chikara; Yamakuchi, Hiroshi; Todoroki, Junichi; Mizoshita, Kazunori; Tabara, Norio; Barber, Michele; Yang, Xiangzhong

    2000-01-01

    Cloning whole animals with somatic cells as parents offers the possibility of targeted genetic manipulations in vitro such as “gene knock-out” by homologous recombination. However, such manipulation requires prolonged culture of nuclear donor cells. Previous successes in cloning have been limited to the use of cells collected either fresh or after short-term culture. Therefore, demonstration of genetic totipotency of cells after prolonged culture is pivotal to combining site-specific genetic manipulations and cloning. Here we report birth of six clones of an aged (17-year-old) Japanese Black Beef bull using ear skin fibroblast cells as nuclear donor cells after up to 3 months of in vitro culture (10–15 passages). We observed higher developmental rates for embryos derived from later passages (10 and 15) as compared with those embryos from an early passage (passage 5). The four surviving clones are now 10–12 months of age and appear normal, similar to their naturally reproduced peers. These data show that fibroblasts of aged animals remain competent for cloning, and prolonged culture does not affect the cloning competence of adult somatic donor cells. PMID:10655472

  14. Sequential cancer mutations in cultured human intestinal stem cells

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Drost, Jarno; van Jaarsveld, Richard H.; Ponsioen, Bas; Zimberlin, Cheryl; van Boxtel, Ruben; Buijs, Arjan; Sachs, Norman; Overmeer, René M.; Offerhaus, G. Johan; Begthel, Harry; Korving, Jeroen; van de Wetering, Marc; Schwank, Gerald; Logtenberg, Meike; Cuppen, Edwin; Snippert, Hugo J.; Medema, Jan Paul; Kops, Geert J. P. L.; Clevers, Hans

    2015-01-01

    Crypt stem cells represent the cells of origin for intestinal neoplasia. Both mouse and human intestinal stem cells can be cultured in medium containing the stem-cell-niche factors WNT, R-spondin, epidermal growth factor (EGF) and noggin over long time periods as epithelial organoids that remain

  15. An engineered approach to stem cell culture: automating the decision process for real-time adaptive subculture of stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dai Fei Elmer Ker

    Full Text Available Current cell culture practices are dependent upon human operators and remain laborious and highly subjective, resulting in large variations and inconsistent outcomes, especially when using visual assessments of cell confluency to determine the appropriate time to subculture cells. Although efforts to automate cell culture with robotic systems are underway, the majority of such systems still require human intervention to determine when to subculture. Thus, it is necessary to accurately and objectively determine the appropriate time for cell passaging. Optimal stem cell culturing that maintains cell pluripotency while maximizing cell yields will be especially important for efficient, cost-effective stem cell-based therapies. Toward this goal we developed a real-time computer vision-based system that monitors the degree of cell confluency with a precision of 0.791±0.031 and recall of 0.559±0.043. The system consists of an automated phase-contrast time-lapse microscope and a server. Multiple dishes are sequentially imaged and the data is uploaded to the server that performs computer vision processing, predicts when cells will exceed a pre-defined threshold for optimal cell confluency, and provides a Web-based interface for remote cell culture monitoring. Human operators are also notified via text messaging and e-mail 4 hours prior to reaching this threshold and immediately upon reaching this threshold. This system was successfully used to direct the expansion of a paradigm stem cell population, C2C12 cells. Computer-directed and human-directed control subcultures required 3 serial cultures to achieve the theoretical target cell yield of 50 million C2C12 cells and showed no difference for myogenic and osteogenic differentiation. This automated vision-based system has potential as a tool toward adaptive real-time control of subculturing, cell culture optimization and quality assurance/quality control, and it could be integrated with current and

  16. Lipoprotein receptors in cultured bovine endothelial cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Struempfer, A.E.M.

    1983-07-01

    In this study, receptors that may be involved in the uptake of low density lipoproteins (LDL) and low density lipoproteins which have been modified by acetylation (AcLDL), were characterized. Aortic epithelial cells were used and a cell culture system which closely resembled the in vivo monolayer was established. Endothelial cell and lipoprotein interactions were examined by incubating the cells with 125 l-labelled lipoproteins under various conditions. The receptor affinity of bovine aortic endothelial cells was higher for AcLDL than that for LDL. Competition studies demonstrated that there were two distinct receptors for LDL and AcLDL on the endothelial cells. AcLDL did not compete with LDL for the LDL receptor, and conversely LDL did not compete with AcLDL for the AcLDL receptor. The receptor activities for LDL and AcLDL were examined as a function of culture age. Whereas the LDL receptor could be regulated, the AcLDL receptor was not as susceptible to regulation. Upon exposing endothelial cells for 72 h to either LDL or AcLDL, it was found that the total amount of cellular cholesterol increased by about 50%. However, the increase of total cholesterol was largely in the form of free cholesterol. This is in contrast to macrophages, where the increase in total cholesterol upon exposure to AcLDL is largely in the form cholesteryl esters

  17. A Single-Cell Biochemistry Approach Reveals PAR Complex Dynamics during Cell Polarization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dickinson, Daniel J; Schwager, Francoise; Pintard, Lionel; Gotta, Monica; Goldstein, Bob

    2017-08-21

    Regulated protein-protein interactions are critical for cell signaling, differentiation, and development. For the study of dynamic regulation of protein interactions in vivo, there is a need for techniques that can yield time-resolved information and probe multiple protein binding partners simultaneously, using small amounts of starting material. Here we describe a single-cell protein interaction assay. Single-cell lysates are generated at defined time points and analyzed using single-molecule pull-down, yielding information about dynamic protein complex regulation in vivo. We established the utility of this approach by studying PAR polarity proteins, which mediate polarization of many animal cell types. We uncovered striking regulation of PAR complex composition and stoichiometry during Caenorhabditis elegans zygote polarization, which takes place in less than 20 min. PAR complex dynamics are linked to the cell cycle by Polo-like kinase 1 and govern the movement of PAR proteins to establish polarity. Our results demonstrate an approach to study dynamic biochemical events in vivo. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Isotropic actomyosin dynamics promote organization of the apical cell cortex in epithelial cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Klingner, Christoph; Cherian, Anoop V; Fels, Johannes; Diesinger, Philipp M; Aufschnaiter, Roland; Maghelli, Nicola; Keil, Thomas; Beck, Gisela; Tolić-Nørrelykke, Iva M; Bathe, Mark; Wedlich-Soldner, Roland

    2014-10-13

    Although cortical actin plays an important role in cellular mechanics and morphogenesis, there is surprisingly little information on cortex organization at the apical surface of cells. In this paper, we characterize organization and dynamics of microvilli (MV) and a previously unappreciated actomyosin network at the apical surface of Madin-Darby canine kidney cells. In contrast to short and static MV in confluent cells, the apical surfaces of nonconfluent epithelial cells (ECs) form highly dynamic protrusions, which are often oriented along the plane of the membrane. These dynamic MV exhibit complex and spatially correlated reorganization, which is dependent on myosin II activity. Surprisingly, myosin II is organized into an extensive network of filaments spanning the entire apical membrane in nonconfluent ECs. Dynamic MV, myosin filaments, and their associated actin filaments form an interconnected, prestressed network. Interestingly, this network regulates lateral mobility of apical membrane probes such as integrins or epidermal growth factor receptors, suggesting that coordinated actomyosin dynamics contributes to apical cell membrane organization. © 2014 Klingner et al.

