Name: in situ mhc-tetramer staining and quantitative analysis to determine the location, abundance, and phenotype of antigen-specific cd8 t cells in tissues
Uploaded: 2017-09-22T15:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Situ MHC-tetramer Staining and Quantitative Analysis to Determine the Location, Abundance, and Phenotype of Antigen-specific CD8 T Cells in Tissues at JoVE

This work was supported by Public Health Service grants from the National Institutes of Health (T32 DA007097, R01AI096966, andUM1AI26617).

1. Day 1: Fresh Tissue Sectioning and Primary Incubation
<ol>
	<li>Use a scalpel to cut fresh tissue into small (approximately 0.5 cm wide by 0.5 cm tall) pieces. Separately glue each tissue to a plunger and embed them with 3 - 5 mL of 4% low-melt agarose in PBS. Label the plunger with the tissue information using a sticker. Put it in a chilled holder in an ice bucket to solidify.</li>
	<li>Turn on the microtome and set the thickness of the sections to 200 &#181;m. Install a razor blade on the microtome and insert the ...

<ol>
	<li>Altman, J. D., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Phenotypic+analysis+of+antigen-specific+T+lymphocytes.">Phenotypic analysis of antigen-specific T lymphocytes.</a> Science. 274 (5284), 94-96 (1996).</li><li>Novak, E. J., Liu, A. W., Nepom, G. T., Kwok, W. W. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=MHC+Class+II+tetramers+identify+peptide-specific+human+CD4(+)+T+cells+proliferating+in+response+to+influenza+A+antigen.">MHC Class II tetramers identify peptide-specific human CD4(+) T cells proliferating in response to influenza A antigen.</a> J Clin Invest. 104, R63-R67 (1999).</li><li>Steinert, E. M., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Quantifying+memory+CD8+T+cells+reveals+regionalization+of+immunosurveillance.">Quantifying memory CD8 T cells reveals regionalization of immunosurveillance.</a> Cell. 161 (4), 737-749 (2015).</li><li>Skinner, P. J., Daniels, M. A., Schmidt, C. S., Jameson, S. C., Haase, A. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Cutting+edge:+In+situ+tetramer+staining+of+antigen-specific+T+cells+in+tissues.">Cutting edge: In situ tetramer staining of antigen-specific T cells in tissues.</a> J Immunol. 165 (2), 613-617 (2000).</li><li>Haanen, J. B., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+detection+of+virus-+and+tumor-specific+T-cell+immunity.">In situ detection of virus- and tumor-specific T-cell immunity.</a> Nat Med. 6 (9), 1056-1060 (2000).</li><li>Skinner, P. J., Haase, A. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+tetramer+staining+using+MHC+class+I+tetramers.">In situ tetramer staining using MHC class I tetramers.</a> J Immunol Methods. 268 (1), 29-34 (2002).</li><li>Skinner, P. J., Haase, A. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+staining+using+MHC+class+I+tetramers.">In situ staining using MHC class I tetramers.</a> Curr Protoc Immunol. 17, 4.1-4.9 (2004).</li><li>Li, Y., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Use+of+HLA-DR*08032/E7+and+HLA-DR*0818/E7+tetramers+in+tracking+of+epitope-specific+CD4++T+cells+in+active+and+convalescent+tuberculosis+patients+compared+with+control+donors.">Use of HLA-DR*08032/E7 and HLA-DR*0818/E7 tetramers in tracking of epitope-specific CD4+ T cells in active and convalescent tuberculosis patients compared with control donors.</a> Immunobiology. 216, 947-960 (2011).</li><li>Bischof, F., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Analysis+of+autoreactive+CD4+T+cells+in+experimental+autoimmune+encephalomyelitis+after+primary+and+secondary+challenge+using+MHC+class+II+tetramers.">Analysis of autoreactive CD4 T cells in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis after primary and secondary challenge using MHC class II tetramers.</a> J Immunol. 172, 2878-2884 (2004).</li><li>Massilamany, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Direct+staining+with+major+histocompatibility+complex+class+II+dextramers+permits+detection+of+antigen-specific,+autoreactive+CD4+T+cells+in+situ.">Direct staining with major histocompatibility complex class II dextramers permits detection of antigen-specific, autoreactive CD4 T cells in situ.</a> PLoS ONE. 9, e87519 (2014).</li><li>Massilamany, C., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+detection+of+autoreactive+CD4+T+cells+in+brain+and+heart+using+major+histocompatibility+complex+class+II+dextramers.">In situ detection of autoreactive CD4 T cells in brain and heart using major histocompatibility complex class II dextramers.