• HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
Monday, July 21, 2025
BIOENGINEER.ORG
No Result
View All Result
  • Login
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
  • HOME
  • NEWS
  • EXPLORE
    • CAREER
      • Companies
      • Jobs
        • Lecturer
        • PhD Studentship
        • Postdoc
        • Research Assistant
    • EVENTS
    • iGEM
      • News
      • Team
    • PHOTOS
    • VIDEO
    • WIKI
  • BLOG
  • COMMUNITY
    • FACEBOOK
    • INSTAGRAM
    • TWITTER
No Result
View All Result
Bioengineer.org
No Result
View All Result
Home NEWS Science News Stem Cells

Are lab-grown cells a faithful model for human disease?

Bioengineer by Bioengineer
February 11, 2015
in Stem Cells
Reading Time: 3 mins read
0
ADVERTISEMENT
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedinShare on RedditShare on Telegram

Cell cultures used in biology and medical research may not act as a faithful mimic of real tissue, according to research published in Genome Biology.

tissue

Now you see it, now you don’t: the epigenetic mark, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), does a disappearing act in culture. Mouse skin cells before and after cell culture show major loss of 5hmC, one of the many rapid molecular changes observed in cell cultures, reported by Nestor and colleagues in Genome Biology. Images depict the loss of red immunostaining for 5hmC in nuclei from cells grown in culture, but not green immunofluorescence (5-methylcytosine) and blue DAPI staining (DNA). Scale bar 5 microns. Photo Credit: S. Pennings lab.

The study finds that laboratory-grown cells experience altered cell states within three days as they adapt to their new environment. Studies of human disease, including cancer, rely on the use of cell cultures that have often been grown for decades. The findings could therefore affect the interpretation of past studies and provide important clues for improving cell cultures in the future.

Scientists typically use models to study the basics of human biology. The most common model system is cultured cells, which are taken from the body and coaxed into growing on a plastic dish in the laboratory. Though a linchpin of modern research, it has long been known that the cells in the laboratory can behave differently from those in the body, affecting the understanding of diseases and the development of drugs.

Researchers from the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, UK, and Linköping University, Sweden, have revealed just how quickly cells change their identity when grown in the laboratory. They found that cells adapt to cell culture systems within one week of growth in a laboratory dish. The analysis provides new insight into how faithfully these cells mimic real tissue, and how models of human disease can still be improved.

Study author Richard Meehan from the MRC Human Genetics Unit at the University of Edinburgh, UK, said: “We were astonished by the speed and spread of the changes. Many cultured cells used in research have been grown for decades and as a result are likely to have very different properties from the cells they are supposed to model. Our findings suggest that we have to be circumspect about the interpretation of some previous experiments, and our data reinforces a growing realisation that cell line models of human diseases, particularly cancer, can be poor surrogates for many aspects of in-vivo biology.”

The researchers compared the DNA of mouse cells, taken from male and female embryos, with cells that were cultured in plastic dishes. They found a number of indicators that the cultured cells underwent an altered cell state as they became adapted to the cell culture environment, including a decrease in gender differences between male and female cultured cells.

The mouse cells in culture experienced a rapid reprogramming of their ‘epigenomes’ – a layer of chemical modifications that mark the genome to control how genes are expressed. This was indicated by a near-complete loss of one epigenetic mark, 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC), within three days over the whole genome.

They also found similar results in an unrelated tissue. Using mouse CD4+ T-cells, which have a role in the immune system, they found an almost five-fold reduction in 5hmC levels after three days in culture.

In addition, the researchers saw that there were widespread changes in gene expression for cells in culture, affecting over 7,200 genes. Some of these genes were linked to cell adhesion, possibly reflecting adaptation to growth on a two-dimensional plastic surface, and others were involved in a variety of epigenetic processes.

The researchers went on to show that some of these changes could be prevented by adding Vitamin C to the culture medium. This suggests that by improving culturing techniques, researchers may be able to more accurately match cells grown on a dish to cells that are taken directly from tissues. These improvements should allow researchers to have more confidence that what they observe in the laboratory accurately reflects what is happening in the body.

Story Source:

The above story is based on materials provided by BioMed Central.

Share12Tweet8Share2ShareShareShare2

Related Posts

blank

Human stem cells treat spinal cord injury side effects in mice

October 4, 2016
blank

Research into fly development provides insights into blood vessel formation

September 30, 2016

Fertility genes required for sperm stem cells

September 28, 2016

Regulatory RNA essential to DNA damage response

September 27, 2016
Please login to join discussion

POPULAR NEWS

  • Enhancing Broiler Growth: Mannanase Boosts Performance with Reduced Soy and Energy

    Enhancing Broiler Growth: Mannanase Boosts Performance with Reduced Soy and Energy

    73 shares
    Share 29 Tweet 18
  • New Organic Photoredox Catalysis System Boosts Efficiency, Drawing Inspiration from Photosynthesis

    54 shares
    Share 22 Tweet 14
  • IIT Researchers Unveil Flying Humanoid Robot: A Breakthrough in Robotics

    53 shares
    Share 21 Tweet 13
  • Overlooked Dangers: Debunking Common Myths About Skin Cancer Risk in the U.S.

    52 shares
    Share 21 Tweet 13

About

BIOENGINEER.ORG

We bring you the latest biotechnology news from best research centers and universities around the world. Check our website.

Follow us

Recent News

Additive Manufacturing of Monolithic Gyroidal Solid Oxide Cells

Machine Learning Uncovers Sorghum’s Complex Mold Resistance

Pathology Multiplexing Revolutionizes Disease Mapping

  • Contact Us

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Homepages
    • Home Page 1
    • Home Page 2
  • News
  • National
  • Business
  • Health
  • Lifestyle
  • Science

Bioengineer.org © Copyright 2023 All Rights Reserved.