Question

You want to use Matrigel for cell culture with fibroblasts and endothelial cells (i.e., the cells would attach to it). Based on the source and composition of this material, how do you expect the cells to respond? Would the response vary for different cell types?

Answer 1

Matrigel is a gelatinous protein mixture derived from mouse tumor cell that is commercially sold as a basement membrane matrix for growing cells invitro conditions. Different cells types have different requirement for optimal growth i.e. cells that require anchorage dependency for their growth such as stem cells. These cells require a surface matrix supplied with specific culture media for their growth. However, ongoing experiments have derived that matrigel is not a well-defined matrix, and therefore can produce a source of variability in experimental results. Cells differ from each other by their cellular composition aas well as morphology. Cells have the presence of surface receptors that are responsible for attaching the cell to the matrigel matrix. However, this factor is variable as surface receptor properties vary from cell to cell.