  19. Functional dynamics of cell surface membrane proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nishida, Noritaka; Osawa, Masanori; Takeuchi, Koh; Imai, Shunsuke; Stampoulis, Pavlos; Kofuku, Yutaka; Ueda, Takumi; Shimada, Ichio

    2014-04-01

    Cell surface receptors are integral membrane proteins that receive external stimuli, and transmit signals across plasma membranes. In the conventional view of receptor activation, ligand binding to the extracellular side of the receptor induces conformational changes, which convert the structure of the receptor into an active conformation. However, recent NMR studies of cell surface membrane proteins have revealed that their structures are more dynamic than previously envisioned, and they fluctuate between multiple conformations in an equilibrium on various timescales. In addition, NMR analyses, along with biochemical and cell biological experiments indicated that such dynamical properties are critical for the proper functions of the receptors. In this review, we will describe several NMR studies that revealed direct linkage between the structural dynamics and the functions of the cell surface membrane proteins, such as G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs), ion channels, membrane transporters, and cell adhesion molecules. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  20. Co-culture of Adult Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Nucleus Pulposus Cells in Bilaminar Pellets for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Allon, Aliza A; Schneider, Richard A; Lotz, Jeffrey C

    2009-01-01

    Our goal is to optimize stem cell-based tissue engineering strategies in the context of the intervertebral disc environment. We explored the benefits of co-culturing nucleus pulposus cells (NPC) and adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) using a novel spherical bilaminar pellet culture system where one cell type is enclosed in a sphere of the other cell type. Our 3D system provides a structure that exploits embryonic processes such as tissue induction and condensation. We observed a unique phenomenon: the budding of co-culture pellets and the formation of satellite pellets that separate from the main pellet. MSC and NPC co-culture pellets were formed with three different structural organizations. The first had random organization. The other two had bilaminar organization with either MSC inside and NPC outside or NPC inside and MSC outside. By 14 days, all co-culture pellets exhibited budding and spontaneously generated satellite pellets. The satellite pellets were composed of both cell types and, surprisingly, all had the same bilaminar organization with MSC on the inside and NPC on the outside. This organization was independent of the structure of the main pellet that the satellites stemmed from. The main pellets generated satellite pellets that spontaneously organized into a bilaminar structure. This implies that structural organization occurs naturally in this cell culture system and may be inherently favorable for cell-based tissue engineering strategies. The occurrence of budding and the organization of satellite pellets may have important implications for the use of co-culture pellets in cell-based therapies for disc regeneration. From a therapeutic point of view, the generation of satellite pellets may be a beneficial feature that would serve to spread donor cells throughout the host matrix and restore normal matrix composition in a sustainable way, ultimately renewing tissue function.

  1. Animal-cell culture in aqueous two-phase systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Zijlstra, G.M.

    1998-01-01

    In current industrial biotechnology, animal-cell culture is an important source of therapeutic protein products. The conventional animal-cell production processes, however, include many unit operations as part of the fermentation and downstream processing strategy. The research described in

  2. Culture of normal human blood cells in a diffusion chamber system II. Lymphocyte and plasma cell kinetics

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chikkappa, G.; Carsten, A.L.; Chanana, A.D.; Cronkite, E.P.

    1979-01-01

    Normal human blood leukocytes were cultured in Millipore diffusion chambers implanted into the peritoneal cavities of irradiated mice. The evaluation of survival and proliferation kinetics of cells in lymphyocytic series suggested that the lymphoid cells are formed from transition of small and/or large lymphocytes, and the lymphoblasts from the lymphoid cells. There was also evidence indicating that some of the cells in these two compartments are formed by proliferation. The evaluation of plasmacytic series suggested that the plasma cells are formed from plasmacytoid-lymphocytes by transition, and the latter from the transition of lymphocytes. In addition, relatively a small fraction of cells in these two compartments are formed by proliferation. mature plasma cells do not and immature plasma cells do proliferate. Estimation of magnitude of plasma cells formed in the cultures at day 18 indicated that at least one plasma cell is formed for every 6 normal human blood lymphocytes introduced into the culture

  3. 3D Protein Dynamics in the Cell Nucleus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Anand P; Galland, Rémi; Finch-Edmondson, Megan L; Grenci, Gianluca; Sibarita, Jean-Baptiste; Studer, Vincent; Viasnoff, Virgile; Saunders, Timothy E

