Analysis of Cell Suspensions Isolated from Solid Tissues by Spectral Flow Cytometry

Flow cytometry has been used for the past 40 years to define and analyze the phenotype of lymphoid and other hematopoietic cells. Initially restricted to ...

Isolation and Characterization of the Immune Cells from Micro-dissected Mouse Choroid Plexuses

The brain is no longer considered as an organ functioning in isolation; accumulating evidence suggests that changes in the peripheral immune system can ...

Institut Pasteur

Development of Peyer's patches and lymph nodes requires the interaction between CD4+ CD3- IL-7Ralpha+ lymphoid-tissue inducer (LTi) and VCAM-1+ organizer cells. Here we showed that by promoting their survival, enhanced expression of interleukin-7 (IL-7) in transgenic mice resulted in accumulation of LTi cells. With increased IL-7 availability, de novo formation of VCAM-1+ Peyer's patch anlagen occurred along the entire fetal gut resulting in a 5-fold increase in Peyer's patch numbers. IL-7 overexpression also led to formation of multiple organized ectopic lymph nodes and cecal patches. After immunization, ectopic lymph nodes developed normal T cell-dependent B cell responses and germinal centers. Mice overexpressing IL-7 but lacking either RORgamma, a factor required for LTi cell generation, or lymphotoxin alpha1beta2 had neither Peyer's patches nor ectopic lymph nodes. Therefore, by controlling LTi cell numbers, IL-7 can regulate the formation of both normal and ectopic lymphoid organs.

Ectopic lymphoid-organ development occurs through interleukin 7-mediated enhanced survival of lymphoid-tissue-inducer cells.

Chronic inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are associated with the de novo formation of organised lymphoid tissue in a subpopulation of patients. The aberrant expression of cytokines and chemokines by stromal cells plays an important role in recruitment and survival of effector cells of the immune system and the development of ectopic tertiary lymphoid organs (TLOs). TLOs may promote the persistence of inflammation and the recognition of self antigens. Recent studies in man and mice now indicate that interleukin 7 (IL-7) is implicated in the formation of TLOs and progression of chronic inflammation.

Interleukin 7-induced lymphoid neogenesis in arthritis: recapitulation of a fetal developmental programme?

During fetal life, CD4(+)CD3(-) lymphoid tissue inducer (LTi) cells are required for lymph node and Peyer's patch development in mice. In adult animals, CD4(+)CD3(-) cells are found in low numbers in lymphoid organs. Whether adult CD4(+)CD3(-) cells are LTi cells and are generated and maintained through cytokine signals has not been directly addressed. In this study we show that adult CD4(+)CD3(-) cells adoptively transferred into neonatal CXCR5(-/-) mice induced the formation of intestinal lymphoid tissues, demonstrating for the first time their bona fide LTi function. Increasing IL-7 availability in wild-type mice either by IL-7 transgene expression or treatment with IL-7/anti-IL-7 complexes increased adult LTi cell numbers through de novo generation from bone marrow cells and increased the survival and proliferation of LTi cells. Our observations demonstrate that adult CD4(+)lineage(-) cells are LTi cells and that the availability of IL-7 determines the size of the adult LTi cell pool.

Cutting edge: IL-7 regulates the peripheral pool of adult ROR gamma+ lymphoid tissue inducer cells.

The transcription factor RORγt is required for the development of several innate lymphoid populations, such as lymphoid tissue-inducer cells (LTi cells) and cells that secrete interleukin 17 (IL-17) or IL-22. The progenitor cells as well as the developmental stages that lead to the emergence of RORγt(+) innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) remain undefined. Here we identify the chemokine receptor CXCR6 as an additional marker of the development of ILCs and show that common lymphoid progenitors lost B cell and T cell potential as they successively acquired expression of the integrin α(4)β(7) and CXCR6. Whereas fetal RORγt(+) cells matured in the fetal liver environment, adult bone marrow-derived RORγt(+) ILCs matured outside the bone marrow, in a Notch2-dependent manner. Therefore, fetal and adult environments influence the differentiation of RORγt(+) cells differently.

Notch signaling is necessary for adult, but not fetal, development of RORγt(+) innate lymphoid cells.

Primary myelofibrosis is a myeloproliferative neoplasm that is a precursor to myeloid leukemia. Dysmegakaryopoiesis and extramedullary hematopoiesis characterize primary myelofibrosis, which is also associated with bone marrow stromal alterations marked by fibrosis, neoangiogenesis, and osteomyelosclerosis. In particular, contributions to primary myelofibrosis from mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) have been suggested by mouse studies, but evidence in humans remains lacking. In this study, we show that bone marrow MSCs from primary myelofibrosis patients exhibit unique molecular and functional abnormalities distinct from other myeloproliferative neoplasms and these abnormalities are maintained stably ex vivo in the absence of leukemic cells. Primary myelofibrosis-MSC overexpressed heparin-binding cytokines, including proinflammatory TGFβ1 and osteogenic BMP-2, as well as glycosaminoglycans such as heparan sulfate and chondroitin sulfate. Transcriptome and functional analyses revealed alterations in MSC differentiation characterized by an increased osteogenic potential and a TGFβ1 signaling signature. Accordingly, phospho-Smad2 levels were intrinsically increased in primary myelofibrosis-MSC along with enhanced expression of the master bone regulator RUNX2, while inhibition of the endogenous TGFβ1 receptor TGFβR1 impaired osteogenic differentiation in these MSCs. Taken together, our results define the source of a critical osteogenic function in primary myelofibrosis that supports its pathophysiology, suggesting that combined targeting of both the hematopoietic and stromal cell compartments in primary myelofibrosis patients may heighten therapeutic efficacy.

