PRIMARY-CELL CULTURE OF TURKEY INTESTINAL EPITHELIAL-CELLS

Primary cell culture has been widely used in various types of studies and proven useful for the isolation and identification of avian pathog ens. Difficulties in growing intestinal epithelial cells in vitro have limited their use for such studies. In the present study, a co-cultur e system was developed for the primary culture of intestinal epithelia l cells. A monolayer obtained from 14-to- 16-day-old turkey embryo int estinal fibroblasts was used as a feeder layer. Feeder layers from tur key embryo fibroblasts and from a continuous cell line (mouse 3T3 fibr oblasts) were also employed but were not as successful. The intestinal epithelial cells were isolated by dissociation from the intestinal tr acts of 1-day-old turkey poults and grown on the feeder layers. Growth and maintenance media were supplemented with various components, incl uding fetal calf serum, chicken serum, hormones, and other growth fact ors. The epithelial cells grown on feeder layers from the intestinal f ibroblasts allowed the intestinal epithelial cells to be maintained in vitro for periods of 7 to 10 days. This technique may prove useful fo r various applications, including isolation of enteropathogens, and fo r basic studies of the intestinal tract concerning such subjects as ph ysiology, immunology, and toxicology.