The objective of the Cell Culture Core is to provide support to Center investigators and to continue attracting new investigators to skin disease research. The extensive cryopreserved cell culture collection and experience of the Core Director in human epidermal keratinocyte biology, cell culture experimentation, and retroviral/lentiviral transduction of human cells provides the foundation for this Core’s ability to provide the services listed below. These include the provision of experimentally immortalized primary human epidermal keratinocyte and dermal fibroblast cell lines to HSDRC investigators.

The core provides center investigators with the following services:

1. Cultures of well-characterized, normal human epidermal keratinocyte, dermal fibroblast, microvascular endothelial, and melanocyte primary cell lines and TERT-immortalized human keratinocyte and fibroblast lines.

2. Small quantities of specialized culture medium and tested lots of serum plus instructions for culturing skin-derived cell types.

3. Initiation of keratinocyte and fibroblast cultures from skin biopsies of individuals with inherited skin diseases and from transgenic and knockout mouse skin disease models, yielding primary cell lines.

4. Immortalization of primary cell lines using HPV16E6E7 or hTERT retroviral vectors and engineering of cells by transduction and transfection with vectors provided by center investigators.

5. Consultation on experimental design and project strategy using cultured cells and provide training to center investigators and their junior colleagues.

6. Training and access to microscopes and digital camera systems for brightfield, phase-contrast, and time-lapse studies.

7. Custom services, including performing mitogen and growth inhibitor assays and preparation of protein and RNA extracts from cultured cells.

For more information pleave visit the BWH Cell Culture and Microscopy Core