Week 6-7 – Cell Biology and Fluorescent Labelling
Cover Image: C2C12 mouse myoblasts in adherent cell culture at high confluence. Total magnification 400X. Captured by Ryan Belowitz.This module was designed in collaboration with Dr. Kim Dej (School of Interdisciplinary Science) and Mr. Ryan Belowitz (School of Interdisciplinary Science). It has been adapted by Dr. Ana Tomljenovic-Berube (lead), Mr. Ryan Belowitz and Ms. Noella Noronha (2020).
Module Overview
Important note: This module spans two weeks. You will complete a different lab activity each week, and submit an ELN each week, but the DLR 4 assignment (materials and methods) will include both lab week activities. There is only one case study in the first week of this module – the second tutorial will be a guest lecture from upper year Life Sciences Program students.
In this Cell Biology Module, we will investigate how model organisms can be used to identify and study cellular mechanisms that impact aging, and introduce you to the basic techniques used in cell culturing. The lectures will introduce you to what we know about cellular aging and the concept of cellular senescence, and will introduce you to some experiential opportunities available to Life Sciences Program students to help you meet your degree requirements. In the first lab, you will explore the process of cell culture through passaging C2C12 cells in a biological safety cabinet, and counting cells using a haemocytometer. In the second lab, you will attempt a fluorescent staining protocol, and view your results under a fluorescent inverted microscope with the assistance of one of your instructors. In the first tutorial, you will complete a case study that demonstrates how the cell culturing techniques you learned in lab are applied in research assays. The second tutorial will be a guest lecture from upper year students sharing some information about getting involved with research or experiential opportunities at the university and in the community beyond our campus.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
- Define cell senescence.
- Explain the attributes and significance of the Hayflick limit.
- Describe the morphological characteristics of senescent cells.
- Describe the various confluences of cultured cells, visible under an inverted compound microscope.
- Passage adherent cells (C2C12) using a trypsinase protocol.
- Use a haemocytometer to count cells and calculate cell density.
- Perform a fluorescence staining protocol and view stained cells under a fluorescent inverted compound microscope.
Missed work
If you miss the lab, tutorial or any work associated with this module, here are the details on accommodations.
