Figure 4. The typical MEF preparation time saved with Gibco MEFs. Laboratories typically set up timed matings to embryonic day 13.5, spend approximately 1 week preparing MEFs, and may spend additional time performing quality testing. The absence of quality testing increases the risk of using contaminated or low-quality MEFs.
Consistently high-quality feeder cells for ESC/iPSC culture
Gibco Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts (MEFs) are high-quality feeder cells used to support the growth and pluripotency of embryonic stem cells (ESCs) and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). They are manufactured and qualified by MTI-GlobalStem, a company known for their superior performing feeder cells, which are cited in hundreds of publications.
Gibco Mouse Embryonic Fibroblasts are:
- Rigorously tested (Table 1) for consistently high quality (Figure 1 and 2, 3)
- Pre-inactivated and ready-to-use to help save time (Figure 4)
- Available in different strains, sizes and treatments to fit your needs (Tables 2 and 3)
Table 1. Tests performed during quality assessments of Gibco MEFs.
| Test category | Test |
|---|---|
| Maintenance of pluripotency | Test for human ESC support |
| Test for mouse ESC support | |
| Sterility | Mycoplasma direct culture test |
| Bacterial and fungal test | |
| Mouse pathogen test | |
| Viability assessments (post-thaw) | Viable cell count |
| % Viability | |
| Drug resistance characterization | Test for antibiotic resistance |
High quality
Gibco MEFs support healthy PSC cultures that form compact colonies with defined edges and express pluripotency markers (Figures 1 and 2). In addition, Gibco MEFs help ensure superior results in many applications, including reprogramming (Figure 3).
Figure 1. Gibco MEFs support healthy human and mouse PSC cultures. Human ESCs (hESCs) and mouse ESCs (mESCs) were plated on Gibco CF1 MEFs or low-quality MEFs. hESC and mESC colonies grown on Gibco MEFs are compact and have defined edges, indicative of healthy undifferentiated ESCs. By contrast, hESC and mESC colonies grown on low-quality MEFs are less defined, less compact, and show indications of differentiation.
Figure 2. Gibco MEFs maintain pluripotency of PSC cultures. H9 ESCs were plated on Gibco CF1 MEFs or low-quality CF1 MEFs. Cells grown on Gibco CF1 MEFs show improved maintenance of undifferentiated hESCs compared to low-quality MEFs, as indicated by higher TRA-1-60 expression and much lower SSEA1 expression when analyzed by flow cytometry.
Figure 3. High-quality Gibco MEFs yield superior results in applications such as reprogramming. Human fibroblasts were reprogrammed with the CytoTune-iPSC 2.0 Sendai Reprogramming Kit and plated on Gibco CF1 MEFs or low quality CF1 MEFs. Gibco MEFs enabled double the reprogramming efficiency compared to low quality MEFs. Images show whole wells stained with alkaline phosphatase (red).
Pre-inactivated and ready-to-use
Gibco MEFs allow you to save more than 2 weeks (compared to the typical MEF preparation time, Figure 4), and our careful preparation and quality tests help ensure you have more confidence in your feeder-dependent cultures.
Available in different strains
Several varieties of Gibco MEFs are available to support specific applications and different individual preferences.
Table 2. Different Gibco MEFs and recommended uses.
| MEF strain/type | Recommended use | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| CF1 | Routine mouse or human ESC/iPSC culture |
|
| C57BL/6 |
| |
| CF6-Neo | Drug selection during mouse or human ESC/iPSC culture |
|
| B6-Puro |
| |
| DR4 |
|
Find the Gibco product equivalent of MTI-GlobalStem products
Locate your MTI-GlobalStem MEF product in the table below to find the equivalent or most closely related Gibco MEF products as well as some selected citations.
Table 3. MTI-GlobalStem MEFs.
| MTI-GlobalStem MEF Product | MTI-GlobalStem Cat. No. | Equivalent (or closest) Gibco Cat. Nos. | PubMed IDs of selected citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| CF-1 MEF 0.5M IRR* | GSC-6301G | A34180 | 27739611, 28416285, 28569216, 25687300, 27532818, 27022951, 26416968, 26100233, 24281874, 23584186, 22675543, 22605648, 22370855, 21716665, 21608081, 21212777, 21185069 |
| CF-1 MEF 2M IRR | GSC-6201G | A34180 | |
| CF-1 MEF 4M IRR | GSC-6001G | A34181 | |
| CF-1 MEF IRR 7M* | GSC-6101G | A34181 | |
| CF-1 MEF 4M untreated* | GSC-6001 | A34181 or A34959 | |
| CF-1 MEF 0.5M Mito-C* | GSC-6301M | A34958 | |
| CF-1 MEF 2M Mito-C | GSC-6201M | A34958 | |
| CF-1 MEF 4M Mito-C | GSC-6001M | A34959 | |
| C57BL/6 MEF 2M IRR | GSC-6202G | A34960 | 28569216, 28395742 28253233 |
| C57BL/6 MEF 4M IRR | GSC-6002G | A34961 | |
| C57BL/6 MEF 4M Mito-C | GSC-6002M | A34962 | |
| C57BL/6 MEF 4M untreated* | GSC-6002 | A34961 or A34962 | |
| CF6Neo MEF 4M IRR | GSC-6005G | A34963 | 26100233 21886096 |
| CF6Neo MEF 4M untreated* | GSC-6005 | A34963 or A34964 | |
| CF6Neo MEF 4M Mito-C | GSC-6005M | A34964 | |
| CF6Neo MEF 7M Mito-C* | GSC-6105M | A34964 | |
| Puro MEF 2M IRR | GSC-6220G | A34965 | 28129126, 25486255 |
| Puro MEF 4M IRR* | GSC-6020G | A34965 | |
| Puro MEF 4M Mito-C* | GSC-6020M | A34965 | |
| DR4 MEF 2M IRR—Academic | GSC-6204G | A34966 | 27905063, 25765640, 25741760, 25587899, 25108529, 24838915, 23351095, 23095454, 21411759, 21040903 |
| DR4 MEF 4M IRR—Academic* | GSC-6004G | A34966 |
* These MTI-GlobalStem MEF products do not have direct equivalents at this time, but we suggest the listed related products.
Choose Gibco media systems for superior feeder-dependent ESC/iPSC culture
| Supplement | Basal Medium | Growth Factor | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MEF culture | ESC-Qualified FBS | DMEM | |
| Feeder-dependent mPSC culture | KnockOut Serum Replacement – Multi-Species | KnockOut DMEM | ESC-qualified LIF |
| Feeder-dependent hPSC culture | KnockOut Serum Replacement or KnockOut Serum Replacement – Multi-Species | DMEM/F12 | bFGF |
Resources
Support
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.