Osteogenic Potential of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Contributes to Primary Myelofibrosis.

T and innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) share some aspects of their developmental programs. However, although Notch signaling is strictly required for T cell development, it is dispensable for fetal ILC development. Constitutive activation of Notch signaling, at the common lymphoid progenitor stage, drives T cell development and abrogates ILC development by preventing Id2 expression. By combining single-cell transcriptomics and clonal culture strategies, we characterize two heterogeneous α4β7-expressing lymphoid progenitor compartments. αLP1 (Flt3(+)) still retains T cell potential and comprises the global ILC progenitor, while αLP2 (Flt3(-)) consists of ILC precursors that are primed toward the different ILC lineages. Only a subset of αLP2 precursors is sensitive to Notch signaling required for their proliferation. Our study identifies, in a refined manner, the diversity of transitional stages of ILC development, their transcriptional signatures, and their differential dependence on Notch signaling.

Single-Cell Gene Expression Analyses Reveal Heterogeneous Responsiveness of Fetal Innate Lymphoid Progenitors to Notch Signaling.

Flow cytometry, initially developed to analyze surface protein expression in hematopoietic cells, has increased in analytical complexity and is now widely used to identify cells from different tissues and organisms. As a consequence, data analysis became increasingly difficult due the need of large multi-parametric compensation matrices and to the eventual auto-fluorescence frequently found in cell suspensions obtained from solid organs. In contrast with conventional flow cytometry that detects the emission peak of fluorochromes, spectral flow cytometry distinguishes the shapes of emission spectra along a large range of continuous wave lengths. The data is analyzed with an algorithm that replaces compensation matrices and treats auto-fluorescence as an independent parameter. Thus, spectral flow cytometry should be capable to discriminate fluorochromes with similar emission peaks and provide multi-parametric analysis without compensation requirements. Here we show that spectral flow cytometry achieves a 21-parametric (19 fluorescent probes) characterization and deals with auto-fluorescent cells, providing high resolution of specifically fluorescence-labeled populations. Our results showed that spectral flow cytometry has advantages in the analysis of cell populations of tissues difficult to characterize in conventional flow cytometry, such as heart and intestine. Spectral flow cytometry thus combines the multi-parametric analytical capacity of the highest performing conventional flow cytometry without the requirement for compensation and enabling auto-fluorescence management.

Spectral Cytometry Has Unique Properties Allowing Multicolor Analysis of Cell Suspensions Isolated from Solid Tissues.

The emergence and diversification of cell types is a leading factor in animal evolution. So far, systematic characterization of the gene regulatory programs associated with cell type specificity was limited to few cell types and few species. Here, we perform whole-organism single-cell transcriptomics to map adult and larval cell types in the cnidarian Nematostella vectensis, a non-bilaterian animal with complex tissue-level body-plan organization. We uncover eight broad cell classes in Nematostella, including neurons, cnidocytes, and digestive cells. Each class comprises different subtypes defined by the expression of multiple specific markers. In particular, we characterize a surprisingly diverse repertoire of neurons, which comparative analysis suggests are the result of lineage-specific diversification. By integrating transcription factor expression, chromatin profiling, and sequence motif analysis, we identify the regulatory codes that underlie Nematostella cell-specific expression. Our study reveals cnidarian cell type complexity and provides insights into the evolution of animal cell-specific genomic regulation.

Cnidarian Cell Type Diversity and Regulation Revealed by Whole-Organism Single-Cell RNA-Seq.

Cytokinesis requires the constriction of ESCRT-III filaments on the side of the midbody, where abscission occurs. After ESCRT recruitment at the midbody, it is not known how the ESCRT-III machinery localizes to the abscission site. To reveal actors involved in abscission, we obtained the proteome of intact, post-abscission midbodies (Flemmingsome) and identified 489 proteins enriched in this organelle. Among these proteins, we further characterized a plasma membrane-to-ESCRT module composed of the transmembrane proteoglycan syndecan-4, ALIX and syntenin, a protein that bridges ESCRT-III/ALIX to syndecans. The three proteins are highly recruited first at the midbody then at the abscission site, and their depletion delays abscission. Mechanistically, direct interactions between ALIX, syntenin and syndecan-4 are essential for proper enrichment of the ESCRT-III machinery at the abscission site, but not at the midbody. We propose that the ESCRT-III machinery must be physically coupled to a membrane protein at the cytokinetic abscission site for efficient scission, uncovering common requirements in cytokinesis, exosome formation and HIV budding.

Sandrine Schmutz

Flow Cytometry Core Facility,
Center for Translational Research-Technical Core,
Cytometry platform,
CB UTechS,
Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Center for Translational Research-Technical Core,
Cytometry platform, CB UTechS

Institut Pasteur

Analysis of Cell Suspensions Isolated from Solid Tissues by Spectral Flow Cytometry

Isolation and Characterization of the Immune Cells from Micro-dissected Mouse Choroid Plexuses

Sandrine Schmutz

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}Flow Cytometry Core Facility,Center for Translational Research-Technical Core,Cytometry platform,CB UTechS,Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Center for Translational Research-Technical Core,Cytometry platform, CB UTechS

Institut Pasteur

Analysis of Cell Suspensions Isolated from Solid Tissues by Spectral Flow Cytometry

Isolation and Characterization of the Immune Cells from Micro-dissected Mouse Choroid Plexuses

Flow Cytometry Core Facility,
Center for Translational Research-Technical Core,
Cytometry platform,
CB UTechS,
Flow Cytometry Core Facility, Center for Translational Research-Technical Core,
Cytometry platform, CB UTechS