topic 6: antibiotics & serum

what are the disadvantages of using antibiotics? (2)

encourage development of antibiotic-resistant organisms

anti-metabolic effect that can cross react with mammalian cell preventing growth

what is the importance of serum?

a cocktail of factors supporting cell proliferation and maintenance

what are the components of serum? (7)

attachment factors

growth factors

hormones

nutrients

albumin

transferrin

anti-proteases

what is the purpose of attachment factors in the serum?

supplement of major serum protein can enhance cell attachment

what is the purpose of growth factors in the serum?

act via specific cell surface receptors as signals that stimulate cell proliferation and differentiation

what is the purpose of hormones in the serum?

encourage the update of energy source for cell division

what are the different hormones?

insulin

hydrocortisone

growth hormones

what does the insulin hormone do?

promote uptake of glucose and amino acid

what does hydrocortisone hormone do?

cause mitogenic effect

what does growth hormones do?

promote cell attachment and proliferation

what is the purpose of nutrients in the serum?

necessary for metabolism

what is the purpose of albumin in the serum?

major protein component of serum

what is the function of albumin in serum?

increases viscosity of media protects cell against damage

what is the purpose of transferrin in the serum?

major iron transport protein

what is the function of transferrin in serum?

heavy metal detoxification by mopping up excess iron which can be toxic to cells

what is the function of anti-proteases in the serum?

prevents proteolytic damage to cells and their protein products

what are the different types of serum? (6)

fetal bovine

fetal calf

adult bovine

calf

horse

human

what are the problems with serum? (6)

physiological variability

batch variability

shelf life

problems with protein purification

risk of contamination

availability and cost

how does physiological variability affect serum?

some components are unknown

how does batch variability affect serum?

need to test replacement batch

how does shelf life affect serum?

varies from batch to batch

how does problems with protein purification affect serum?

presence of serum protein can cause difficulties when purifying cell products

how does risk of contamination affect serum?

bacterial fungus virus triggers protein to misfold