Tetrahymena Stock Center

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I handle Tetrahymena?
The cells are shipped live in NEFF as a 1 ml starter culture. You will need clean sterile glassware and media to start. For most purposes, antibiotics are not needed, especially if you are working in a sterile hood to set up cultures. Tetrahymena are generally stored as stock cultures in culture tubes at room temperature and expanded as needed in flasks or petri dishes. Stock tubes should be transferred about every 3 weeks by putting a drop or 2 from the top of an existing stock tube into a fresh 10ml NEFF tube.

Protocols for stock and working cultures, and freezing protocols are provided in Tetrahymena in the laboratory: strain resources, methods for culture, maintenance, and storage, Cassidy-Hanley DM. Methods Cell Biol. 2012;109:237-76