</a> J Vis Exp. (90), e51679 (2014).</li><li>Dileepan, T., Kim, H. O., Cleary, P. P., Skinner, P. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+Situ+Peptide-MHC-II+Tetramer+Staining+of+Antigen-Specific+CD4++T+Cells+in+Tissues.">In Situ Peptide-MHC-II Tetramer Staining of Antigen-Specific CD4+ T Cells in Tissues.</a> PLoS ONE. 10 (6), e0128862 (2015).</li><li>Tjernlund, A., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=In+situ+detection+of+Gag-specific+CD8++cells+in+the+GI+tract+of+SIV+infected+Rhesus+macaques.">In situ detection of Gag-specific CD8+ cells in the GI tract of SIV infected Rhesus macaques.</a> Retrovirology. 7, 7-12 (2010).</li><li>Connick, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=CTL+fail+to+accumulate+at+sites+of+HIV-1+replication+in+lymphoid+tissue.">CTL fail to accumulate at sites of HIV-1 replication in lymphoid tissue.</a> J Immunol. 178, 6975-6983 (2007).</li><li>Hong, J. J., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Localized+Populations+of+CD8low/&#8722;+MHC+Class+I+Tetramer++SIV-Specific+T+Cells+in+Lymphoid+Follicles+and+Genital+Epithelium.">Localized Populations of CD8low/&#8722; MHC Class I Tetramer+ SIV-Specific T Cells in Lymphoid Follicles and Genital Epithelium.</a> PLoS ONE. 4 (1), e4131 (2009).</li><li>Sasikala-Appukuttan, A. K., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Location+and+dynamics+of+the+immunodominant+CD8+T+cell+response+to+SIV&#916;nef+immunization+and+SIVmac251+vaginal+challenge.">Location and dynamics of the immunodominant CD8 T cell response to SIV&#916;nef immunization and SIVmac251 vaginal challenge.</a> PLoS ONE. 8 (12), e81623 (2013).</li><li>Connick, E., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Compartmentalization+of+simian+immunodeficiency+virus+replication+within+secondary+lymphoid+tissues+of+rhesus+macaques+is+linked+to+disease+stage+and+inversely+related+to+localization+of+virus-specific+CTL.">Compartmentalization of simian immunodeficiency virus replication within secondary lymphoid tissues of rhesus macaques is linked to disease stage and inversely related to localization of virus-specific CTL.</a> J Immunol. 193, 5613-5625 (2014).</li><li>Li, Q., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Visualizing+antigen-specific+and+infected+cells+in+situ+predicts+outcomes+in+early+viral+infection.">Visualizing antigen-specific and infected cells in situ predicts outcomes in early viral infection.</a> Science. 323, 1726-1729 (2009).</li><li>Li, Q., Skinner, P. J., Duan, L., Haase, A. T. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+technique+to+simultaneously+visualize+virus-specific+CD8++T+cells+and+virus-infected+cells+in+situ.">A technique to simultaneously visualize virus-specific CD8+ T cells and virus-infected cells in situ.</a> J Vis Exp. (30), e1561 (2009).</li><li>Li, S., et al. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Simian+immunodeficiency+virus-producing+cells+in+follicles+are+partially+suppressed+by+CD8++cells+in+vivo.">Simian immunodeficiency virus-producing cells in follicles are partially suppressed by CD8+ cells in vivo.</a> J Virol. 90, 11168-11180 (2016).</li><li>Daniels, M. A., Jameson, S. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Critical+role+for+CD8+in+T+cell+receptor+binding+and+activation+by+peptide/major+histocompatibility+complex+multimers.">Critical role for CD8 in T cell receptor binding and activation by peptide/major histocompatibility complex multimers.</a> J Exp Med. 191, 335-346 (2000).</li><li>Lee, Y. J., Wang, H., Starrett, G. J., Phuong, V., Jameson, S. C., Hogquist, K. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Tissue+specific+distribution+of+iNKT+cells+impacts+their+cytokine+response.">Tissue specific distribution of iNKT cells impacts their cytokine response.</a> Immunity. 43 (3), 566-578 (2015).</li><li>Abdelaal, H. M., Kim, H. O., Wagstaff, R., Sawahata, R., Southern, P. J., Skinner, P. 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IST combined with IHC provides an essential tool for detecting, characterizing, and quantifying antigen-specific CD8 T cells in native environments with the context of other cells and tissue structures. Here, we described detailed procedures for IST combined with IHC, followed by quantitative image analysis, to determine the location, abundance, and phenotype of antigen-specific CD8 T cells in lymph nodes from rhesus macaques. Similar staining can be applied to human, mouse, or other species tissues for which MHC-I tetra...

