In this collaborative venture, the Cell Biology Core Laboratory will undertake co-transfection and selection of recombinant baculoviruses. The Cell Biology Core Laboratory may obtain cell lines from reliable sources, such as the American Tissue Culture Collection, National Cell Bank and propagate them in a mycoplasma-free Cell Biology Core Laboratory. In these cases the Cell Biology Core Laboratory will require a copy of permission from the innovator of the cell line. The cell cultures judged free from contamination will be released from quarantine and further propagated. Cell-associated mycoplasma species have been documented to produce significant changes in the culture medium and alterations in host cell metabolism, thus rendering contaminated cells unacceptable for any research or diagnostic applications.
Fluorescence microscopy is used to examine staining.
These test methods are performed simultaneously for each cell culture and together detect all species of mycoplasma. Every incoming cell line will be tested promptly and placed into the investigator s laboratory thereafter. The Cell Biology Core Laboratory is using de-contamination procedures that have been proved to be effective in eliminating of mycoplasma contamination. The shared Facility Cores established with University funds such as Confocal Microscopy and Flow Cytometry Laboratory provide equipment usage, but not the complete service. Thus, the Cell Biology Core Laboratory interfaces with other Facility Cores in ways that utilize the strengths of each Core to provide services to investigators with maximum possible efficiency.