Research Focused Undergraduate Education
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Transcript Research Focused Undergraduate Education
Plant and Mammalian Tissue Culture
Culture Systems and Aseptic Technique
Culture Vessels
Mammalian cells can be
grown in a variety of
containers.
The choice of container
is typically dependent
upon cell growth
characteristics and the
number of cells
required.
Culture Vessels
Most tissue culture container are disposable,
made of polystyrene, and have been
radiation-sterilized.
Untreated plastic is usually fine for
suspension cells
Most adherent cells grow better on treated
plastic.
Culture Vessels
Treated Plastic
Permanent modification to the polystyrene surface
Causes a net charge on the surface of the plastic
Modifier used include:
• Proteins
• Plasma
• Amino Acids
Culture Vessels
Some cells types require a specific
attachment substrate be added to the culture
dish.
Common examples are extracellular matrix
proteins
Collagen
Fibronectin
Laminin
Adherent Cells
Flasks are commonly
used to carry and
expand cells.
Either vented or nonvented tops.
Adherent Cells
Dishes commonly used
for specific experiments
Scraping cells for SDSPAGE and Western
Blotting
Fixing and staining cells
for protein localization
and interactions.
Adherent Cells
Multi-well plates
6, 12, 24, 96, 384 wells
Allow for multiple
replicates of
experiments effectively
Different Growth Areas
for each size
Adherent Cells
Adherent Cells
Chamber Slides
Used to prepare
cells for microscope
studies.
Suspension Cells
Suspension cultures are usually grown
either:
In magnetically rotated spinner flasks or
shaken Erlenmeyer flasks
• This actively keeps cells suspended in medium
In stationary culture vessels such at Tflasks and bottles
• Don’t need to agitate because they are unable
to attach firmly to the surface
Suspension Cells
Spinner Flasks
Require special
variable speed
magnetic stir plate.
Erlenmeyer Flasks
Require platform
shaker
Types of Cells
Cultured cells are usually described based
upon their morphology.
Epithelial-like cells
• Attached to substrate and flattened in shape
Lymphoblast-like cells
• Cells that do not attach to a substrate and have a
spherical shape
Fibroblast-like cells
• Cells that are attached to a substrate and appear
elongated and bipolar frequently forming swirls in heavy
culture
Handling Cell Cultures
Adherence to good laboratory practice when
working with cell cultures is essential for two
reasons:
reduce the risk of exposure of the worker to any
potentially infectious agent(s) in the cell culture
to prevent contamination of the cell culture with
microbial or other animal cells
Aseptic Technique
Aseptic Technique
Refers to a procedure that is performed
under sterile conditions.
This includes medical and laboratory
techniques, such as with microbiological
cultures.
Aseptic Technique
For Cell and Tissue culture this is the
execution procedures without the
introduction of contaminating
microorganisms
Aseptic Technique
Work with cells in a
biological safety
cabinet
laminar flow hood
prevent airborne
organisms from
entering your
cultures
always use ETOH to
clean hood before
and after use
Laminar Flow Hood
A typical laminar flow
hood
Filtered air enters the
work space from the from
above
Do not block vents!
UV lights can be turned
on after the work is
finished to sterilize
surfaces.
Aseptic Technique
Always use separate
sterile pipettes for each
manipulation
Never cough, sneeze,
or yawn directly in your
culture
Work rapidly but
carefully
Incubator
Cell Culture Incubator
Internal temperature is
controlled.
CO2 incubators contain a
continuous flow of carbon
dioxide containing air.
Visualizing Cells
Inverted Microscope
Large stage so plates
and flasks can be
used.
Magnification; 4X,
10X, 20X, 40X
Contamination
The presence of microorganisms can
inhibit cell growth, kill cells, and lead to
inconsistent results.
It is not a question of if, but when, your
cells become contaminated.
Contamination is both observed under
microscope and only by other tests.
Contamination
Cultures can be infected through:
Poor handling
From contaminated media, reagents, and equipment (e.g.,
pipets)
From microorganisms present in incubators, refrigerators,
and laminar flow hoods
From skin of the worker and in cultures coming from other
laboratories
Contamination
Bacteria, yeasts, fungi,
molds, mycoplasmas,
and other cell cultures
are common
contaminants in animal
cell culture.
Cloudiness (due to
large cells in
suspension) or
filaments from mold are
obvious signs
Microbial Contamination
The presence of an
infectious agent
sometimes can be
detected by turbidity
and a sharp change in
the pH of the medium
(usually indicated by a
change in the color of
the medium), and/or cell
culture death.
pH 8.0
pH 7.2
pH 6.5
Contamination
Mycoplasma – grow slowly and do not
kill cells but will likely alter their
behavior. Mostly tested by PCR for
specific mycoplasma genes or using kits
based on staining of growth in
cytoplasm of cells
Some labs will test every 6 months for
this kind of contamination
Contamination
Cross-culture contamination: multiple
cells growing together – based on
doubling rate, one cell may take over
the other as the dominant population
Up to 60% of cultured lines are
contaminated (NIH 2009)
Contamination
How to get rid of contamination?
AVOID at all costs: sterile techniques, clean and
properly maintained hood and incubator, clean
room.
Laziness or familiarity are most common causes.
Antibiotics may help reduce contamination but
may also alter cell functions
Clearing contamination – only for novel cell lines,
can be done with some agents.
• Wash cells to reduce contaminant burden
• Use sub-lethal doses of fungacide or antibiotic