    2017-01-10

    The three-dimensional (3D) architecture of the cell nucleus plays an important role in protein dynamics and in regulating gene expression. However, protein dynamics within the 3D nucleus are poorly understood. Here, we present, to our knowledge, a novel combination of 1) single-objective based light-sheet microscopy, 2) photoconvertible proteins, and 3) fluorescence correlation microscopy, to quantitatively measure 3D protein dynamics in the nucleus. We are able to acquire >3400 autocorrelation functions at multiple spatial positions within a nucleus, without significant photobleaching, allowing us to make reliable estimates of diffusion dynamics. Using this tool, we demonstrate spatial heterogeneity in Polymerase II dynamics in live U2OS cells. Further, we provide detailed measurements of human-Yes-associated protein diffusion dynamics in a human gastric cancer epithelial cell line. Copyright © 2017 Biophysical Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. The effect of perfusion culture on proliferation and differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells on biocorrodible bone replacement material

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Farack, J.; Wolf-Brandstetter, C.; Glorius, S.; Nies, B.; Standke, G.; Quadbeck, P.; Worch, H.; Scharnweber, D.

    2011-01-01

    Biocorrodible iron foams were coated with different calcium phosphate phases (CPP) to obtain a bioactive surface and controlled degradation. Further adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of SaOs-2 and human mesenchymal stem cells were investigated under both static and dynamic culture conditions. Hydroxyapatite (HA; [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 OH 2 ]) coated foams released 500 μg/g iron per day for Dulbecco's modified eagle medium (DMEM) and 250 μg/g iron per day for McCoys, the unmodified reference 1000 μg/g iron per day for DMEM and 500 μg/g iron per day for McCoys, while no corrosion could be detected on brushite (CaHPO 4 ) coated foams. Using a perfusion culture system with conditions closer to the in vivo situation, cells proliferated and differentiated on iron foams coated with either brushite or HA while in static cell culture cells could proliferate only on Fe-brushite. We conclude that the degradation behaviour of biocorrodible iron foams can be varied by different calcium phosphate coatings, offering opportunities for design of novel bone implants. Further studies will focus on the influence of different modifications of iron foams on the expression of oxidative stress enzymes. Additional information about in vivo reactions and remodelling behaviour are expected from testing in implantation studies.

  5. Direct Conversion of Equine Adipose-Derived Stem Cells into Induced Neuronal Cells Is Enhanced in Three-Dimensional Culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petersen, Gayle F; Hilbert, Bryan J; Trope, Gareth D; Kalle, Wouter H J; Strappe, Padraig M

    2015-12-01

    The ability to culture neurons from horses may allow further investigation into equine neurological disorders. In this study, we demonstrate the generation of induced neuronal cells from equine adipose-derived stem cells (EADSCs) using a combination of lentiviral vector expression of the neuronal transcription factors Brn2, Ascl1, Myt1l (BAM) and NeuroD1 and a defined chemical induction medium, with βIII-tubulin-positive induced neuronal cells displaying a distinct neuronal morphology of rounded and compact cell bodies, extensive neurite outgrowth, and branching of processes. Furthermore, we investigated the effects of dimensionality on neuronal transdifferentiation, comparing conventional two-dimensional (2D) monolayer culture against three-dimensional (3D) culture on a porous polystyrene scaffold. Neuronal transdifferentiation was enhanced in 3D culture, with evenly distributed cells located on the surface and throughout the scaffold. Transdifferentiation efficiency was increased in 3D culture, with an increase in mean percent conversion of more than 100% compared to 2D culture. Additionally, induced neuronal cells were shown to transit through a Nestin-positive precursor state, with MAP2 and Synapsin 2 expression significantly increased in 3D culture. These findings will help to increase our understanding of equine neuropathogenesis, with prospective roles in disease modeling, drug screening, and cellular replacement for treatment of equine neurological disorders.