T cells are critical to many immunological processes, including detecting and eliminating virus-infected cells, preventing autoimmunity, assisting in B-cell and plasma-cell production of antibodies, and detecting and eliminating cancer cells. The development of peptide/MHC class I tetramer staining of antigen-specific CD8 T cells1 and the more recent development of MHC class II tetramer staining of CD4 T cells2 by flow cytometry revolutionized our ability to study and understand the immunobiology of T cells. While extremely useful for determining the quantity and phenotype of antigen-specific T cells, flow cytometry does not allow for the detection of the spatial localization of antigen-specific T cells to other cells and structures in tissues, and current disaggregation techniques to extract the T cells needed for flow cytometry have limited effectiveness in non-lymphoid tissues3.
We and others have developed methods using peptide-loaded MHC class I and class II tetramer or multimer reagents to stain antigen-specific CD8 and CD4 T cells in tissues4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13. These IST methods allow for the determination of the location, abundance, and phenotype of antigen-specific CD8 and CD4 T cells in tissues and provide a means to detect of these cells relative to other cells and structures in the tissues. Our group has extensively used MHC-I tetramer staining to study human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- and simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-specific CD8 T cells in lymphoid, genital, and rectal tissues to gain an understanding of HIV and SIV immunopathogenesis and to identify correlates of successful vaccination strategies14,15,16,17. In addition, we also developed a technique that combines IST with in situ hybridization (ISH) to localize and quantify virus-specific CD8 T cells and virus-infected cells in tissues and to determine the in vivo effector-to-target levels18,19.
Here, we describe a protocol using peptide-loaded MHC-I tetramers to stain antigen-specific CD8 T cells in fresh tissue sections, to counterstain tissues using IHC, and to quantify cells with specific phenotypes in specific tissue compartments. These procedures are the same as were used in our recent publication by Li et al., in which we determined the location, abundance, and phenotype of SIV-specific T cells in lymphoid tissue during chronic SIV infection in macaques20.
For this procedure, fresh tissues are sectioned and incubated overnight with peptide-loaded MHC-I tetramers conjugated to fluorescein thiocyanate molecules (FITC). They are then fixed in paraformaldehyde. After fixing the tissue, the signal from the MHC tetramers is amplified using rabbit anti-FITC antibodies and incubated with fluorescently tagged anti-rabbit IgG antibodies, which further amplify the signal from the bound tetramers. IHC is used in conjunction with IST to characterize antigen-specific T cells and surrounding cells. Antibodies that recognize epitopes on the surface of cells or in the extracellular space are included in the primary incubation with the tetramers. Antibodies that recognize intracellular epitopes require permeation of the cell wall prior to staining. The stained tissue sections are imaged using a confocal microscope and analyzed using confocal software. Labeled cells are quantified using confocal microscopy software or ImageJ. The described protocol can be used to stain essentially any antigen-specific CD8 T cell in any tissue for which MHC-I tetramers are available.

