CultrexTM Basement Membrane Extract (BME) and Extracellular Matrices (ECM) are continuous sheets of specialized proteins that form an interface between endothelial, epithelial, muscle, or neuronal cells and their adjacent stroma. Products include a full range of matrices and purified proteins including Basement Membrane Extracts, Laminin I, Collagen I, Collagen IV, Vitronectin, and Fibronectin.Select Cultrex BME and ECM products undergo additional qualification for use in 3-D cultures, stem cell cultures, and cell invasion assays.
NEW Cultrex UltiMatrix RGF BME is specially formulated with higher extracellular protein content, consistency, and clarity for optimal organoid, spheroid, and pluripotent stem cell culture.
Cultrex BME Cultrex ECM Migration & Invasion Assays
CultrexTM Basement Membrane Extracts (BME)
Cultrex BMEs are a soluble form of basement membrane purified from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm (EHS) tumor. These extracts provide a natural extracellular matrix hydrogel that polymerizes at 37 °C to form a reconstituted basement membrane that is used to promote and maintain a differentiated phenotype of cell cultures such as epithelial cells, endothelial cells, glandular cells, neurons, and smooth muscle cells. BME can also be utilized in cell attachment, neurite outgrowth, angiogenesis, in vitro cell invasion and in vivo tumorigenicity assays.
Product Features
- Rapid - gels within 30 minutes at 37 °C.
- Reliable - maintains gelled form in culture medium for 14 days.
- Sterile - screened for bacteria, fungi, and mycoplasma.
- Specific - available with reduced growth factor content, with or without Phenol Red, and additional sterility testing.
CultrexTM BME Selection Guide
Cultrex BME for 2-D and 3-D culture is offered in multiple formats to support application-specific needs. Cultrex Reduced Growth Factor (RGF) BME, which is processed to reduce matrix-associated growth factors, is ideal for research that requires a more defined model system.
| Application | Name | Description | RGF Version Available? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organoid | NEW! Cultrex RGF Basement Membrane Extract, Type 2 Select | Specifically qualified to support the establishment and expansion of robust organoid cultures. It's composition mimics the in vivo microenvironment to improve take rate and growth of organoids. | Yes | Robust and established organoid systems |
| Organoids and Stem Cells | NEW! Cultrex UltiMatrix RGF BME | Soluble form of basement membrane that provides high tensile strength, enhanced levels of entactin/nidogen, elevated protein concentration, and robust clarity and purity. | Yes | This matrix contains compositional enhancements and performance benefits for organoid and stem cell culture. |
| Stem Cells | Cultrex Stem Cell Qualified BME | Provides an effective feeder-free surface for the attachment and maintenance of stem cells in an undifferentiated state, enabling growth promotion or study of stem cell differentiation. | Yes | Attachment and maintenance of stem human embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells. |
| Stem Cells | Cultrex ReadyBME, Stem Cell Qualified | Pre-diluted, pre-qualified ready-to-use basement membrane extract for feeder-free pluripotent stem cell maintenance and differentiation. | Yes | Improves experiment consistency and success by minimizing user handling and coating matrix dilution variability |
| 3-D Tissue Spheroids | Cultrex 3-D Culture Matrix BME* | BME used for modeling the morphological effects of early oncogenesis on 3-D microenvironments, wherein healthy, differentiating cells exhibit a structured, polarized morphology that is critical for tissue formation and function. Specifically produced for and qualified in 3-D culture studies. | Yes | 3-D cell cultures |
| Organoid | Cultrex Organoid Qualified BME, Type 2 | A Reduced Growth Factor BME that has been developed and qualified specifically for robust organoid cultures. | Yes | Robust organoid cultures |
| Organoid | Cultrex Organoid Qualified BME, Type R1 | A Reduced Growth Factor BME that has been developed and qualified specifically for difficult organoid cultures. | Yes | Difficult to culture organoids |
| Cancer/Tumorspheres | Cultrex BME, Type 3* | BME Type 3 helps cells to adapt to in vivo transplantation. Mimicking the in vivo microenvironment, including low glucose and low pH, to improve take rate and growth of implanted cells for xenograft and tumorgraft models. | No | Xenograft/Tumorgrafts |
| General | Cultrex BME* | Consists of laminin I, type IV collagen, entactin, and heparan sulfate proteoglycan. | Yes | General use including 2-D cultures, 3-D cultures, cell attachment and cell invasion |
*product available with or without Phenol Red
CultrexTM Extracellular Matrices (ECM)
Cultrex ECM Proteins provide a defined substrate for cell adhesion in culture. Many proteins of the ECM interact with cells via cell surface integrin family receptors. The resulting focal contacts are important for the maintenance of tissue architecture and for supporting a variety of cellular processes. ECM molecule/integrin binding may initiate a complex network of signal transduction cascades that, depending on the context, play an important role in cell spreading, migration, proliferation, and differentiation during embryogenesis, wound healing, and tumor development. To accommodate a variety of different models, we have developed a full range of ECM component proteins including Laminin I, Collagen I, Collagen IV, Fibronectin, and Vitronectin. These include purified proteins that have been qualified for 3-D or stem cell cultures.
