We thank Dr. Simon Bartlett for English editing. This study was supported by grants from Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (PI14/00526; PI17/01395; CP11/00145; CPII16/00022), the Miguel Servet Program and Fundaci&#243;n Ram&#243;n Areces; with co-funding from the Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER). The CNIC is supported by the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (MEIC), and the Pro CNIC Foundation and is a Severo Ochoa Center of Excellence (SEV-2015-0505). RTF is founded by Fundaci&#243;n Ram&#243;n Areces and CNIC, VZG by ISCIII, BHF by Instituto de Investigaci&#243;n Sanitaria Hospital 12 de Octubre (imas12) and JMG-G by the ISCIII Miguel Servet Program and imas12.

Experimental procedures were approved by the Fundaci&#243;n Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC) and the Comunidad Aut&#243;noma de Madrid in accordance with Spanish and European guidelines. Mice were bred in specific pathogen free (SPF) conditions and were euthanized by carbon dioxide (CO2) inhalation.
1. Isolation of Mouse Bone Marrow Cells from Tibias and Femurs
NOTE: The C57BL/6 congenic mouse strain carries the differen...

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This protocol allows for the characterization of the capacity of BM-derived DCs to modulate the activation, proliferation, and differentiation of na&#239;ve CD4 T cells. Moreover, it can also be used to assess the susceptibility of CD4 T cells to modulation by BM-derived DCs. With this protocol, changes in these events can be measured in vivo.
Depending on the hypothesis under investigation, several combinations of T cells and DCs can be used. For example, one can analyze the conseque...

CD4 T cells and antigen presenting cells (APCs) such as DCs are required mediators of immunity to microbial pathogens1,2. In peripheral lymphoid organs, CD4 T cells are activated upon recognition of specific antigens presented by APCs3,4,5. Activated CD4 T cells proliferate and differentiate into distinct specific effector Th cells that are necessary for the development of a correct adaptive immune response6,7. Control of these processes is critical for producing an adequate adaptive defense that kills the pathogen without producing harmful tissue damage8. Th cells are defined according to the expression or production of surface molecules, transcription factors, and effector cytokines and perform essential and precise functions in response to pathogens1. Cells of the Th1 cell subset express the transcription factor T-bet and the cytokine interferon &#947; (IFN&#947;) and participate in host defense against intracellular pathogens1. Quantification of na&#239;ve CD4 T cell activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation is a useful means of assessing the role T cells play in an immune response.
This protocol enables in vivo analysis of the capacity of in vitro-generated BM-derived DCs to modulate the activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation of na&#239;ve CD4 T cells. The protocol also serves to assess the capacity of na&#239;ve CD4 T cells to be activated, induced to proliferate, and Th1 differentiated (Figure 1). This versatile protocol circumvents the inability to specifically manipulate or select the studied cell population in purely in vivo protocols. The effects of diverse molecules and treatments on DCs can be studied by using BM from genetically modified mice5 or by treating or genetically manipulating isolated BM cells9. Similarly, T cell responses can be explored by obtaining T cells for adoptive transfer from different sources or after several manipulations3,8,10.
The main advantages of this protocol are twofold. T cell activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation are analyzed with a flow cytometry approach; and this is combined with in vivo studies, thus averting alterations that may occur in vitro and including cell types and other factors only found in intact organs11.
The use of vital dyes is a widely used technique to track cell proliferation while avoiding the use of radioactivity. The measurement of proliferation with these reagents is based on dye dilution after cell division. Moreover, these dyes can be detected at multiple wavelengths and are easily analyzed by flow cytometry in combination with multiple fluorescent antibodies or markers. We highlight the utility of this protocol by showing how T cell activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation can be analyzed by flow cytometry.

