biology

RPMI 1640

RPMI 1640 is a biology topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand RPMI 1640 rather than just read about it. In short: RPMI 1640, simply known as RPMI medium, is a cell culture medium commonly used to culture mammalian cells. RPMI 1640 was developed by George E.

Key takeaways

RPMI 1640 belongs to biology; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect RPMI 1640 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of RPMI 1640 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

RPMI 1640, simply known as RPMI medium, is a cell culture medium commonly used to culture mammalian cells. RPMI 1640 was developed by George E. Moore, Robert E. Gerner, and H. Addison Franklin in 1966 at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (formerly known as Roswell Park Memorial Institute), from where it derives its name. A modification of McCoy′s 5A medium (or RPMI 1630), it was originally formulated to support lymphoblastoid cells in suspension cultures, but can also support a wide variety of adherent cells. It was originally developed to culture human leukemic cells. Over the years, the original formulation was modified and refined by researchers and commercial suppliers to enhance its ability to support the growth of many cell types. This medium contains a great deal of phosphate, amino acids and vitamins. RPMI 1640 uses a bicarbonate buffering system and requires a 5–10% CO2 atmosphere to maintain physiological pH. Normally, the medium contains no proteins or growth factors, so it is commonly supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Properly supplemented with serum or an adequate serum replacement, RPMI 1640 allows the cultivation of many cell types, especially human lymphocytes, Jurkat cells, HeLa cells, bone marrow cells, hybridomas and carcinomas.

Composition Many different formulations exist. Typically, one liter of RPMI 1640 contains:

Glucose (2 g) A pH indicator (phenol red, 5 mg) Salts (6 g sodium chloride, 2 g sodium bicarbonate, 1.512 g disodium phosphate, 400 mg potassium chloride, 100 mg magnesium sulfate, and 100 mg calcium nitrate) Amino acids (300 mg glutamine; 200 mg arginine; 50 mg each asparagine, cystine, leucine, and isoleucine; 40 mg lysine hydrochloride; 30 mg serine; 20 mg each aspartic acid, glutamic acid, hydroxyproline, proline, threonine, tyrosine, and valine; 15 mg each histidine, methionine, and phenylalanine; 10 mg glycine; 5 mg tryptophan; and 1 mg reduced glutathione) Vitamins (35 mg i-inositol; 3 mg choline chloride; 1 mg each para-aminobenzoic acid, folic acid, nicotinamide, pyridoxine hydrochloride, and thiamine hydrochloride; 0.25 mg calcium pantothenate; 0.2 mg each biotin and riboflavin; and 0.005 mg cyanocobalamin)

References

External links http://www.bioind.com/RPMI1640 http://www.sigmaaldrich.com/Area_of_Interest/Life_Science/Cell_Culture/Product_Lines/Classic_Media___Salts/RPMI_Media.html http://www.invitrogen.com/site/us/en/home/Products-and-Services/Applications/Cell-Culture/Mammalian-Cell-Culture/Classical_Media/RPMI.html http://www.captivatebio.com/rpmi-1640-medium.html

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with RPMI 1640

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what RPMI 1640 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In biology, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to RPMI 1640 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about RPMI 1640 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of RPMI 1640

In research: RPMI 1640 appears in biology research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses RPMI 1640 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: RPMI 1640 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cell biology stubs, Cell culture media, Microbiological media, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for RPMI 1640 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study RPMI 1640 in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what RPMI 1640 means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain RPMI 1640 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is RPMI 1640 in simple terms?

RPMI 1640, simply known as RPMI medium, is a cell culture medium commonly used to culture mammalian cells. RPMI 1640 was developed by George E.

Why does RPMI 1640 matter?

Because it connects several biology ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study RPMI 1640?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on RPMI 1640.