Cultrex BME Best Practices
| Name | Description | Catalog # |
|---|---|---|
| Bovine Collagen I** | Major structural component of extracellular matrices found in connective tissue and internal organs, used to promote cell attachment, growth, differentiation, migration, and tissue morphogenesis during development. | View All |
| Mouse Laminin I** | A purified basement membrane protein that has been developed, produced and qualified specifically for cell culture studies where the presence of pathogens may cause concern. | View All |
| Mouse Collagen IV | Used for coating of tissue culture surfaces to promote cell attachment and proliferation and to study its effects on cell behavior. | View All |
| Rat Collagen I** | Major structural component of extracellular matrices found in connective tissue and internal organs, used to promote cell attachment, growth, differentiation, migration, and tissue morphogenesis during development. The 5 mg/ml concentration is very viscous for researchers wanting a thicker Collagen. | View All |
| Rat Collagen I, Lower Viscosity** | Diluted to a lower concentration (3 mg/ml); it is less viscous and easier to handle. A major structural component of extracellular matrices found in connective tissue and internal organs, but is most prevalent in dermis, tendons, and bone. It promotes cell attachment, proliferation, differentiation, migration, and tissue morphogenesis. | View All |
| Human Fibronectin | Fibronectin is an ECM component and is one of the primary cell adhesion molecules. Fibronectin is highly adhesive when immobilized on a surface. | View All |
| Human Vitronectin** | Vitronectin is a large glycoprotein found in blood and the ECM. Vitronectin contains multiple binding sites for a variety of structures. | View All |
| 3-D Culture Extract Laminin I | 3-D Culture Matrix™ Mouse Laminin I may be used as a gel on which to grow cells, as a media additive alone or in concert with other basement membrane components, or to study cellular growth and differentiation in three dimensions in vitro. | View All |
| 3-D Culture Extract Rat Collagen I | The 3-D Culture Matrix™ Collagen I may be used as a gel on which to grow cells or a media additive alone or in concert with other basement membrane components to study cellular growth and differentiation in three dimensions in vitro. | View All |
**Multiple sizes or types available
CultrexTM BME Cell Invasion and Migration Assays
We offer cell migration and cell invasion assays in a 96-well microplate-based format. These assays are designed to accelerate the screening process for compounds that influence chemotaxis.
- Cultrex Cell Migration Assays measures the number of cells traversing a porous membrane
- Cultrex Cell Invasion Assays monitor cell movement through extracellular matrices
Invasive migration is a fundamental function underlying cellular processes such as angiogenesis, embryonic development, immune response, metastasis, and invasion of cancer cells. Each assay contains all the reagents necessary to investigate cell invasion through different extracellular matrices and matrix components.
FBS Stimulates Migration of MDA-MB-231 and HT1080 Cells. The MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell line (cyan bars) and the HT1080 human fibrosarcoma cell line (magenta bars) were treated with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS). Migration of MDA-MB-231 and HT1080 cells through different BME densities was measured using the CultureCoat BME Cell Invasion Optimization Assay (Catalog # 3484-096-K). Data from four experiments was quantified for both cell types.