<table>
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Ethanol</td>
			<td>VWR Chemicals</td>
			<td>20,824,365</td>
			<td>5 L</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scissors</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools (F.S.T.)</td>
			<td>14001-12</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools (F.S.T.)</td>
			<td>11000-13</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fine Forceps</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools (F.S.T.)</td>
			<td>11253-20</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Scalpel</td>
			<td>Fine Science Tools (F.S.T.)</td>
			<td>10020-00</td>
			<td>Box of 100 blades</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal Bovine Serum</td>
			<td>SIGMA</td>
			<td>F7524</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin/streptomycin</td>
			<td>LONZA</td>
			<td>DE17-602E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium (RPMI)</td>
			<td>GIBCO</td>
			<td>21875-034</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sterile Petri dishes</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>353003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>25-gauge needle</td>
			<td>BD Microlance 3</td>
			<td>300600</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>1 ml syringe</td>
			<td>Novico</td>
			<td>N15663</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>15 ml conical tubes</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>352096</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>50 ml conical tubes</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>352098</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>70 &#956;m nylon web filter</td>
			<td>BD Falcon</td>
			<td>352350</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Red blood lysis buffer</td>
			<td>SIGMA</td>
			<td>R7757</td>
			<td>100 Ml</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>EDTA</td>
			<td>SIGMA</td>
			<td>ED2SS-250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Bovine Serum Albumin</td>
			<td>SIGMA</td>
			<td>A7906</td>
			<td>100 g</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypan blue</td>
			<td>SIGMA</td>
			<td>302643-25G</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Culture-plates</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>353003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>4-(2-hydroxyethyl)-1-piperazineethanesulfonic acid (HEPES)</td>
			<td>Cambrex</td>
			<td>BE17-737E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Beta-mercaptoethanol</td>
			<td>Merck</td>
			<td>8-05740-0250</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium pyruvate</td>
			<td>LONZA</td>
			<td>BE13-115E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>L-glutamine</td>
			<td>LONZA</td>
			<td>BE17-605E</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Recombinant murine Granulocyte Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF)</td>
			<td>Prepotech</td>
			<td>315-03</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>lipopolysaccharide (LPS)</td>
			<td>SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td>L2018</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>96-well-plate</td>
			<td>Costar</td>
			<td>3799</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>v450 anti-mouse CD11b antibody</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>560455</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PE anti-mouse CD64 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>139303</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PE anti-mouse CD115 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>135505</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FITC anti-mouse CD11c antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>117305</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FITC anti-mouse MHCII antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>125507</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>APC anti-mouse CD86 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>105011</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>APC anti-mouse CD80 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>104713</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Flow Cytometry tubes</td>
			<td>Zelian</td>
			<td>300800-1</td>
			<td>PS 12X75 5mL</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>OTII Ovoalbumine peptide</td>
			<td>InvivoGen</td>
			<td>323-339</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated CD8&#945; antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>30-0081-U500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated IgM antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>406503</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated B220 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>30-0452-U500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated CD19 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>30-0193-U500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated MHCII (I-Ab) antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>115302</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated CD11b antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>30-0112-U500</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated CD11c antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>117303</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated CD44 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>103003</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated CD25 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>30-0251-U100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>anti-mouse biotinylated DX5 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>108903</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>streptavidin-coated magnetic microbeads</td>
			<td>MACS Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-048-101</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Magnetic cell separator</td>
			<td>MACS Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-090-976</td>
			<td>QuadroMACS Separator</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Separation columns</td>
			<td>MACS Miltenyi Biotec</td>
			<td>130-042-401</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PE anti-mouse CD4 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>100408</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>APC anti-mouse CD3 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>100235</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FITC anti-mouse CD8 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>35-0081-U025</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Cell Violet Tracer</td>
			<td>Thermofisher</td>
			<td>C34557</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>APC anti-mouse CD25 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>20-0251-U100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Alexa647 anti-mouse CD69 antibody</td>
			<td>BioLegend</td>
			<td>104518</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PerCPCY5.5 anti-mouse CD45.1 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>65-0453</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>APC anti-mouse CD45.1 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>20-0453</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>PECY7 anti-mouse CD45.1 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>60-0453</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FITC anti-mouse CD45.2 antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>35-0454</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Ionomycin</td>
			<td>SIGMA-ALDRICH</td>
			<td>I0634</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phorbol 12 Myristate 13 Acetate (PMA)</td>
			<td>SIGMA</td>
			<td>P8139</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Brefeldin A (BD GolgiPlug)</td>
			<td>BD</td>
			<td>555029</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Paraformaldehyde</td>
			<td>Millipore</td>
			<td>8-18715-02100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Intracellular permeabilization buffer</td>
			<td>eBioscience</td>
			<td>00-8333</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>APC anti-mouse IFNg antibody</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>20-7311-U100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fc-block (anti-mouse CD16/CD32)</td>
			<td>Tonbo Biosciences</td>
			<td>70-0161-U100</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>B6.SJL CD45.1 mice</td>
			<td>The Jackson Laboratory</td>
			<td>002014</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>BD LSRFortessa&#8482; Cell Analyzer</td>
			<td>BD Biosciences</td>
			<td>649225</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAPI Solution</td>
			<td>Thermofisher</td>
			<td>62248</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

an in vivo mouse model to measure na&#239;ve cd4 t cell activation, proliferation and th1 differentiation induced by bone marrow-derived dendritic cells