  6. Cultural relativism: maintenance of genomic imprints in pluripotent stem cell culture systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Greenberg, Maxim Vc; Bourc'his, Déborah

    2015-04-01

    Pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) in culture have become a widely used model for studying events occurring during mammalian development; they also present an exciting avenue for therapeutics. However, compared to their in vivo counterparts, cultured PSC derivatives have unique properties, and it is well established that their epigenome is sensitive to medium composition. Here we review the specific effects on genomic imprints in various PSC types and culture systems. Imprinted gene regulation is developmentally important, and imprinting defects have been associated with several human diseases. Therefore, imprint abnormalities in PSCs may have considerable consequences for downstream applications. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Determination of thymidine in serum used for cell culture media

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Schaer, J.C.; Maurer, U.; Schindler, R.

    1978-01-01

    Thymidine concentrations in serum used for cell culture media were determined with an assay based on isotope dilution. In this assay, incorporation of (3H)-thymidine into DNA of cultured cells was measured in the presence of 5 and 20% serum as a function of the concentration of unlabeled thymidine added to the medium. Thymidine concentrations were measured using horse serum as well as fetal calf serum in the culture media. Dialysis of serum resulted in a reduction of thymidine levels by factors of at least 10

  8. Digital holographic microscopy for toxicity testing and cell culture quality control

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kemper, Björn

    2018-02-01

    For the example of digital holographic microscopy (DHM), it is illustrated how label-free biophysical parameter sets can be extracted from quantitative phase images of adherent and suspended cells, and how the retrieved data can be applied for in-vitro toxicity testing and cell culture quality assessment. This includes results from the quantification of the reactions of cells to toxic substances as well as data from sophisticated monitoring of cell alterations that are related to changes of cell culture conditions.

  9. Evaluation of hollow fiber culture for large-scale production of mouse embryonic stem cell-derived hematopoietic stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nakano, Yu; Iwanaga, Shinya; Mizumoto, Hiroshi; Kajiwara, Toshihisa

    2018-03-03

    Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) have the ability to differentiate into all types of blood cells and can be transplanted to treat blood disorders. However, it is difficult to obtain HSCs in large quantities because of the shortage of donors. Recent efforts have focused on acquiring HSCs by differentiation of pluripotent stem cells. As a conventional differentiation method of pluripotent stem cells, the formation of embryoid bodies (EBs) is often employed. However, the size of EBs is limited by depletion of oxygen and nutrients, which prevents them from being efficient for the production of HSCs. In this study, we developed a large-scale hematopoietic differentiation approach for mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells by applying a hollow fiber (HF)/organoid culture method. Cylindrical organoids, which had the potential for further spontaneous differentiation, were established inside of hollow fibers. Using this method, we improved the proliferation rate of mouse ES cells to produce an increased HSC population and achieved around a 40-fold higher production volume of HSCs in HF culture than in conventional EB culture. Therefore, the HF/organoid culture method may be a new mass culture method to acquire pluripotent stem cell-derived HSCs.

  10. Alginate foam-based three-dimensional culture to investigate drug sensitivity in primary leukaemia cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karimpoor, Mahroo; Yebra-Fernandez, Eva; Parhizkar, Maryam; Orlu, Mine; Craig, Duncan; Khorashad, Jamshid S; Edirisinghe, Mohan

    2018-04-01

    The development of assays for evaluating the sensitivity of leukaemia cells to anti-cancer agents is becoming an important aspect of personalized medicine. Conventional cell cultures lack the three-dimensional (3D) structure of the bone marrow (BM), the extracellular matrix and stromal components which are crucial for the growth and survival of leukaemia stem cells. To accurately predict the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells in an in vitro assay a culturing system containing the essential components of BM is required. In this study, we developed a porous calcium alginate foam-based scaffold to be used for 3D culture. The new 3D culture was shown to be cell compatible as it supported the proliferation of both normal haematopoietic and leukaemia cells. Our cell differential assay for myeloid markers showed that the porous foam-based 3D culture enhanced myeloid differentiation in both leukaemia and normal haematopoietic cells compared to two-dimensional culture. The foam-based scaffold reduced the sensitivity of the leukaemia cells to the tested antileukaemia agents in K562 and HL60 leukaemia cell line model and also primary myeloid leukaemia cells. This observation supports the application of calcium alginate foams as scaffold components of the 3D cultures for investigation of sensitivity to antileukaemia agents in primary myeloid cells. © 2018 The Author(s).

