title: Transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER): a functional parameter to monitor the quality of oviduct epithelial cells cultured on filter supports.
abstract: Cultivation of oviduct epithelial cells on porous filters fosters in vivo-like morphology and functionality. However, due to the optical properties of the filter materials and the cells' columnar shape, cell quality is hard to assess via light microscopy. In this study, we aim to evaluate transepithelial electrical resistance (TEER) measurement as a prognostic quality indicator for the cultivation of porcine oviduct epithelial cells (POEC). POEC were maintained in four different types of media for 3 and 6 w to achieve diverse culture qualities, and TEER was measured before processing samples for histology. Culture quality was scored using morphological criteria (presence of cilia, confluence and cell polarity). We furthermore analyzed the correlation between cellular height (as a measure of apical-basal polarization) and TEER in fully differentiated routine cultures (biological variation) and in cultures with altered cellular height due to hormonal stimulation. Fully differentiated cultures possessed a moderate TEER between 500 and 1100 Ω*cm(2). Only 5% of cultures which exhibited TEER values in this defined range had poor quality. Sub-differentiated cultures showed either very low or excessively high TEER. We unveiled a highly significant (P < 0.0001) negative linear correlation between TEER and epithelial height in well-differentiated cultures (both routine and hormone stimulated group). This may point toward the interaction between tight junction assembly and epithelial apical-basal polarization. In conclusion, TEER is a straightforward quality indicator which could be routinely used to monitor the differentiation status of oviduct epithelial cells in vitro.
authors.affiliation: College of Life Science, Hebei University, Baoding, 071002, Hebei, People's Republic of China.|Institute of Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Shuai
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Institute of Veterinary Biochemistry, Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Oertzenweg 19b, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Einspanier
authors.affiliation: Institute of Reproductive Biology, Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology, Wilhelm-Stahl-Allee 2, 18196, Dummerstorf, Germany. schoen.jennifer@fbn-dummerstorf.de.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Schoen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016764:Cell Polarity; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D017097:Electric Impedance; D004847:Epithelial Cells / Q000166:cytology*; D005260:Female; D005374:Filtration / Q000295:instrumentation*; D010057:Oviducts / Q000166:cytology*; D010316:Particle Size; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D013552:Swine
keywords: Culture quality; Oviduct epithelial cells; TEER; Tight junctions