Technical Library

Recent Entries in Technical Library

• Do I have to use coated tissue culture vessels for culturing PromoCell Normal Human Cells?

  It is not necessary to use coated flasks for (most of) our Normal Human Cells but it can be done. As coating with extracellular matrix proteins can affect cellular metabolism, it is recommended to use the same coating material for a complete set of experiments.
  Cells that need to be grown on coated dishes:

  • Mesenchymal Stem Cells (C-12974/C-12971/C-12977) need Fibronectin coating when grown in PromoCell MSC Growth Medium DXF (C-28019) and when differentiated in MSC Neurogenic (C-28015), Adipogenic (C-28016), or Osteogenic (C-28013) Differentiation Media.
  • Human monocyte-derived macrophages (C-12914/C-12916/C-12915/C-12917) have to be seeded into Fibronectin-coated culture vessels in combination with PromoCell’s M1- and M2-Generation Media DXF (C-28055, C-28056)

  Related Links and Documents

  • Fibronectin Solutions
  • Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells
  • Mesenchymal Stem Cell Media
  • Human M1 and M2 Macrophages
  • Macrophage Generation Media DXF
• Why is it not necessary to use Monocyte Attachment Medium (C-28051) when using DC Generation Medium DXF (Ready-to-use, C-28052)?

  The DC Generation Medium DXF (C-28052) is recommended for freshly isolated monocytes or mononuclear cells. When using this medium, cells will attach efficiently, so that an additional medium like the Monocyte Attachment Medium (C-28051) is not necessary.
  In contrast, when using the DC Generation Medium (C-28050) for freshly isolated monocytes or mononuclear cells, the Monocyte Attachment Medium (C-28051) is needed for an efficient attachment.

  Related Links and Documents

  • Application Note: Generation of monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells (moDCs)
  • Dendritic Cell Medium
• Does the PromoCell 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF (C-28070) maintain the stem cell character of cancer stem cells?

  During our quality control we do not determine the presence or maintenance of respective stem cell markers in the tumorspheres. We use a functional approach instead, by culturing the tumorspheres over serial passages in C-28070. Tumorsphere formation requires the biological features of Anoikis resistance and self-renewal and therefore indicates the presence of cancer stem cells (CSC)/cancer initiating cells (CIC) in the spheres. 3D tumorsphere culture thus allows scientists to study the biology of CSCs without any background knowledge on CSC markers.

  Related Links and Documents

  • Product Manual: 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF
  • Application Note: Tumorsphere Culture of Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) with the PromoCell 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF
  • Application Note: Determination of the Tumorsphere Formation Efficiency (TFE) with the PromoCell 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF
• What are the characteristic markers of HDLEC (C-12216, C-12217) and HDBEC (C-12211, C-12225)?
  • HDLEC and HDBEC both express the typical endothelial cell marker CD31 (= PECAM-1). 
  • HDLEC cultures are additionally tested positive for podoplanin, a transmembrane glycoprotein involved in lymphatic vessel formation, whereas HDBECs are podoplanin-negative.

  Related Links and Documents

  • Microvascular Endothelial Cells
• Can I use the 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF for mouse cell lines?

  Yes, we have received a customer feedback that our 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF (C-28070) has been successfully used for tumorsphere formation of mouse cell lines.

  Related Links and Documents

  • Tumorsphere Culture of Cancer Stem Cells (CSC) with the PromoCell 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF
  • 3D Tumorsphere Medium XF
• What’s the chemical basis of PromoCidal and Spore-EX Spray? What is their advantage over Ethanol-based disinfectants?

  Both products make use of quaternary ammonium compounds for disinfection and are highly effective against bacteria (including Mycoplasma), fungi and viruses. Due to a higher concentration of the compound in Spore-EX Spray, the latter is also effective against persistent spores. 
  The advantage over Ethanol ist that the compound is neither toxic nor volatile.  

  Related Links and Documents

  • PromoCidal Spray
  • Spore-EX Spray and Wipes
• What’s the chemical basis of Mycoplasma-ExS Spray? How does it work?

  Mycoplasma-ExS Spray uses a silver-based technology to eliminate microbes. It contains active polymerically stabilized ionical silver chloride (AgCl) that is UV-stable. 
  The silver chloride forms a thin film on any surface, providing an immediate antimicrobial effect. Moreover, it can be also used for long-term elimination because the silver and chloride ions are released extremely slow from the silver polymer layer.
  Mycoplasma-ExS is effective against a broad spectrum of unwanted microbes commonly found in biological labs including Mycoplasma, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli, Enteroccocus hirae, and Staphylococcus aureus. 

  Related Links and Documents

  • Mycoplasma-ExS Spray
• When should I use phenol red-free basal media for cell culture?

  It has been shown that phenol red has estrogenic properties. Phenol red-free media are therefore generally used in studies evaluating steroid hormone action in cultured, estrogen-responsive cells (Berthois et al., 1986). Furthermore, phenol red can also interfere with some analytical methods like photometric analyses.

  Related Links and Documents

  • Berthois et al.; Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1986 Apr;83(8):2496-500
  • Cell Culture Basic Course
  • Zellkultur Basiskurs (German)
• Where can I find the composition of your basal media?

  The formulation of our basal media is proprietary information. If you need to know the concentration of a particular component for your experiments, please contact the PromoCell Technical Customer Service.

• Where can I find the composition of the supplements?

  The qualitative and quantitative composition of the supplements can be found on our website and in the data sheets of the specialized media. When there is no such information specified, the composition of the supplements is confidential.