  11. Stability of resazurin in buffers and mammalian cell culture media

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rasmussen, Eva; Nicolaisen, G.M.

    1999-01-01

    The utility of a ferricyanide/ferrocyanide system used in the AlamarBlue(TM) (Serotec, Oxford, UK) vital. dye to inhibit the reduction of resazurin by mammalian cell culture media is questioned. Resazurin was found to be relatively stable when dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS). The use...... of HEPES resulted in a huge immediate dye reduction, which was significantly enhanced by exposure to diffuse light from fluorescent tubes in the laboratory 8 h per day. The reduction of resazurin by various cell culture media was time and temperature dependent, and it was significantly enhanced......'s nutrient mixture F-10 and F-12. Fetal calf serum (5-20%) slightly decreased resazurin reduction during the first 2 days of incubation. The reduction of resazurin by mammalian cell culture media do not appear to be problematic under normal culture conditions, and it is primarily dependent upon the presence...

  12. A dense cell retention culture system using stirred ceramic membrane reactor.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, T; Sato, T; Kominami, M

    1994-11-20

    A novel reactor design incorporating porous ceramic tubes into a stirred jar fermentor was developed. The stirred ceramic membrane reactor has two ceramic tubular membrane units inside the vessel and maintains high filtration flux by alternating use for filtering and recovering from clogging. Each filter unit was linked for both extraction of culture broth and gas sparging. High permeability was maintained for long periods by applying the periodical control between filtering and air sparging during the stirred retention culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The ceramic filter aeration system increased the k(L)a to about five times that of ordinary gas sparing. Using the automatic feeding and filtering system, cell mass concentration reached 207 g/L in a short time, while it was 64 g/L in a fed-batch culture. More than 99% of the growing cells were retained in the fermentor by the filtering culture. Both yield and productivity of cells were also increased by controlling the feeding of fresh medium and filtering the supernatant of the dense cells culture. (c) 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

  13. Isolation, Culture, Functional Assays, and Immunofluorescence of Myofiber-Associated Satellite Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vogler, Thomas O; Gadek, Katherine E; Cadwallader, Adam B; Elston, Tiffany L; Olwin, Bradley B

    2016-01-01

    Adult skeletal muscle stem cells, termed satellite cells, regenerate and repair the functional contractile cells in adult skeletal muscle called myofibers. Satellite cells reside in a niche between the basal lamina and sarcolemma of myofibers. Isolating single myofibers and their associated satellite cells provides a culture system that partially mimics the in vivo environment. We describe methods for isolating and culturing intact individual myofibers and their associated satellite cells from the mouse extensor digitorum longus muscle. Following dissection and isolation of individual myofibers we provide protocols for myofiber transplantation, satellite cell transfection, immune detection of satellite cell antigens, and assays to examine satellite cell self-renewal and proliferation.

  14. Simulation of TGF-Beta Activation by Low-Dose HZE Radiation in a Cell Culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Plante, Ianik; Cucinotta, Francis A.

    2009-01-01

    High charge (Z) and energy (E) (HZE) nuclei comprised in the galactic cosmic rays are main contributors to space radiation risk. They induce many lesions in living matter such as non-specific oxidative damage and the double-strand breaks (DSBs), which are considered key precursors of early and late effects of radiation. There is increasing evidence that cells respond collectively rather than individually to radiation, suggesting the importance of cell signaling1. The transforming growth factor (TGF ) is a signaling peptide that is expressed in nearly all cell type and regulates a large array of cellular processes2. TGF have been shown to mediate cellular response to DNA damage3 and to induce apoptosis in non-irradiated cells cocultured with irradiated cells4. TFG molecules are secreted by cells in an inactive complex known as the latency-associated peptide (LAP). TGF is released from the LAP by a conformational change triggered by proteases, thrombospondin-1, integrins, acidic conditions and .OH radical5. TGF then binds to cells receptors and activates a cascade of events mediated by Smad proteins6, which might interfere with the repair of DNA. Meanwhile, increasingly sophisticated Brownian Dynamics (BD) algorithms have appeared recently in the literature7 and can be applied to study the interaction of molecules with receptors. These BD computer models have contributed to the elucidation of signal transduction, ligand accumulation and autocrine loops in the epidermal growth factor (EGF) and its receptor (EFGR) system8. To investigate the possible roles of TGF in an irradiated cell culture, our Monte-Carlo simulation codes of the radiation track structure9 will be used to calculate the activation of TFG triggered by .OH produced by low doses of HZE ions. The TGF molecules will then be followed by a BD algorithm in a medium representative of a cell culture to estimate the number of activated receptors.

