Cell Line Repository
 

The Core maintains and supplies a library of mesenchymal, chrondrocytic, osteoblastic, osteocytic, and osteoclastic cell lines. The full list of available skeletal cell lines is listed at the end of this page.

Primary Culture of Skeletal Cells

We provide protocols and expertise in preparing osteoblast and chondrocyte cultures of murine bone marrow stromal cells.

Enzymatic Assays

Core personnel offer training and support in performing enzymatic assays of alkaline phosphatase and tartrate-resistant acid photsphatase activities using lysed cells

Cytochemical Staining

The Core offers different staining techniques to quantify mineral deposition in cell culture, using such stains as alizarin red and von Kossa, as well as to assess differentiation markers of bone, cartilage, and fat.

Cell-sorting

The Core provides expertise in the use of Flourescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS) to isolate specific subpopulations of bone marrow stromal cells.

Molecular Biology, led by Dr. Tamara Alliston, is located at the UCSF Parnassus campus at 505 Parnassus Avenue.

Gene Expression Profiling

This core provides support for the isolation of RNA from skeletal tissues and the quantitative analysis of gene expression by real-time qPCR. The Core will maintain a library of primers to assess the expression of differentiation markers, signalling molecules, and autocrine/paracrine factors.

Immunohistochemistry

The Core offers protocols and a library of antibodies to provide users with the resources to perform immunohistological staining on paraffin and frozen sections.

In Situ Hybridization

We provide resources and expertise to perform in situ hybridization on sections and whole mounts to determine the gene expression. The Core will maintain a collection of commonly-used RNA probes for this technique.