Spheroid Formation and Recovery of Human Foreskin Fibroblasts at Ambient Temperature

Mammalian cells were grown as multicellular aggregates (spheroids) in an effort to determine the signaling events required for two cellular transformations states; primary foreskin fibroblasts (HFF-2) and glioblastoma cancer (T98G) cells, to survive at room temperature under oxygen and nutrient-deprived conditions for extended periods of time (2 weeks) and subsequently grown out from the arrested state as adherent monolayers. HFF-2 cells were cultured in DMEM supplemented with 15% fetal bovine serum and 5% carbon dioxide humidified air at 37 degrees C. T98G cells were cultured in EMEM with 10% FBS, 5% non-essential amino acids and 5% carbon dioxide humidified air at 37 degreesC. Monolayers were grown in T-185 flasks to 60% confluency then split into T-185 flasks coated with a 1% agarose mix in a 2:1 media/water ratio. Cells were suspended in 30 ml of supplemented media and grown for 4 days in order to form multicellular spheroids as described previously by our group (J. Cell. Physiol., 206 [2006] 526-536; see GSE1364 and GSE1455 for similar experiments with HEK293 cells). The suspension was removed from the flasks and centrifuged (1500 x g, 2 min) and the media removed. The pellet was returned to the flasks and then placed in vacuum bags (Dri-shield 2000 moisture barrier bag from Surmount Inc., USA; Cat. number 70068), which were sealed immediately under vacuum (Deni Magic Vac, Champion model; Keystone Manufacturing, USA). Vacuum-sealed flasks were stored for 2 weeks (in the dark) at room temperature. Recovery was initiated by removing the flask from the bag and resuspending the spheroids in supplemented media and placing the flasks in a 5% CO2/humidified air incubator maintained at 37 degreesC. Timepoints for transcriptional analysis were monolayer (control), 4 day growth spheroids, 2 week stored spheroids and 7 day growth back to monolayers.

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Jack GD, Cabrera MC, Manning ML, Slaughter SM, Potts M, Helm RF