3t3 cell tured black - (Nov/28/2011 )

any one encountered such phenomena?
should i defrost new cells?

pana on Mon Nov 28 12:39:16 2011 said:

3T3 cells tured *turned* black?

Describe what black is in terms of cell morphology? Is it dark granular spots/dark medium/dark nucleus?

Best solution is if the cells don't look right, they are most probably not right.

medium turned black, granularity in cells and black spots. Morphology of cells did not changed

What medium did you grow it in?

Granularity in cell cytoplasm indicates unhealthy cells in most cases. Black spots could be infection.
Was the media cloudy or any visible fungal contamination?

Cells grew in DMEM, medium seems clear, thought they started secreting melanin.

Black DMEM sounds wrong, so I would guess there's definitely something wrong with cells/culture conditions.

like what?

If I were you, I would thaw a fresh vial, and as long as you don't see the same problem again- just forget about it.

If it is a once of occurrence, its probably a waste of your time to try and find out what went wrong

10X

Have to agree with leelee. Thaw a new vial and use new medium. I still don't understand what black media looks like. Probably best to consult your supervisor if it turns out to be something major/