FAQ

Cell culture, or in vitro culture, corresponds to the set of techniques allowing animal cells, mainly, to be maintained outside of their original tissue environment under controlled survival conditions.

A cell culture medium is a medium in which all the elements necessary for cell survival and growth are found. It is composed of a base medium, a complex mixture of mineral salts, carbohydrates, vitamins, amino acids, metabolic precursors, growth factors, hormones, and oligo-elements, and supplements, such as FBS.

Serum, particularly Fetal Bovine Serum, is a product very rich in proteins, oligo-elements, as well as growth factors enabling cell proliferation. It also contains attachment factors creating a “coating” effect on the support plastic, thus increasing cell adherence. It is an essential product in cell culture due to the various components it provides.

Tetracyclines are a family of broad-spectrum antibiotics that inhibit bacterial protein synthesis by blocking the binding of aminoacyl-tRNA to the ribosome. Due to growing concerns regarding the development of antibiotic-resistant microbes, the use of tetracycline as a growth promoter was banned in the EU in the early 1970s. However, in the rest of the world, tetracycline is still among the most frequently used antibiotics in livestock farming.

Since 1992, the tetracycline-controlled transcriptional activation system has been used for the induction (Tet-on) or inhibition (Tet-off) of the expression of certain genes in cell line or animal models. Both systems are very sensitive to tetracycline, even in small amounts, present in the FBS. The use of tetracycline-free FBS makes it possible to control the induction of these systems in your different applications.

Please contact your Frigo representative for more information or to help you select the lot best suited to your tetracycline-sensitive application.