An Apparatus for Permitting Control of the Atmosphere in Roller Tube Cultures

Abstract

Various types of containers have been devised to permit control of the atmosphere overlying tissue cultivated in hanging drops 1 and in stationary flasks 2-3 in vitro. None of these are easily adaptable to roller tube cultures because of the constant rotation of the drum in which the tubes are placed. Ott, Tennant, and Liebow 4 suggested that a controlled atmosphere can be provided for roller tube cultures if a Novy jar is mounted on the drum. The difficulties and limitations of such a procedure are obvious.

Recently we have found it necessary to devise an efficient apparatus which would permit complete control of a flowing atmosphere at all times and eliminate both the handling of the tubes and the opening of the incubator. This apparatus has given us such satisfactory results that it seems worthy of description. In order to insure a constant flow of air (or any desired gas) through the roller tubes, the gas is first made to displace water from a reservoir, such as a 5-gallon bottle. After all of the water is displaced, a fine steady stream of water is permitted to flow into the gas-filled bottle to displace the gas. The gas is then led into the incubator where it passes through the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. The gas enters tube “A” and passes successively through tubes “B,” “C.,” “D” and “E” and then to the roller tubes “F.” Tube “A” is fixed, tube “B” is movable and fits over tube “A”: the mercury seal prevents the leakage of gas. “C” is a rubber tube which allows the movement of the horizontal shaft “D” to be transmitted to the vertical tube “B.”