Examples of primary cultures adapted or developed in the Cell Biology Core. A. Human arterial endothelial cells. B. Primary lung embryonic fibroblasts. C. Primary airway epithelial cells. D. Primary rat hepatocyte culture.  

A. Association of MYH with DNA replication fork. B. Detection of BrdU in DNA replication fork fluorescent imaging. C. Superimposition of MYH and BrdU-mediated fluorescent images. D. DNA-dependent protein kinase localized to the nuclei of cells (3D intensity profile: blue color indicates the absence of this protein) . E. Nuclear localization of acetylated 8-oxoguanine DNA glycosylase (AcOOG1-1a). F. The non-acetylated form of OGG1-1a is distributed both to nuclei and cytoplasm of the cells. G. Co-localization of NEIL2 with RNA polymerase II (pol. II) in G1-phase cells. Co-localization of NEIl2 with RNA pol II is indicated by orange fluorescence (right panel). I. Green fluorescence images of p38a-like MAPK in hepatocytes (AML12), J. Red image shows cytochrome oxidase b1, a mitochondrial complex III protein. K. Co-localization of p38a-like mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cytochrome oxidase b1 in the cytoplasm of AML12 cells. L. Combined images of p38a-like MAPK, cytochrome oxidase b1 and DAPI-mediated fluorescent images  

Cell Biology Core

Core Director and Members
Important Links

The Cell Biology Core Laboratory (CBCL) was established to provide a variety of services, technical support and training opportunities to enhance the ability of NIEHS Center investigators to conduct high-quality research that is dependent on a variety of cell culture systems and cell biology methods to address biomedical questions at the cellular and molecular levels with an emphasis on human systems. The CBCL is dedicated to the development and delivery of state-of-the-art technologies in cell biology to assist NIEHS Center Investigators in their mission. The key personnel of this Core provide scientific and technical expertise that greatly benefits Center investigators in terms of experimental design, execution and interpretation. A particular strength of the CBCL is to serve as an integrating umbrella to foster collaborative arrangements that cross-departmental boundaries, and to facilitate productive interactions between basic and applied environmental sciences. The Core works in concert with more than two dozen faculty and sixteen postdoctoral fellows belonging to the NIEHS Center. The Core supports a wide cross section of Center investigators from the Depts. of Human Biological Chemistry of Genetics, Pharmacology & Toxicology, and Microbiology & Immunology, and the Sealy Center for Molecular Sciences, whose research interests are broad, and include areas of DNA repair, molecular toxicology, cancer pharmacology, drug metabolism, neuropharmacology, asthma pathogenesis and aging. Likewise, the CBCL supports research programs that focus on a variety of diseases, such as cancer, drug abuse, behavioral disorders, chronic inflammatory lung diseases, aging and age-associated diseases, which range from studies of molecules (damaged DNA, DNA repair proteins, transcription factors, drug metabolism and interactions) and cells to those of whole animals and human populations.

The Director of the CBCL is Istvan Boldogh, Ph.D., an Associate Professor in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. He and his research team, including Daniel Liebenthal, M.S. (Research Associate I), Leopoldo Aguilera (Research Associate) and Sonia Gonzales (Administrative Secretary, Accountant II) form a strong base of expertise to offer an array of technical services, scientific, intellectual and administrative support to NIEHS investigators.

The CBCL received more then 410 requests for services during the past funding year, and provided services to 10 NIEHS Center Investigators (Table C). These services include: A) Cryopreservation, production of “customized” primary and established cell cultures; B) large-scale production of recombinant baculoviruses and protein(s) in eukaryotic expression systems; C) Mycoplasma detection and eradication and D) Single-cell and population analysis of cultures. The availability of the CBCL services has produced significant benefits for NIEHS Center Research Core laboratories. The centralization of techniques used in the NIEHS Center research programs reduces duplication of supply cost for performing the same or similar techniques independently in research laboratories. This enables access to routine services and research materials at a reduced price, and the short turnaround time facilitates improved time management. In addition, the CBCL enhances productivity of Research Core Investigators by providing access to and expertise in advanced methodologies/technologies in cell biology that are beyond the means of any individual NIEHS Center investigator.

The CBCL has been a major asset to project leaders, students, post-doctoral fellows, young investigators and technicians a number of whom have been trained for cell culture techniques and have established satellite culture setups in their own laboratories. Basic training available in: culturing and studying cells and tissues; special techniques (cell cloning, culturing cells at the air-liquid inter-phase, synchronization of cell populations, preparation of irradiated feeder layers and suspension cultures, etc.); cryopreservation; cell processing to develop primary cultures (e.g., hepatocytes, lung, nasal epithelial cells); mutagenecity assays and mitochondrial technology. Furthermore, the consolidation of specialized cell biology efforts under CBCL and the increased rate and levels of data production have enabled research investigators to direct efforts toward accurate experimental design and data analysis, production of research publications, and development of research programs and grant proposals. In this reporting period, the activities of the CBCL have directly contributed to 17 papers (published and in press) in peer-reviewed journals. NIEHS Center investigators utilizing data generated in the CBCL have also been included in several pending and awarded grant proposals.

The CBCL is dedicated to producing a strong, creative intellectual environment where ideas are vigorously debated and rigorously tested. A strong focus is placed on molecular-level approaches. These scientific activities are wide-ranging, including cell-cycle control, genomic instability, aging processes, signal transduction and DNA repair. The CBCL is committed to continuously enhancing and improving the quality of services we provide and introducing new techniques that will be used by Research Core Investigators. We are in the process in implementing additional recombinant virus (e.g., adeno virus, lenti virus) development, production for research core laboratories (e.g., DNA Repair and Mutagenesis and Asthma Pathogenesis Research Core).

Core Director and Members

Istvan Boldogh, DM&B, Ph.D., Director, Cell Biology Service Core and Member, Asthma Pathogenesis Research Core, NIEHS Center, Associate Professor, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Shirah Cooper, B.S., Member, Cell Biology Service Core, Administrative Secretary, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Sonia Gonzales, M.S., Member, Cell Biology Service Core, Accountant II, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Dan Liebenthal, M.S., Member, Cell Biology Service Core, Research Associate I, Department of Microbiology and Immunology

Important Links

Dr. Boldogh's Home Page:
http://microbiology.utmb.edu/faculty/boldogh/homepage.htm