Observed tiny black dots on cell culture - (Mar/17/2008 )

I am trying to culture this adherent cells. And I found that there are tiny black dots (quite a lot) attaching on the flask other than my cells.

May I know what exactly are these?

Will it affect my expts if I continue to harvest my proteins after drug treatment for western blotting?

Thanks in advance.

Can you show a picture to us? Do these dots do make fast movement? Does your medium become cloudy?

The black dots are attached to the surface of the flask. They are not moving. Medium is neither cloudy also.

Thanks

Is your drug treatment causing cell death- apoptosis or necrosis by any chance? It looks suspiciously like cell debris to me.

I had not add any drugs yet.

When there were little amt of black dots, the cells will cont to grow. However, when there were large amt of black dots, it will take up all the available surface of the flask, the cells then do not grow.

BURN 'EM, BURN EM ALL!!!!

if you dont know what a contaminant is then you have a part of your experiment you are not in control of - you've already said that in large numbers they stop cell growth - what are they doing in small numbers then?

when you western blot how will you know if that new band you find is a new discovery or your contaminant.

BURN 'EM!!!

(or at least chuck them out - your at the early stages of your exp - why wait till your at the later stages before you start again?)

dom

I too had same problem a while ago. Throw away everything...

looks like some sort of weird contamination...
I agree with everyone else... throw them out and start again.

You haven't coated the flask with anything have you??