Biology subjects

Su, F.

Publications and source records attributed to Su, F..

2 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2018

Virus infection might cause cells producing black swimming dots

Black swimming dots (BSDs) are nanoscale dot-like contaminants in the dishes of cultured cells. Until now, the identity of BSDs has not yet been determined. In our recent study, we proposed that BSDs per se are nonliving inorganic nanoparticles yet should derive from the cells infected with an unidentified airborne pathogen. We showed the pathogen possessed the characteristics including airborne transmitted, cell-dependent, insensitive to antibiotics, filterable through 0.1 m membrane. These properties prompt us to speculate that the pathogen of BSDs might be one kind of unidentified virus-like organism. However, the imperfection is that we have not isolated this putative pathogen from BSD+ samples [1]. Here, we report a further investigation of finding the virus-like pathogen in the serum and tissue extracts from BSD+ mice. Most importantly, this virus-like pathogen can be reisolated from the BSD+ extracts-inoculated, diseased BSD- cells.\n\nTo de ...

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2018

Black swimming dots in cell culture: the identity, detection method and judging criteria

Black swimming dots (BSDs) -- the biological UFO in cell culture -- have perplexed biologists for decades. BSDs are extremely tiny dots found in dishes of cultured cells. It is still controversial on their origin and identity. BSDs are very hard to be removed and bring adverse impact to cell experiments (Supplementary Table 1). Here we wish to answer three urgent questions about BSDs. First, is the identity of BSDs nonliving matter or living organism? Second, is there any reliable method to tell whether the donor cattle for FBS production or the animals for primary cells isolation carry BSDs? Third, what are the judging criteria for BSDs when \"tiny black dots\" were observed? In 2015, we happened to observe BSDs in the perivitelline space of mouse oocytes and embryos; and the cells derived from these mice exhibited typical properties of BSDs infected cells (described in Supplementary Information). With these BSDs infected (BSD+) mice, we demonstrate that BSDs per se are ...

cell biology↗