Techniques Used In Cell Biology Research Flashcards
What are the steps in most scientific research
What is meant by a positive control
Check treatment is active
What is meant by negative control
When no treatment is active
What is a technical repeat
Repeat experiment four times to account for human error
What is a biological repeat
See if the experiment can be repeated using other organisms/cell types
What ways can researchers isolate tissues of interest
Manual dissection
Laser dissection
What is manual dissection
Manual dissection in cell biology refers to the process of physically isolating specific cells, tissues, or structures from an organism using tools such as scalpels, forceps, and microscopes. This technique is used to study the detailed anatomy and function of cells and tissues, often in preparation for further analysis like microscopy, biochemical assays, or molecular studies.
Using cells and tissues from a model organism
Cells are then cultured
What is laser dissection
What is a primary cell culture
Straight from a living animal and then cultured
What is meant by in vitro
Cells that are living in cell culture
What are examples of cell culture surfaces
Plate
Flask
Bioreactor
3D bioscaffold
Cells will be grown in a medium e.g nutrients, serum, insulin, transferrin
Why would sterile techniques have to be carried out for cell cultures
The cultures could become contaminated with e.g pathogens which could ruin the results
How can in vitro cell differentiation be analysed
Analyse RNA/DNA via PCR
OR can analyse protein via a western blot (gel electrophoresis)
What is myogenin
A gene that switches on as muscle cells develop/mature
If primary cells in vitro are stuck together, how can they be speperated
You’d have to get rid of the calcium using EDTA to stop cells from sticking
What are cell lines
How can microscopes be used to investigate cells
How does fluorescent microscopy work
What is 3D immunofluorescent microscopy used for
What is FRAPS
Cells or samples are prepared and fluorescently labeled.
The sample is imaged to obtain the initial fluorescence intensity distribution.
A high-intensity laser is focused on a specific region to bleach the fluorescence.
The fluorescence recovery in the bleached region is recorded at regular intervals.
The fluorescence intensity in the bleached area is plotted as a function of time.
What is FRET
