MethoCult™ GF M3434

Methylcellulose-based medium with recombinant cytokines (including EPO) for mouse cells

MethoCult™ GF M3434

Methylcellulose-based medium with recombinant cytokines (including EPO) for mouse cells

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Methylcellulose-based medium with recombinant cytokines (including EPO) for mouse cells
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Overview

MethoCult™ GF M3434 is optimized for the growth and enumeration of hematopoietic progenitor cells in colony-forming unit (CFU) assays of mouse bone marrow, spleen, peripheral blood, and fetal liver cells. MethoCult™ GF M3434 has been formulated to support optimal growth of primitive erythroid progenitor cells (BFU-E), granulocyte-macrophage progenitor cells (CFU-GM, CFU-G and CFU-M), and multi-potential granulocyte, erythroid, macrophage, megakaryocyte progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM). This formulation is compatible with STEMvision™ software for automated colony counting of mouse bone marrow CFU assays.

Browse our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on performing the CFU assay.
Contains
• Methylcellulose in Iscove's MDM
• Fetal bovine serum
• Bovine serum albumin
• Recombinant human insulin
• Human transferrin (iron-saturated)
• 2-Mercaptoethanol
• Recombinant mouse stem cell factor (SCF)
• Recombinant mouse interleukin 3 (IL-3)
• Recombinant human interleukin 6 (IL-6)
• Recombinant human erythropoietin (EPO)
• Supplements
Subtype
Semi-Solid Media, Specialized Media
Cell Type
Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells
Species
Mouse
Application
Cell Culture, Colony Assay, Functional Assay
Brand
MethoCult
Area of Interest
Stem Cell Biology
Formulation Category
Methylcellulose-Based

Data Figures

Procedure Summary for Hematopoietic CFU Assays

Figure 1. Procedure Summary for Hematopoietic CFU Assays

Examples of Colonies Derived from Mouse Hematopoietic Progenitors

Figure 2. Examples of Colonies Derived from Mouse Hematopoietic Progenitors

Protocols and Documentation

Find supporting information and directions for use in the Product Information Sheet or explore additional protocols below.

Document Type
Product Name
Catalog #
Lot #
Language
Catalog #
03444, 03434
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Technical Manual
Catalog #
03434
Lot #
All
Language
English
Document Type
Safety Data Sheet
Catalog #
03444, 03434
Lot #
All
Language
English

Applications

This product is designed for use in the following research area(s) as part of the highlighted workflow stage(s). Explore these workflows to learn more about the other products we offer to support each research area.

Resources and Publications

Frequently Asked Questions

Why use semi-solid media?

Semi-solid media (methylcellulose-based MethoCult™ and collagen-based MegaCult™-C) allow the clonal progeny of a single progenitor cell to remain spatially isolated from other colonies within a culture, so they may be separately identified and counted.

Why use methylcellulose-based media?

Methylcellulose permits better growth of erythroid colonies than other types of semi-solid support systems (eg. agar) while allowing optimal myeloid colony formation. When appropriate cytokines are present, committed progenitor cells of both erythroid and granulocyte/macrophage lineages (CFU-GM, CFU-G, CFU-M) as well as multi-potential progenitor cells (CFU-GEMM), can be assayed simultaneously in the same culture dish.

Is it necessary to add antibiotics to the media?

No, aseptic technique should be sufficient to maintain sterile cultures. However, antibiotics (eg. Penicillin/Streptomycin) or anti-fungals (eg. Amphotericin B) may be added to the methylcellulose medium if desired.

Is there anything I can do if my cultures appear contaminated?

No, once contamination is visible, it is not possible to rescue the cultures by the addition of antibiotics. Bacteria and yeast inhibit colony formation by depleting nutrients or by releasing toxic substances.

Why can't I use a pipette to dispense methylcellulose-based media?

Methylcellulose is a viscous solution that cannot be accurately dispensed using a pipette due to adherence of the medium to the walls of the pipette tip. Blunt-End, 16 Gauge needles (Catalog #28110), in combination with 3 cc Syringes (Catalog #28230) are recommended for accurate dispensing of MethoCult™.

Can I 'pluck' the colonies for individual analysis?

Yes, colonies can be 'plucked' using a pipette with 200 µL sterile pipette tips or using a glass Pasteur pipette with an elongated tip. Individual colonies should be placed in a volume of 25 - 50 µL of medium, and diluted into suitable culture medium for further culture or analysis.

Why are low adherence dishes so important?

Adherent cells such as fibroblasts can cause inhibition of colony growth and obscure visualization of colonies.

Can MethoCult™ products be used for lymphoid progenitor CFU assays?

Human lymphoid progenitors (B, NK and T) seem to require stromal support for growth therefore cannot be grown in MethoCult™. Mouse pre-B clonogenic progenitors can be grown in MethoCult™ M3630 (Catalog #03630).

