Drosophila Cells in Culture, Second Edition, includes comprehensive coverage of cell lines, methods for creating cell lines, methods for genome engineering, and the use of cell lines for genome wide rNAi screens. This publication summarizes over thirty years of experience in the handling of in vitro cultured Drosophila cells alongside recent methods and functional screens. Early and experienced researchers studying drosophila in developmental biology, genetics, neuroscience, and across the biological and biomedical sciences will benefit from this expert knowledge. - Offers full coverage of cell lines and primary cultures - Provides a go-to resource for methods and studies completed with drosophila cells in culture - Presents a wide spectrum of experimental techniques

The book "New Insights into Cell Culture Technology" focuses on many advanced methods and techniques concerned with cell culture. The contributing authors have discussed various developments in cell culture methods, the application of insect cells for the efficient production of heterologous proteins, the expansion of human mesenchymal stromal cells for different clinical applications, the remote sensing of cell culture experiments and concepts for the development of cell culture bioprocess, continuous production of retroviral pseudotype vectors, and the production of oncolytic measles virus vectors for cancer therapy. This book is an original contribution of experts from different parts of the globe, and the in-depth information will be a significant resource for students, scientists, and physicians who are directly dealing with cells.["Culture" is essential for human life and also the life of a cell. - Sivakumar Gowder]

A useful reference for those using or interested in cultured invertebrate cells, this two-volume text provides information about techniques and advances in invertebrate tissue culture. Cell lines for Insecta, Crustacea, Mollusca, and Nematoda are introduces along with their characterizations. Developments in insect biotechnology, including foreign protein production by insect cells infected with recombinant virus are described. Fundamental studies for introducing foreign genes into cultured insect cells is also presented. Wide information on studies -at cellular levels-on pathogens of insects, plants, and vertebrates is given.

Drosophila melanogaster: Practical Uses in Cell and Molecular Biology is a compendium of mostly short technical chapters designed to provide state-of-the art methods to the broad community of cell biologists, and to put molecular and cell biological studies of flies into perspective. The book makes the baroque aspects of genetic nomenclature and procedure accessible to cell biologists. It also contains a wealth of technical information for beginning or advanced Drosophila workers. Chapters, written within a year of publication, make this topical volume a valuable laboratory guide today and an excellent general reference for the future.Key Features* Collection of ready-to-use, state-of-the art methods for modern cell biological and related research using Drosophila melanogaster* Accessible to both experienced Drosophila researchers and to others who wish to join in at the cutting edge of this system * Drosophila offers an easily managed life cycle, inexpensive lifestyle, extraordinarily manipulable molecular and classical genetics, now combined with powerful new cell biology techniques * Introduction and overview sections orient the user to the Drosophila literature and lore * Six full-color plates and over 100 figures and tables enhance the understanding of these cell biology techniques

This exceptional laboratory manual describes thirty-seven procedures most likely to be used in the next decade for molecular, biochemical, and cellular studies on Drosophila. They were selected after extensive consultation with the research community and rigorously edited for clarity, uniformity, and conciseness.The methods included permit investigation of chromosomes, cell biology, molecular biology, genomes, biochemistry, and development. Each protocol includes the basic information needed by novices, with sufficient detail to be valuable to experienced investigators. Each method is carefully introduced and illustrated with figures, tables, illustrations, and examples of the data obtainable. The book's appendices include key aspects of Drosophila biology, essential solutions, buffers, and recipes.An evolution of Michael Ashburner's 1989 classic Drosophila: A Laboratory Manual, this book is an essential addition to the personal library of Drosophila investigators and an incomparable resource for other research groups with goals likely to require fly-based technical approaches.

Advances in Cell Culture, Volume 7 is a compilation of research papers in the field of cell culture. The contributions reflect the applications of in vitro techniques of cell culture to biotechnology, reviewing the advantages and disadvantages of the methods. This volume covers the cultivation of fish and crustacean cells; gene transfer in insect cells; and the study of bacterial protein toxins using vertebrate cells. The fusion of plant protoplasts by electromanipulation; anther and microspore cultivation; gene transfer to induce morphogenesis; formation of phenolic compounds in cells and tissues in vitro; and new media and culture systems for the large-scale production of insect cells are discussed as well. Also included in the book is a biographical sketch of the 1986 Nobel Laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini, the developmental biologist who identified the nerve growth factor (NGF), a protein that is necessary for the growth, development, and maintenance of nerve cells in the peripheral nervous system and, apparently, also in the brain. Cell biologists and researchers who use in vitro techniques will find the book highly informative and insightful.

