Cell biology

The Cell Biology Facility located within IINS on levels 1 and 2 of the Broca Building, offers a range of cell culture models and molecular tools for the entire scientific community, being either academic, private, local, or national/international.
The facility is headed by Natacha Retailleau who covers operational and financial aspects, and Olivier Thoumine, who is responsible for the scientific interactions. Adrien Caralp and Léa Leroy are hired to perform the technical tasks and quality control.
We are equipped with 4 L1/L2 culture modules covering 300 m², with over 50 incubators and 40 laminar flow hoods, as well as more specific equipment such as the Octet-R8 (a device for measuring protein-protein interactions) and a fluorescence-activated microparticle sorter.
We have on hand staff with expertise in these technologies not only for production, but also for training users in cell culture, and for monitoring technological developments with a view to setting up new models or protocols.

We currently offer the following services :


  • Primary cultures of hippocampal or cortical neurons from wild-type or transgenic rodents

  • Cultures of organotypic brain slices from rat or mouse models

  • Heterologous cell cultures and pluripotent stem cells

  • Insertion of DNA into these cell types (by transfection, electroporation, or viral infection)

  • Cell storage in liquid nitrogen and management of cell banks

  • Functionalization of proteins by chemical coupling to fluorophores for imaging purposes

  • Access to the specific equipment listed above on request


The advantage of having developed an extensive repertoire of cellular and molecular models is that we can offer services tailored to each experiment. Our staff can provide basic tools, as well as develop customized experiments, to help researchers answer their biological questions.

Key Words


Rat ; Mouse ; Hippocampus ; Cortex ; Organotypic slices ; Primary neurons ; Glial cells ; Cell lines ; Human induced Pluripotent Stem Cells; Tissue culture plastic and media; Supplements ; Liquid nitrogen.

Techniques


Dissection ; Dissociation ; Cell culture ; Electroporation ; Transfection ; Cell freezing ; Slice preparation ; Protein production & conjugation ; Fluorescence-Activated Microparticle sorting.