Organ And Cell Culture Methods Featured In Cold Spring Harbor Protocols

Main Category: Biology / Biochemistry
Also Included In: Neurology / Neuroscience;  Stem Cell Research
Article Date: 04 Nov 2008 - 3:00 PST

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Understanding the function of organs like the brain, kidney, and reproductive tissues requires experimental systems that allow for the study and manipulation of developing cells and tissues in the laboratory. This month's issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://www.cshprotocols.org/TOCs/toc11_08.dtl) features two articles with detailed instructions for setting up these experimental culture systems. Both methods are derived from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's renowned Molecular Embryology of the Mouse course (http://meetings.cshl.edu/courses/c-mous09.shtml).

Neural progenitor cells, which are destined to contribute to the nervous system, are often difficult to identify. "Isolation, Culture and Differentiation of Progenitor Cells from the Central Nervous System," from Larysa Pevny's laboratory at the University of North Carolina (http://www.unc.edu/~pevny/), describes the neurosphere assay, which allows one to identify neural progenitor cells as well as to determine both their self-renewal capacity and their ability to generate three primary cell types of the nervous system: neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes. The protocol is freely accessible on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/content/full/2008/12/pdb.prot5077).

Blanche Capel's laboratory at Duke University (http://www.cellbio.duke.edu/faculty/capel/index.html) provides "Preparing Recombinant Gonad Organ Cultures." It can be useful to assay migration between any two adjacent tissues during development. This protocol assays cell migration between the developing gonad and kidney using tissue recombination, combined with an organ culture technique. This method is freely accessible on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/content/full/2008/12/pdb.prot5078).

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Article adapted by Medical News Today from original press release.
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About Cold Spring Harbor Protocols: Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://www.cshprotocols.org) is a monthly peer-reviewed journal of methods used in a wide range of biology laboratories. It is structured to be highly interactive, with each protocol cross-linked to related methods, descriptive information panels, and illustrative material to maximize the total information available to investigators. Each protocol is clearly presented and designed for easy use at the bench - complete with reagents, equipment, and recipe lists. Life science researchers can access the entire collection via institutional site licenses, and can add their suggestions and comments to further refine the techniques.

About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press is an internationally renowned publisher of books, journals, and electronic media, located on Long Island, New York. Since 1933, it has furthered the advance and spread of scientific knowledge in all areas of genetics and molecular biology, including cancer biology, plant science, bioinformatics, and neurobiology. It is a division of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, an innovator in life science research and the education of scientists, students, and the public. For more information, visit http://www.cshlpress.com.

Source: David Crotty
Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory