Three-dimensional Culture System (three-dimensional + culture_system)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Three-dimensional culture systems for the expansion of pluripotent embryonic stem cells

BIOTECHNOLOGY & BIOENGINEERING, Issue 4 2010
Michael P. Storm
Abstract Mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines, and more recently human ESC lines, have become valuable tools for studying early mammalian development. Increasing interest in ESCs and their differentiated progeny in drug discovery and as potential therapeutic agents has highlighted the fact that current two-dimensional (2D) static culturing techniques are inadequate for large-scale production. The culture of mammalian cells in three-dimensional (3D) agitated systems has been shown to overcome many of the restrictions of 2D and is therefore likely to be effective for ESC proliferation. Using murine ESCs as our initial model, we investigated the effectiveness of different 3D culture environments for the expansion of pluripotent ESCs. Solohill Collagen, Solohill FACT, and Cultispher-S microcarriers were employed and used in conjunction with stirred bioreactors. Initial seeding parameters, including cell number and agitation conditions, were found to be critical in promoting attachment to microcarriers and minimizing the size of aggregates formed. While all microcarriers supported the growth of undifferentiated mESCs, Cultispher-S out-performed the Solohill microcarriers. When cultured for successive passages on Cultispher-S microcarriers, mESCs maintained their pluripotency, demonstrated by self-renewal, expression of pluripotency markers and the ability to undergo multi-lineage differentiation. When these optimized conditions were applied to unweaned human ESCs, Cultispher-S microcarriers supported the growth of hESCs that retained expression of pluripotency markers including SSEA4, Tra-1,60, NANOG, and OCT-4. Our study highlights the importance of optimization of initial seeding parameters and provides proof-of-concept data demonstrating the utility of microcarriers and bioreactors for the expansion of hESCs. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2010;107:683,695. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source]


Isolation of epithelial stem cells from dermis by a three-dimensional culture system,

JOURNAL OF CELLULAR BIOCHEMISTRY, Issue 1 2006
Reinhold J. Medina
Abstract Skin is a representative self-renewing tissue containing stem cells. Although many attempts have been made to define and isolate skin-derived stem cells, establishment of a simple and reliable isolation procedure remains a goal to be achieved. Here, we report the isolation of cells having stem cell properties from mouse embryonic skin using a simple selection method based on an assumption that stem cells may grow in an anchorage-independent manner. We inoculated single cell suspensions prepared from mouse embryonic dermis into a temperature-sensitive gel and propagated the resulting colonies in a monolayer culture. The cells named dermis-derived epithelial progenitor-1 (DEEP) showed epithelial morphology and grew rapidly to a more than 200 population doubling level over a period of 250 days. When the cells were kept confluent, they spontaneously formed spheroids and continuously grew even in spheroids. Immunostaining revealed that all of the clones were positive for the expression of cytokeratin-8, ,18, ,19, and E-cadherin and negative for the expression of cytokeratin-1, ,5, ,6, ,14, ,20, vimentin, nestin, a ckit. Furthermore, they expressed epithelial stem cell markers such as p63, integrin ,1, and S100A6. On exposure to TGF, in culture, some of DEEP-1 cells expressed ,-smooth muscle actin. When the cells were transplanted into various organs of adult SCID mice, a part of the inoculated cell population acquired neural, hepatic, and renal cell properties. These results indicate that the cells we isolated were of epithelial stem cell origin and that our new approach is useful for isolation of multipotent stem cells from skin tissues. J. Cell. Biochem. 98: 174,184, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Identification of genes related to mechanical stress in human periodontal ligament cells using microarray analysis

JOURNAL OF PERIODONTAL RESEARCH, Issue 1 2007
R. M. S. De Araujo
Background and Objective:, Differential expression of genes in human periodontal ligament (PDL) under mechanical stress, such as orthodontic force, is thought to be involved in the remodeling of PDL cells and periodontal tissues. However, little is known about the genes expressed in PDL cells under mechanical stress. Material and Methods:, We employed microarray analysis to assess, in a comprehensive manner, the gene expression profiles in PDL cells compressed by a static force using an in vitro three-dimensional culture system. Six genes were selected and validated by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis, consistent with the microarray data. Results:, The microarray data revealed that 108 of 30,000 genes tested were differentially expressed by mechanical force loading. Among them, 85 genes were up-regulated by mechanical stress, while 23 genes were down-regulated, judging by the thresholds of a two-fold increase/decrease compared with the controls. Thirty-two of the up-regulated and eight of the down-regulated genes, well-characterized in protein function, were involved in numerous biological processes including cell communication, cell signaling, cell cycle, stress response, and calcium release. However, several genes differentially expressed in our microarray data have not been well defined as stress-response molecules. Conclusion:, Our microarray is the first to show the gene profile in PDL cells caused by mechanical stress; however, further studies to clarify the physiological function of these molecules in PDL cells are required. [source]


A New Method to Prepare Multicellular Spheroids in Cancer Cell Lines Using a Thermo-Reversible Gelation Polymer

ARTIFICIAL ORGANS, Issue 7 2003
Satoshi Tsukikawa
Abstract: The purpose of this study is to utilize the thermo-reversible gelation polymer in which the sol-gel transitting phase is reversibly changed by temperature in a three-dimensional culture system. Human cancer cells have been observed to form multicellular spheroids, whereas fibroblasts slowly develop into small spheroids with the culture medium including this polymer. This polymer has some advantages for use as a culture material, as follows: first, cancer cells grow three-dimensionally in the aqueous solution of this polymer; second, it is easy to harvest cells or spheroids in the aqueous solution of this polymer by simply cooling down the temperature; and third, the culture medium including this polymer is so translucent that the cells or spheroids can be observed through a phase-contrast microscope. We thus conclude that this polymer is a very useful material for three-dimensional cultures. [source]


Cell proliferation of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells on biodegradable microcarriers enhances in vitro differentiation potential

CELL PROLIFERATION, Issue 5 2010
L.-Y. Sun
Objectives:, For reasons of provision of highly-specific surface area and three-dimensional culture, microcarrier culture (MC) has garnered great interest for its potential to expand anchorage-dependent stem cells. This study utilizes MC for in vitro expansion of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMMSCs) and analyses its effects on BMMSC proliferation and differentiation. Materials and methods:, Effects of semi-continuous MC compared to control plate culture (PC) and serial bead-to-bead transfer MC (MC bead-T) on human BMMSCs were investigated. Cell population growth kinetics, cell phenotypes and differentiation potential of cells were assayed. Results:, Maximum cell density and overall fold increase in cell population growth were similar between PCs and MCs with similar starting conditions, but lag period of BMMSC growth differed substantially between the two; moreover, MC cells exhibited reduced granularity and higher CXCR4 expression. Differentiation of BMMSCs into osteogenic and adipogenic lineages was enhanced after 3 days in MC. However, MC bead-T resulted in changes in cell granularity and lower osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation potential. Conclusions:, In comparison to PC, MC supported expansion of BMMSCs in an up-scalable three-dimensional culture system using a semi-continuous process, increasing potential for stem cell homing ability and osteogenic and adipogenic differentiation. [source]