Quantification of na&#239;ve CD4 T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation to T helper 1 (Th1) cells is a useful way to assess the role played by T cells in an immune response. This protocol describes the in vitro differentiation of bone marrow (BM) progenitors to obtain granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) derived-dendritic cells (DCs). The protocol also describes the adoptive transfer of ovalbumin peptide (OVAp)-loaded GM-CSF-derived DCs and na&#239;ve CD4 T cells from OTII transgenic mice in order to analyze the in vivo activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation of the transferred CD4 T cells. This protocol circumvents the limitation of purely in vivo methods imposed by the inability to specifically manipulate or select the studied cell population. Moreover, this protocol allows studies in an in vivo environment, thus avoiding alterations to functional factors that may occur in vitro and including the influence of cell types and other factors only found in intact organs. The protocol is a useful tool for generating changes in DCs and T cells that modify adaptive immune responses, potentially providing important results to understand the origin or development of numerous immune associated diseases.

Figure 1 illustrates the steps described in this protocol. Figure 2 illustrates the isolation and culture of mouse BM cells. The addition of GM-CSF and LPS to these cultures allows the in vitro generation and maturation of DCs. Figure 3 illustrates the flow cytometry analysis of the differentiation and maturation of the obtained DCs. OVAp-loaded GM-CSF BM-derived DCs and isolated vital cell ...

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An &lt;em&gt;In Vivo&lt;/em&gt; Mouse Model to Measure Na&amp;#239;ve CD4 T Cell Activation, Proliferation and Th1 Differentiation Induced by Bone Marrow-derived Dendritic Cells

Here, we present a protocol for the in vivo determination of na&#239;ve CD4 T cell (T cell) activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation induced by GM-CSF bone marrow (BM)-derived dendritic cells (DCs). In addition, this protocol describes BM and T-cell isolation, DC generation, and DC and T-cell adoptive transfer.

An In Vivo Mouse Model to Measure Na&#239;ve CD4 T Cell Activation, Proliferation and Th1 Differentiation Induced by Bone Marrow-derived Dendritic Cells

Quantification of na&#239;ve CD4 T cell activation, proliferation, and differentiation to T helper 1 (Th1) cells is a useful way to assess the role played ...

