Manipulation of oxygen tensions for in vitro cell culture using a hypoxic workstation.
It is increasingly clear that oxygen tension exerts potent effects on many biologic processes in a range well above that at which aerobic metabolism is compromised. Cell culture ex vivo is traditionally performed in unstirred liquid media at ambient oxygen concentrations in the laboratory, with no attention to the level of oxygen experienced by the cells. This is certainly not reflecting physiology, and oxygenation may be further altered during cell handling and extraction procedures. The hypoxia-inducible factor pathway illustrates the potential for oxygen tension to have dramatic effects in terms of post-translational modification of proteins, and to influence a broad range of cellular pathways including those involved in substrate transport, metabolic pathways, growth factor signaling and differentiation. While the standard laboratory approach may remain suitable for many biologic applications, there are other situations in which more attention to oxygenation will be appropriate. This review discusses a workstation that allows investigators to manipulate oxygenation.
Imperial College, Renal laboratory, Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, London, W12 0NN, UK. m.esteban@imperial.ac.uk
Miguel A
MA
Esteban
Patrick H
PH
Maxwell
D000818:Animals; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000379:methods*; D015687:Cell Hypoxia; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002614:Chelating Agents; D005786:Gene Expression Regulation; D006900:Hydroxylation; D000860:Hypoxia; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism*; D011506:Proteins / Q000378:metabolism
D002614:Chelating Agents; D011506:Proteins; D010100:Oxygen