Fetal bovine serum specific cell type. When changing from batch to batch it is usual to adapt the cells to the new batch of material, for example, by mixing 50% of the old serum with 50% of the new serum and allowing the cells to acclimatise to the new material. Serum is stored frozen to preserve the stability of components such as growth factors. When serum is thawed, some precipitation may be seen. This is a normal phenomenon and it does not compromise the quality of serum in any way. The precipitate may be removed by transferring the serum to sterile tubes and
Secretory component Secretory component The secretory component is a component of immunoglobulin A (IgA). Secretory component is a proteolytic cleavage product of the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor which remains associated with dimeric IgA in sero-mucus secretions. Polymeric IgA binds to the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor on the basolateral surface of epithelial cells and is taken up into the cell via transcytosis. The receptor-IgA complex passes through the cellular compartments before being secreted on the luminal surface of the epithelial cells, still attached to the receptor. Proteolysis of the receptor occurs and the dimeric IgA molecule, along with the secretory component, are free to diffuse