Is it possible to set up CFU assays in a 24-well plate?

Yes, as long as a plating concentration optimized for the smaller surface area of a well in a 24-well plate (1.9 cm2 as compared to ~9.5 cm2 for a 35 mm dish) is used for these assays. The number of replicate wells required to get an accurate estimation of CFU numbers may also need to be increased.

Can I stain colonies in MethoCult™ medium?

The cells in individual colonies in MethoCult™ can be stained, eg., for analysis of morphology or phenotype, after they are plucked from the dish and washed free of methylcellulose. Colonies grown in collagen-based MegaCult™-C medium can be used for immunohistochemical or enzymatic staining in situ after dehydration and fixation onto glass slides.

Are there differences in colony morphology with serum-free media?

Serum-containing media generally give better overall growth (colonies may appear larger) but there are no large differences in total colony numbers when CFU assays using serum-free media and serum-containing media are compared, provided that identical cytokines are present.

Can MethoCult™ be made with alternate base media?

Yes, this can be done as a 'custom' media order. Please contact techsupport@stemcell.com for more information.

Is there a MethoCult™ formulation suitable for HPP-CFC (high proliferative potential colony forming cell)?

Yes, MethoCult™ H4535 (Catalog #04535) can be used for the HPP-CFC assay as it does not contain EPO. The culture period is usually 28 days. It is not necessary to feed these cultures as growth factors in the medium are present in excess. As HPP-CFCs can be quite large, overplating can be a problem. It is recommended to plate cells at two or more different concentrations.

Publications (167)

Restraining Lysosomal Activity Preserves Hematopoietic Stem Cell Quiescence and Potency. R. Liang et al. Cell stem cell 2020

Abstract

Quiescence is a fundamental property that maintains hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) potency throughout life. Quiescent HSCs are thought to rely on glycolysis for their energy, but the overall metabolic properties of HSCs remain elusive. Using combined approaches, including single-cell RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), we show that mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) distinguishes quiescent from cycling-primed HSCs. We found that primed, but not quiescent, HSCs relied readily on glycolysis. Notably, in vivo inhibition of glycolysis enhanced the competitive repopulation ability of primed HSCs. We further show that HSC quiescence is maintained by an abundance of large lysosomes. Repression of lysosomal activation in HSCs led to further enlargement of lysosomes while suppressing glucose uptake. This also induced increased lysosomal sequestration of mitochondria and enhanced the competitive repopulation ability of primed HSCs by over 90-fold in vivo. These findings show that restraining lysosomal activity preserves HSC quiescence and potency and may be therapeutically relevant.
The NAD-Booster Nicotinamide Riboside Potently Stimulates Hematopoiesis through Increased Mitochondrial Clearance. N. Vannini et al. Cell stem cell 2019 mar

Abstract

It has been recently shown that increased oxidative phosphorylation, as reflected by increased mitochondrial activity, together with impairment of the mitochondrial stress response, can severely compromise hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) regeneration. Here we show that the NAD+-boosting agent nicotinamide riboside (NR) reduces mitochondrial activity within HSCs through increased mitochondrial clearance, leading to increased asymmetric HSC divisions. NR dietary supplementation results in a significantly enlarged pool of progenitors, without concurrent HSC exhaustion, improves survival by 80{\%}, and accelerates blood recovery after murine lethal irradiation and limiting-HSC transplantation. In immune-deficient mice, NR increased the production of human leucocytes from hCD34+ progenitors. Our work demonstrates for the first time a positive effect of NAD+-boosting strategies on the most primitive blood stem cells, establishing a link between HSC mitochondrial stress, mitophagy, and stem-cell fate decision, and unveiling the potential of NR to improve recovery of patients suffering from hematological failure including post chemo- and radiotherapy.
Targeting the RNA m6A Reader YTHDF2 Selectively Compromises Cancer Stem Cells in Acute Myeloid Leukemia. J. Paris et al. Cell stem cell 2019 jul

Abstract

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is an aggressive clonal disorder of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and primitive progenitors that blocks their myeloid differentiation, generating self-renewing leukemic stem cells (LSCs). Here, we show that the mRNA m6A reader YTHDF2 is overexpressed in a broad spectrum of human AML and is required for disease initiation as well as propagation in mouse and human AML. YTHDF2 decreases the half-life of diverse m6A transcripts that contribute to the overall integrity of LSC function, including the tumor necrosis factor receptor Tnfrsf2, whose upregulation in Ythdf2-deficient LSCs primes cells for apoptosis. Intriguingly, YTHDF2 is not essential for normal HSC function, with YTHDF2 deficiency actually enhancing HSC activity. Thus, we identify YTHDF2 as a unique therapeutic target whose inhibition selectively targets LSCs while promoting HSC expansion.