  15. The replacement of serum by hormones in cell culture media.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sato, G; Hayashi, I

    1976-12-01

    The replacement of serum by hormones in cell culture media. (Reemplazo del suero por hormonas en el medio de cultivo de células). Arch. Biol. Med. Exper. 10: 120-121, 1976. The serum used in cell culture media can be replaced by a mixture of hormones and some accesory blood factors. The pituitary cell line GH3 can be grown in a medium in which serum is replaced by triiodothyronine, transferrin, parathormone, tyrotrophin releasing hormone and somatomedins. Hela and BHK cell strains can also be grown in serum free medium supplemented with hormones. Each cell type appears to have different hormonal requirements yet it may found that some hormones are required for most cell types.

  16. Suspension culture combined with chemotherapeutic agents for sorting of breast cancer stem cells

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Hai-zhi; Yi, Tong-bo; Wu, Zheng-yan

    2008-01-01

    Cancer stem cell (CSC) hypothesis has not been well demonstrated by the lack of the most convincing evidence concerning a single cell capable of giving rise to a tumor. The scarcity in quantity and improper approaches for isolation and purification of CSCs have become the major obstacles for great development in CSCs. Here we adopted suspension culture combined with anticancer regimens as a strategy for screening breast cancer stem cells (BrCSCs). BrCSCs could survive and be highly enriched in non-adherent suspension culture while chemotherapeutic agents could destroy most rapidly dividing cancer cells and spare relatively quiescent BrCSCs. TM40D murine breast cancer cells were cultured in serum-free medium. The expression of CD44 + CD24 - was measured by flow cytometry. Cells of passage 10 were treated in combination with anticancer agents pacilitaxel and epirubicin at different peak plasma concentrations for 24 hours, and then maintained under suspension culture. The rate of apoptosis was examined by flow cytometry with Annexin-V fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)/propidium iodide (PI) double staining method. Selected cells in different amounts were injected subcutaneously into BALB/C mice to observe tumor formation. Cells of passage 10 in suspension culture had the highest percentage of CD44 + CD24 - (about 77 percent). A single tumor cell in 0.35 PPC could generate tumors in 3 of 20 BALB/C mice. Suspension culture combined with anticancer regimens provides an effective means of isolating, culturing and purifying BrCSCs

  17. Cell culture density affects the stemness gene expression of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Dae Seong; Lee, Myoung Woo; Lee, Tae-Hee; Sung, Ki Woong; Koo, Hong Hoe; Yoo, Keon Hee

    2017-03-01

    The results of clinical trials using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are controversial due to the heterogeneity of human MSCs and differences in culture conditions. In this regard, it is important to identify gene expression patterns according to culture conditions, and to determine how the cells are expanded and when they should be clinically used. In the current study, stemness gene expression was investigated in adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AT-MSCs) harvested following culture at different densities. AT-MSCs were plated at a density of 200 or 5,000 cells/cm 2 . After 7 days of culture, stemness gene expression was examined by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis. The proliferation rate of AT-MSCs harvested at a low density (~50% confluent) was higher than that of AT-MSCs harvested at a high density (~90% confluent). Although there were differences in the expression levels of stemness gene, such as octamer-binding transcription factor 4, nanog homeobox ( Nanog ), SRY-box 2, Kruppel like factor 4, v-myc avian myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog ( c-Myc ), and lin-28 homolog A, in the AT-MSCs obtained from different donors, RT-qPCR analysis demonstrated differential gene expression patterns according to the cell culture density. Expression levels of stemness genes, particularly Nanog and c-Myc , were upregulated in AT-MSCs harvested at a low density (~50% confluent) in comparison to AT-MSCs from the same donor harvested at a high density (~90% confluent). These results imply that culture conditions, such as the cell density at harvesting, modulate the stemness gene expression and proliferation of MSCs.

