Analyzing Cell, Molecules and Systems 1 Flashcards
What is a cell culture?
refers to the removal of cells from an organism, and promoting their subsequent growth in a favorable artificial environment
What are the types of cell culture?
primary cell culture
established or continuous cell culture
What is a primary cell culture?
derived directly from animal
involves enzymatic and/or mechanical disruption of the tissue and some selection steps to isolate the cells of interest form a heterogenous population
How long do primary cell cultures survive for?
finite period of time
What are some examples of primary cell cultures?
primary neurons, cardiomyocytes
What is an established or continuous cell line?
primary culture that has been made immortal by transformation, most commonly tumor derived or transformed with a virus
What are examples of a established cell line?
SH-SY-5Y (human neuroblastoma derived), CHO, Hela
What are the advantages of cell cultures?
- study of cell behavior without complexity/variation from live animals
- cell characteristics maintained over several generations
- control of growth environment leads to uniformity of sample
- cultures can be exposed to reagents or protective agents
What are the disadvantages of cell cultures?
- need to develop/ standardize techniques to maintain healthy cells
- quantity of material is limited
- dedifferentiation and selection may occur, altering original cellular mechanism/pathway
What are the applications of cell cultures?
- basic science research on cell/gene/protein function
- simulation of disease in vitro
- testing of drugs/vaccines/ chemicals
- chromosomal or genetic analysis
- production of biological products
- regenerative medicine
What is protein purification used for?
to study the unique structure and function of individual proteins
in subcellular fractionation, what happens to the tissues?
mechanical blending
What does the homogenate do in subcellular fractionation?
suspension of different cell types
What does centrifugation do in subcellular fractionation?
separate different cell types based on size and density
What does lysis of cells do in subcellular fractionation?
osmotic shock, ultrasonic vibration, mechanical blending, forcing through small orifice
