Force "swimming" cells to adhere - Are there any non-toxic detergents for cell culture? (Nov/28/2007 )
Maybe a weird problem: A colleague is trying to isolate cells from inner cell mass. After releasing the cells from the embryo, they immediately raise up to the surface of the medium.
Our idea is that it might be a problem of the surface tension and therefore it could help to add some detergent.
It helps to wash them very, very often. The cells will adhere then. But the cells don't like the washing 
Any ideas or suggestions?
Thanks, Vista
Its weired indeed. Do these cells have high fat content, or these cells are associated with adipose cells that makes them lighter?
Maybe culture them on poly-lysine coated surface with limited volume of medium at the initial phase can help.
Maybe culture them on poly-lysine coated surface with limited volume of medium at the initial phase can help.
I guess it is a high fat content. The oocytes have a high fat content and it seems logical that the fat doesn't disappear during the first developmental steps. Okay, it kind of does, as there are no droplets visible in the cells itself, but maybe the go into the membrane or into some other compartements of the cells.
Ithink Poly-Lysine is on the list of coatings to examine, but the limited volume sounds good. Thank you :)
How about fill the flask to full with medium, tighten the cap, filp over so the cells are force to contact with the plastic surface?
could you grow them in semi-solid medium?
V