  18. Long-term load duration induces N-cadherin down-regulation and loss of cell phenotype of nucleus pulposus cells in a disc bioreactor culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Pei; Zhang, Ruijie; Wang, Liyuan; Gan, Yibo; Xu, Yuan; Song, Lei; Luo, Lei; Zhao, Chen; Zhang, Chengmin; Ouyang, Bin; Tu, Bing; Zhou, Qiang

    2017-04-30

    Long-term exposure to a mechanical load causes degenerative changes in the disc nucleus pulposus (NP) tissue. A previous study demonstrated that N-cadherin (N-CDH)-mediated signalling can preserve the NP cell phenotype. However, N-CDH expression and the resulting phenotype alteration in NP cells under mechanical compression remain unclear. The present study investigated the effects of the compressive duration on N-CDH expression and on the phenotype of NP cells in an ex vivo disc organ culture. Porcine discs were organ cultured in a self-developed mechanically active bioreactor for 7 days. The discs were subjected to different dynamic compression durations (1 and 8 h at a magnitude of 0.4 MPa and frequency of 1.0 Hz) once per day. Discs that were not compressed were used as controls. The results showed that long-term compression duration (8 h) significantly down-regulated the expression of N-CDH and NP-specific molecule markers (Brachyury, Laminin, Glypican-3 and Keratin 19), attenuated Alcian Blue staining intensity, decreased glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and hydroxyproline (HYP) contents and decreased matrix macromolecule (aggrecan and collagen II) expression compared with the short-term compression duration (1 h). Taken together, these findings demonstrate that long-term load duration can induce N-CDH down-regulation, loss of normal cell phenotype and result in attenuation of NP-related matrix synthesis in NP cells. © 2017 The Author(s).

  19. Clonal differences in generation times of GPK epithelial cells in monolayer culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Riley, P A; Hola, M

    1980-01-01

    Pedigrees of cells in eight clones of guinea pig keratocyte (GPK) cells in monolayer culture were analyzed from a time-lapse film. The generation times and the position in the field of observation were recorded up to the sixth generation when the cultures were still subconfluent. Statistical analysis of the results indicates that the position in the culture has less significance than the clonal origin of the cell in determining the interval between successive mitoses.

  20. Community Collectivism: A social dynamic approach to conceptualizing culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Postmes, Tom; Stroebe, Katherine

    2017-01-01

    Culture shapes individuals, but the measurement of cultural differences has proven a challenge. Traditional measures of cultural values focus on individual perceptions. We suggest that values are established and maintained within social communities of proximate others, such as the family and its social environment. Within such communities, values serve to maintain collective harmony whilst preserving individual agency. From a social-dynamic analysis of communities, we infer that community values of loyalty regulate individual commitment, values of honor regulate norm compliance, and values of group hierarchy maintain a division of labor. In addition, communities may regulate the ways in which individuals have independent agency. A new scale to measure these values was validated in four studies (N = 398, 112, 465 and 111) among Dutch (religious and non-religious), Turkish-Dutch, Surinamese and Turkish groups. Values and practices were measured at the level of the individual (‘What do you value?’) and at the level of the perceived community (‘What does your community value?’). Results show that, unlike individual-level measures of individualism/collectivism, this scale has excellent reliability, differentiates between cultural groups, and has predictive validity for future (voting) behavior. This approach provides a new way of conceptualizing culture, a new measure of collectivism and new insights into the role of proximate others in shaping culture. PMID:28957447