Abstract: Research using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster has enhanced our understanding of many biological processes, notably the mechanisms of heredity and the genetics of early embryonic development. These breakthroughs led to additional discoveries, including the mechanisms of body patterning, organogenesis and control of proliferation. Although great progress has been made using the whole fly as a model for development and disease, in vitro experiments have also contributed to our understanding of biological processes. Cell lines are important tools for biologists primarily because millions of homogeneous cells can be cultured under defined conditions and analyzed. This is particularly important for biochemical analysis. More recently the use of RNAi in cell lines, a mechanism for gene silencing, has allowed the systematic examination of the entire genome in vitro. These RNAi screens have resulted in the discovery of functions for uncharacterized genes. These assays depend critically on the existence of appropriate cell lines and only a few relatively uncharacterized Drosophila cell lines exist. This is in part because the mechanisms that lead to the establishment of cell lines are not defined. Currently, cell lines are established by homogenization of embryos or tissues to produce primary cultures, and subsequently subculturing these cells to produce lines. During this time, cultures presumably acquire mutations, leading to the establishment of cells that can survive indefinitely in vitro. Work done on mammalian cells have revealed that genetic modifications can alter cellular activity in vitro. Activation of telomerase, and genetic alteration of oncogenes and tumor suppressors profoundly alters the behavior of cells in culture and leads these cells to acquire characteristics that allow cells to thrive in vitro. In order to identify genetic elements with similar roles in the establishment of Drosophila cell lines, I have used two approaches. The first approach was an in vitro screen of Drosophila tumor suppressors. Tumor suppressors regulate the proliferation of cells through control of the cell cycle or apoptosis, and the loss of these genes usually results in overgrowth of tissues and the formation of tumors. Homologs of mammalian tumor suppressors have been identified in the fruit fly and the loss of function of these genes often results in increased cell proliferation and/or decreased apoptosis, and consequently the growth of tumors. Because of the importance of tumor suppressors in the regulation of cell cycle and/or control of apoptosis, and because it has been observed that loss of tumor suppressors can cause tumor formation in vivo in flies, I examined the effects of loss of various tumor suppressors in vitro. I hypothesize that the loss of tumor suppressor activity in Drosophila cells in vitro results in increased cell proliferation and may help establish immortal cell cultures. I observed a significant decrease in time to confluency in primary cultures with loss of function tumor suppressor genes. Additionally, I observed a very dramatic decrease in time to confluency in primary cultures with the Pten loss of function mutation. The results of loss of Pten on cells in vitro were examined further through the use of western blotting and differential expression analysis of microarrays on a loss of Pten cell line. Pten cell lines show increased activation of Akt and upregulation of genes involved in metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids. The second approach I used was to identify genes involved in the establishment of cell lines, and was designed to take advantage of the wealth of information generated from microarray experiments. Comparison of the transcriptional profiles of various cell types was used to identify differentially regulated genes. We identified 52 genes with differential expression between cell lines and embryos/imaginal discs. Among these 52 genes we identified 18 genes, which are differentially expressed as part of the adaptation to the new tissue culture environment. Of the 34 remaining genes 6 genes were identified as being differentially expressed exclusively in cell lines. Additional experiments are underway to determine the significance of the differential expression of these genes and identify genes underlie the immortalization and/or transformation of cell line cells.

Insect Cell Biotechnology provides a lucid, up-to-date description of recent major advances in the field. A number of significant topics are addressed, including the use and production of baculoviruses in insect cells, baculovirus specificity, bacterial toxin studies in cultured insect cells, scale-up operations required in the production of recombinant protein and insect viruses propagated in insect cells, growth and nervous system interactions, and the physiological and developmental capacities of cell lines. Transfection in Drosophila cells and a chapter on the theoretical and practical implications of stress produced by x-rays, ultraviolet light, chemicals, psoralens, and heat are discussed as well.