<table align="center" border="1" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:906px;" width="906">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>MHC-I monomer</td>
			<td>NIH tetramer core facility</td>
			<td></td>
			<td>Materials for MHC-tetramer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>ExtrAvidin-FITC</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>E2716</td>
			<td>Materials for MHC-tetramer preparation</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Normal goat serum</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>005-000-121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Low melt agarose</td>
			<td>Promega</td>
			<td>V3121</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Heparin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>SLBL6391V</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Triton X-100</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>T-6878</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Urea</td>
			<td>J.T.Baker</td>
			<td>4204-05</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Glycerol/gelatin</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>SLBH2672V</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>n-propyl gallate</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>P3130</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>rat-a-h-CD8 (1:500)</td>
			<td>Acris</td>
			<td>0714</td>
			<td>Antibody unstable, use single use frozen aliquot</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>m-a-h-CD20 (1:500)</td>
			<td>NOVOCASTRA</td>
			<td>6026819</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>m-a-h-Ki67 (1:500)</td>
			<td>Vector</td>
			<td>6022201</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>goat-a-m-A488 (1:2000)</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>124083</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>goat-a-rb-Cy3 (1:5000)</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>106232</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>goat-a-rat-Cy5 (1:5000)</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>118088</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>goat-a-h-IgM-Dylight649 (1:5000)</td>
			<td>Jackson Immunoresearch</td>
			<td>86579</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Compresstome: VF-300 Microtome</td>
			<td>Precisionary Instruments, LLC</td>
			<td>1079</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Quick Set Instant Adhesive</td>
			<td>Loctite</td>
			<td>46551</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>24-well flat bottomed tissue culture plates</td>
			<td>Falcon</td>
			<td>353226</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Microscope slide</td>
			<td>Globe scienfitic Inc.</td>
			<td>#1321</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Razor&#160; blade</td>
			<td>Ted Pella, Inc</td>
			<td>121-6</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Feather Disposable Scalpel</td>
			<td>FEATHER SAFETY RAZOR CO. LTD.</td>
			<td>No. 21</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Round paintbrush #2</td>
			<td>PRINCETON ART &#38; BRUSH CO.</td>
			<td>4350R</td>
			<td>Can trim as needed with razor</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Confocal Microscope</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td>FV1000</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>FV10-ASW_Viewer4.0</td>
			<td>Olympus</td>
			<td></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

in situ mhc-tetramer staining and quantitative analysis to determine the location, abundance, and phenotype of antigen-specific cd8 t cells in tissues

T cells are critical to many immunological processes, including detecting and eliminating virus-infected cells, preventing autoimmunity, assisting in B-cell and plasma-cell production of antibodies, and detecting and eliminating cancer cells. The development of MHC-tetramer staining of antigen-specific T cells analyzed by flow cytometry has revolutionized our ability to study and understand the immunobiology of T cells. While extremely useful for determining the quantity and phenotype of antigen-specific T cells, flow cytometry cannot determine the spatial localization of antigen-specific T cells to other cells and structures in tissues, and current disaggregation techniques to extract the T cells needed for flow cytometry have limited effectiveness in non-lymphoid tissues. In situ MHC-tetramer staining (IST) is a technique to visualize T cells that are specific for antigens of interest in tissues. In combination with immunohistochemistry (IHC), IST can determine the abundance, location, and phenotype of antigen-specific CD8 and CD4 T cells in tissues. Here, we describe a protocol to stain and enumerate antigen-specific CD8 T cells, with specific phenotypes located within specific tissue compartments. These procedures are the same that we used in our recent publication by Li et al., entitled &#34;Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-Producing Cells in Follicles Are Partially Suppressed by CD8+ Cells In Vivo.&#34; The methods described are broadly applicable because they can be used to localize, phenotype, and quantify essentially any antigen-specific CD8 T cell for which MHC tetramers are available, in any tissue.

