
The Advantages and Difficulties of Primary Cells - benniebio
https://www.creative-bioarray.com/products/primary-cells-14.htm
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benniebio
The Culture of Primary Cells In spite of the multiple advantages primay cells
involved, it is still a difficult process to obtain a pure primary cell
population. Comparing to cell lines, primary cells are very sensitive and
require additional nutrients that are not included in the classical medium. In
order to optimize the survival and growth of primary cells, they performed
best in a specific medium tailored to each cell type. Such as, endothelial
cells have very different nutritional needs than epithelial cells or neurons
and therefore require a seperate culture medium.

Traditional cell culture media rely on serum to provide growth factors,
hormones, lipids and other undefined components to support cell growth.
However, for primary cells, high serum levels can result in differentiation or
promote the growth of contaminating cells such as fibroblasts. In addition,
the use of serum will also lead to the increase of cost and variations in
different variations. These problems can be avoided through the application of
a special formulation medium with little or no serum, while achieving greater
customization to promote the growth of a single primary cell type. Other
practices, such as inoculation of primary cells on more physiologically
relevant substrates rather than synthetic polymers, can significantly improve
cell attachment, growth and purity.

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benniebio
The Analysis of Gene Expression Gene expression analysis is critical for
understanding the transcriptome profiles of primary cells and how they
directly affect the function of cells. Traditional reporter gene assays and
cDNA microarrays typically require transfection of foreign materials or large
amounts of high quality RNA. However, it is well known that primary cells are
difficult to transfect and the efficiency between cell types differs a lot. In
addition, primary cells have a limited life span and limited amplification
capabilities, making it difficult to obtain high yields of RNA.

All of which problems can be overcome using quantitative PCR (qPCR) arrays
that have been validated and optimized using primary cell cDNA. qPCR arrays
enable researchers to directly measure protein expression patterns in primary
cells, stem cells, tissues and cell lines. Because of the high sensitivity and
specificity of these assays, it is even possible to analyze genes with very
low abundance.

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benniebio
Cell culture studies provide a valuable complement to in vivo experiments
which allow for more controlled manipulation of cellular functions and
processes. For decades, cell lines have played a vital role in the development
of scientific advancement, researchers have become more cautious while
interpreting data generated by cell lines, and factors such as
misidentification and contaminated cell lines have spurred new interest in
primary cells.

Another disadvantage of cell lines is that they are usually genetically and
phenotypically different from the tissue from which they are derived. In
contrast, primary cells maintain many important markers and functions that are
visible in the body. For example, the 3,4-endothelial cell line is lack of
various functional markers, while primary endothelial cells retain these key
features.

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benniebio
The future application Gene expression analysis of primary cells will enable
researchers to better understand biological pathways and disease processes
such as cell cycle regulation, stem cell biology, cancer development, and
neurological diseases. Primary cells are a primier tool which can be applied
to the future scientific breakthroughs and disease treatments.