This method can help answer key questions in the immunology field about T-cell activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation, as well antigen presenting cell stimulation of adaptive immunity. The main advantage of this technique is that it allows the study of an in vivo environment while simultaneously allowing cell manipulation in vitro. Visual demonstration of this method is critical as the organ and bone isolation and adoptive transfer steps are difficult to master through text instructions alone.For bone marrow cell isolation, disinfect the hind limbs of an adult mouse with 70%ethanol and use scissors to make a lateral skin incision across the hind limbs. Insert scissors at the medial aspect of the legs, and cut the skin with the scissors until the beginning of the hind limbs. Then use forceps to separate the skin from the legs.Using scissors, separate the muscle from the femur and tibia, and use scissors to disarticulate the hip joint, breaking the femur head. Then separate the femure from the tibia without breaking the bone ends, and place the bones in a petri dish of complete medium on ice. When all of the bones have been harvested, carefully cut off the proximal and distal ends of each bone with a scalpel, and use a 1 millileter syringe equipped with a 25-guage needle to flush the bones repeatedly with a total volume of 10 millileters of warm complete RPMI medium.When all of the bones have been flushed, transfer the entire contents of the dish to a 50-millileter conical tube fitted with a 70-micrometer pore nylon web filter, and carefully dislodge any debris and cell conglomerates with gentle stirring and pipetting. Collect the bone marrow cells by centrifugation. Resuspend the pellet in one millileter of four-degree Celsius red blood cell lysis buffer with pipetting, and incubate the mix on ice for five minutes.At the end of the incubation, stop the lysis with 10 millileter of PVS, and resuspend the pellet in 25 millileters of complete medium for a second centrifugation. Then resuspend the cells in 5 millileters of fresh complete medium for counting, and centrifuge the cells again. For secondary lymphoid tissue cell isolation, collect the inguinal, axillary, brachial, cervical, and mesentaric lymph nodes, and spleen from OT-II transgenic mice, and transfer the secondary lymphoid tissues into a plastic petri dish containing 10 millileters of complete RPMI medium.When all of the tissues have been harvested, transfer the lymph nodes and spleen to a 70-micrometer cell strainer in a 50-millileter conical tube, and use a syringe plunger to homogenize the tissues. Flush the strainer with up to 15 millileters of medium, and spin down the cells by centrifugation. Then isolate the CD4-positive T cells by magnetic bead sorting, according to standard protocols.For in vivo activation of the naive OT-II CD4-positive T-cells, label the magnetic bead-isolated T-cells with vital cell tracer dye, according to standard protocols, and resuspend the labeled cells at a 10 to the sixth cells per 100 microliters of PBS concentration. Then adoptively transfer 100 microliters of cells per animal via the tail vein. Pre-warm the mice before the injection in order to ensure that the tail veins are enough dilated to allow delivery of entire cell volume.After 24 hours, deliver 10 to the fifth LPS-matured OVA peptide-loaded dendritic cells by subcutaneous injection into the foot pad of each T-cell injected animal. Two and five days after the adoptive challenge, harvest the poplitial lymph nodes from the recipient animals for tissue processing and T-cell isolation, as demonstrated. To analyze T-cell activation, stain day two-isolated cells with fluorescent antibodies against CD4, CD69, and CD25 to determine the percentage of CD64-positive, CD25-positive T-cells within the recipient CD4-positive population by flow cytometry.To assess T-cell proliferation, stain day five-isolated cells with the appropriate fluorescent antibodies against CD4, and analyze the decay of the vital cell tracer dye signal in the donor CD4-positive T-cell population by flow cytometry. To evaluate Th1 differentiation, plate four times 10 to the fifth day five-isolated T-cells per well in 200 microliters of complete medium, supplemented with ionomycin and PMA per well, in a 96-well plate. Then place the plate in a 37 degree Celsius cell culture incubator for six hours, adding Brefeldin A to each well to block cytokine secretion during the last four hours of the stimulation.At the end of the incubation, centrifuge the plate, and discard the supernatant by rapid inversion. Stain the cells with anti-CD4 antibody, followed by fixation in 100 microliters of 2%paraformaldehyde and 1%sucrose for 20 minutes at room temperature. Permeabilize the cells with 50 microliters of permeabilization buffer for 30 minutes at 4 degrees Celsius, followed by a centrifugation wash with 150 microliters of PBS per well.Next, stain for the intracellular cytokines of interest, according to standard protocols for 30 minutes at room temperature, followed by two centrifugation washes with 150 microliters of PBS supplemented with 1%saponin per well. Then, analyze the cells by flow cytometry. Flow cytometric analysis of GM-CSF bone marrow-derived dendritic cells after LPS stimulation, reveals an upregulation of maturation markers, such as MHCII, CD80, and CD86.Naive CD4 positive OT-II T-cells become activated after adoptive transfer to recipient animals by their upregulation of T-cell activation markers surface expression, and multiple rounds of cell division. Upon activation, the proliferating CD-positive OT-II T-cells demonstrate a Th1 phenotype, as demonstrated by their intracellular interferon gamma expression. Once mastered, this technique can be completed in eight hours if it's performed properly.While attempting this procedure, it's important to remember to prepare all the reagents and materials the day before the experiment. After its development, this technique paved the way for researchers in immunology to study dendritic cells and T-cells in mice. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to isolate bone marrow from the femurs and tibia of mice, and how to transfer T-cells and dendritic cells to recipient animals.Don't forget that working with sharp instruments such needles, scalpels, or scissors, can be extremely hazardous, so precautions such as using the appropriate finger protection should always be taken while performing these procedures.

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19.1K Aufrufe.  Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Cardiovasculares Carlos III (CNIC). This method can help answer key questions in the immunology field about T-cell activation, proliferation, and Th1 differentiation, as well antigen presenting cell stimulation of adaptive immunity. The main advantage of this technique is that it allows the study of an in vivo environment while simultaneously allowing cell manipulation in vitro. Visual demonstration of this method is critical as the organ and bone isolation and adoptive transfer steps are difficult to master through text instru...

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