![A Cellular Cocktail for Growth]()
The mix of nutrients and growth factors used to maintain cell cultures are crucial for proper cell growth and proliferation. Yet researchers know surprisingly little about how the composition of cell culture media can affect certain cell processes. In a study published online on September 18 in PLOS ONE, John Murray, Ph.D., and colleagues report that culture medium solutes including potassium and sodium are vital for maintaining proper trafficking of subcellular compartments. Using time lapse multi-channel fluorescent imaging, Dr. Murray’s team showed that briefly exposing cells to culture media depleted of those solutes strongly inhibited the activity of intracellular motor proteins. The role played by each culture component in maintaining processes that depend on motor proteins may need to be re-evaluated, the researchers conclude. Dr. Murray is instructor anatomy and structural biology.
Posted on: Monday, October 30, 2017