Research Areas
- Innate Immunity
- Toll-Like Receptors
- RIG-I-Like Receptors
- Nod-Like Receptors
- Autophagy and TLRs
- Other Pathogen Sensors
- Inflammasomes
- Danger Signals
- Inhibitors
- Blues™ Reporter Cells
- Lentivirus Production
- Cytokine Signaling
- Immunoglobulin A
- RNA Interference
- Gene Therapy
- Cancer Research
- Cell Culture & Transfection
- Expression Vectors
Literature
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- What is the stability of Plasmocin ?
- Is Plasmocin toxic for the animal cells ?
- Can I use Plasmocin in cultures with Penicillin / Streptomycin ?
- For preventive treatment of my cultures, should I use Normocin or Plasmocin ?
- Is there a risk of emergence of plasmocin-resistant germs in my cell-cultures ?
- Can I use Plasmocin in cultures where a selective agent is present (i.e. G418) ?
- Do you have a list of cell lines successfully treated with Plasmocin ?
- I have successfully used Plasmocin before on mammalian cells, but can you tell me whether it is a suitable antibiotic for use with insect cells ?
- Can Plasmocin be used to treat mycoplasma infection in virus packaging cell lines ?
- Is Plasmocin more efficient than MRA or ciprofloxacin ?
- How does Plasmocin compare to BM-Cyclin? Is it the same substance or is it a real alternative ?
- Does Plasmocin have any sort of antibiotics (ie doxycyclin or tetracycline) that would cause problems if used with cell lines carrying tet regulator expression systems ?
- Do you have any experience in adding Plasmocin to the drinking water of mice or rats as a preventive against infection ?
What is the stability of Plasmocin ?
Plasmocin is stable 1 week at 37°C, 2 weeks at 20-25°C, 3 months at 4°C, and up to 18 months at –20°C.
Is Plasmocin toxic for the animal cells ?
Plasmocin acts on targets only found in mycoplasma and many bacteria. It blocks DNA replication by inhibiting DNA gyrase, and protein synthesis by binding to the 50S ribosome subunit. At high concentrations of Plasmocin, a slowdown of cell growth rate may be observed. This slowing down is mainly due to the inhibition of mitochondria respiration by Plasmocin. However when Plasmocin is removed from culture medium, cells return rapidly to their normal growth rate.
Can I use Plasmocin in cultures with Penicillin / Streptomycin ?
Plasmocin is compatible with penicillin/streptomycin solutions. Plasmocin can be added to penicillin / streptomycin preparations in order to expand the activity spectrum of this mixture, especially against mycoplasmas.
For preventive treatment of my cultures, should I use Normocin or Plasmocin ?
The choice of preventive treatment depends on the kind of contaminants you may have observed in your cell-culture facility. Each cell-culture room is a specific case. If bacteria, yeasts, and filamentous fungi are the most frequent contaminants in a given facility, Normocin is best suited. If contaminations are mostly due to mycoplasmas, plasmocin should be used instead.
Note that the dominant kind of infection may change according to the calendar. For example, during winter your primary concern may be mycoplasmas (plasmocin preventive treatment), but with rinsing temperatures and hygrometry around summer the bane of yeast contaminations may overide most concerns about mycoplasma infections.
Is there a risk of emergence of plasmocin-resistant germs in my cell-cultures ?
No, Plasmocin is an association of two antibiotics acting on different targets. Thus, the theoritical probability of emergence of plasmocin-resistant germ is 10-6 x 10-6 = 10-12 : selecting two independant mutational events leading to resistance is highly unlikely. Since 1999, when plasmocin went on sale for the first time, we've had no report of plasmocin-resistance emergence.
Can I use Plasmocin in cultures where a selective agent is present (i.e. G418) ?
Yes, Plasmocin is fully compatible with transfection experiments. You can use Plasmocin at the same time as G418 or other common selective agents such as Zeocin, hygromycin B, blasticidin S, and puromycin.
Do you have a list of cell lines successfully treated with Plasmocin ?
Many cell lines infected by mycoplasma have been cured with Plasmocin. Here is a non-exhaustive list:
Human cell lines: HEK293, HeLa, Colo357, HL60, HSB2, MCF-7, PC3, Hep-G2, MDA-MB 231, SW13, SW620, T47D, U-373, U-87
Rodent cell lines: 235-1, NIH3T3, B16, CHO, CT60, PC12, C2C12, C6, ES cells
and also hybridomas, retrovirus packaging cell line, and bi-color damselfish cell lines.
| Cell lines successfully treated with Plasmocin™ | ||
HUMAN TUMOR CELL LINES
| RODENT CELL LINES
| |
I have successfully used Plasmocin before on mammalian cells, but can you tell me whether it is a suitable antibiotic for use with insect cells ?
Plasmocin can be used to clear mycoplasma infection in insect cells. The conditions are similar to those for mammalian cells, that is 25 µg/ml for 2 weeks. The concentration of the antibiotic can be increased or reduced by 50% (12.5 µg/ml to 37.5 µg/ml) depending on the severity of mycoplasma contamination and the sensitivity of the cell line to Plasmocin.
Can Plasmocin be used to treat mycoplasma infection in virus packaging cell lines ?
Plasmocin has been successfully used to remove mycoplasma from virus packaging cell lines. We recommend to treat the cells with Plasmocin treatment (25 µg/ml, #ant-mpt) prior to virus production. During virus production, maintain the cells with Plasmocin prophylactic (2.5 µg/ml, #ant-mpp) or Normocin (100 µg/ml, #ant-nr).
Is Plasmocin more efficient than MRA or ciprofloxacin ?
Plasmocin, MRA (ICN) and ciprofloxacin (Bayer) have in common an antibiotic from the same family. Plasmocin contains in addition a second antibiotic which target and mechanism of action differs from the first antibiotic. This addition increases the active spectrum and reduces the eventual development of resistant mycoplasma strains.
How does Plasmocin compare to BM-Cyclin? Is it the same substance or is it a real alternative ?
BM-Cyclin (Roche) is a combination of two antibiotics that are provided in two separate vials and must be used sequentially. Plasmocin, on the other hand is a single product that combines two antibiotics. The use of Plasmocin is simple: add Plasmocin to the culture medium at a concentration of 25 µg/ml and treat for 2 weeks.
The mechanism of action of both products is also different. Both antibiotics of BM-Cyclin inhibit protein synthesis by binding to the ribosomes whereas the antibiotics of Plasmocin act on two separate targets. The first compound blocks DNA replication by interfering with the replication fork, the second compound acts on the protein synthesis machinery by interfering with ribosome translation.
Does Plasmocin have any sort of antibiotics (ie doxycyclin or tetracycline) that would cause problems if used with cell lines carrying tet regulator expression systems ?
The antibiotics of Plasmocin are not related to the tetracycline family and therefore should not interfere with the Tet inducible system. Experiments were carried out to evaluate potential interferences betwe
Do you have any experience in adding Plasmocin to the drinking water of mice or rats as a preventive against infection ?
Plasmocin is only for cell culture use. Its efficiency and toxicity in vivo has not been evaluated.