Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

Cells in the body develop and reside in oxygen environments that are substantially less than atmospheric oxygen. The importance of low oxygen exposure is highlighted by the role that hypoxic pathways play in controlling numerous cell biological processes from stem cell development, tissue morphogenesis, and microbial- cell interactions. Cellular processes stemming from metabolism, mitosis, gene expression, and protein post translational modification are impacted by low oxygen. For this reason, the design of in vitro culture systems used to study cell biology processes should implement physiological oxygen conditions that best represent in vivo environment. This Research Tools and Instruments proposal is centered around the acquirement of a physiological culture workstation that is specifically designed to be able to precisely control oxygen levels during cell culture establishment, cell maintenance, experimentation, and cell harvesting. Notably, this stand-alone culture system is essential for the advancement of multiple UBC NSERC -funded research programs who have broad interests in studying developmental biology of the placenta (Beristain; principal applicant), microbial -host cell interactions (Sly co--applicants), and transcriptional networks in organ development (Taubert; co--applicant). For example, Dr. Beristain's long-term objectives are devoted to understanding cellular and molecular processes controlling trophoblast biology. This new infrastructure will be essential for furthering Dr. Beristain's short--term objectives aimed at understanding how oxygen sensing processes coordinate cell differentiation and specification of trophoblasts in during early placental development. Broadly, this physiological culture system will allow for the implementation of 3--dimensional trophoblast (Beristain) and intestinal organoids (Sly & Vallance), and cell culture systems designed to examine how environmental enironments and stressors like low oxygen/hypoxia control transcriptional networks in development and control cellular processes like cell death, survival, and homeostasis.