help with smooth muscle cell culture - (Sep/20/2005 )

Dear all,

I am new to smooth muscle cell culture. I thought I was doing ok and my plan was to use my tissue at passage 4. I recently spilt my cells and on putting this set to grow I notice something that look like small strands of a cobweb growing from the smooth muscle cells. If left to grow these come together and form a web over the cells below.

Sorry if the answer seems obvious but does this sound like an infection to you (my guess fungal) and if so is there anything I can do about it... or do I have just to toss the set and start again?

Also... does anyone know any web sites that I can get pictures of the stages of smooth muscle cell growth and any possible appearances of infections?

Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks again

Welshtrini

maharajas@cardiff.ac.uk

Sounds a bit dubious to me. I've been culturing SMCs for as while now and have never seen cobweb like structures. I think they are contaminated I'm afraid. I use Primocin in all my primary cell cultures and this stops most of the usual contaminations after deriving new cells.

Good luck!!!

I use murine aortic smooth muscle also.

So...the cobweb does sound a bit strange, my typical SMC's as they are growing do have long (I suppose they could be described as "weblike") extensions...but I'm not sure this is what you are describing...