Figure 1 shows how to collect confocal images using a confocal microscope. Figure 2 demonstrates quantitative image analysis using ImageJ. Figures 3 and 4 show representative images of lymph node tissues from an SIV infected rhesus macaque stained with MHC tetramers, CD8 antibodies, and CD20 antibodies, and serve to demonstrate the specificity of the MHC-tetramer staining. Fi...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about In Situ MHC-tetramer Staining and Quantitative Analysis to Determine the Location, Abundance, and Phenotype of Antigen-specific CD8 T Cells in Tissues at JoVE

In Situ MHC-tetramer Staining and Quantitative Analysis to Determine the Location, Abundance, and Phenotype of Antigen-specific CD8 T Cells in Tissues

Here, we describe a method that combines in situ MHC-tetramer staining with immunohistochemistry to determine localization, phenotype, and quantity of antigen-specific T cells in tissues. This protocol is used to determine the spatial and phenotypic characteristics of antigen-specific CD8 T cells relative to other cell type and structures in tissues.

In Situ MHC-tetramer Staining and Quantitative Analysis to Determine the Location, Abundance, and Phenotype of Antigen-specific CD8 T Cells in Tissues

T cells are critical to many immunological processes, including detecting and eliminating virus-infected cells, preventing autoimmunity, assisting in ...

The overall goal of this procedure is to determine the location, abundance and phenotype of antigen-specific CD8 positive T cells within tissues of interest. This method helps answer quick questions about CD8 T cells by providing a means to locate, quantify and phenotype virtually any antigen specific CD8 T cell and any tissue. The main advantage of this technique is that it allows determination of the spatial distribution of antigen specific CD8 positive T cells relative to other cells and structures within tissues of interest.Demonstrating the procedure with Shengbin Li will be Gwantwa Mwakalundwa. On the day one of the procedure, use a scalpel to cut the fresh tissue into approximately 0.5 x 0.5 centimeter pieces. Here, rhesus macaque spleen tissue is shown.Separately glue each tissue fragment into the middle of the top of a plunger and embed the samples in three to five milliliters of warm 4%low melting agarose in PBS. Label the plungers with the relevant tissue information. Then, place the samples in a chilled holder in an ice bucket.When the agar has solidified, turn on the microtome and set the thickness setting to 200 micrometers. After installing a new razor blade, insert the plungers into the microtome bath. Fill the microtome bath with 100 to 200 milliliters of freshly prepared PBS-H and add PBS-H ice cubes to maintain the temperature between zero to two degrees celsius.After obtaining 200 micrometer sections, use a paintbrush to remove the agar surrounding each section and transfer the samples into individual tissue chambers within individual wells of a 24 well tissue culture plate containing one milliliter of chilled PBS-H. When all of the samples have been acquired, incubate the tissue sections overnight in one milliliter of fit conjugated peptide loaded MHC class one tetramers, diluted in PBS-H supplemented with 2%normal goat serum at four degree celsius with rocking. The following morning, transfer each tissue chamber into individual wells of a new 24 well plate containing one milliliter of fresh chilled PBS-H for 20 minutes.After the second wash, fix the sections in one milliliter of fresh 4%paraformaldehyde for two hours at room temperature. Followed by two five minute washes in cold PBS-H. Transfer the sections into a new 24 well plate containing 0.01 molar urea and microwave the sections three times for about 10 seconds each time until the urea boils.To permeabilize and block the samples, incubate the sections in blocking solution containing PBS-H supplemented with a 0.3%triton x100 detergent and 2%normal goat serum on a rocker for one hour, at four degree celsius. At the end of the incubation, transfer the tissue chambers into individual wells of a new 24 well plate containing one milliliter of solution containing rabbit anti-fitc antibody, mouse antihuman CD antibody and rat antihuman CD3 antibody. Incubate the samples overnight at four degrees celsius with rocking.On day three, wash the sections three times in fresh PBS-H at four degree celsius for at least 20 minutes per wash and perform a final incubation with the appropriate fluorescence conjugated secondary antibodies for up to three days, protected from light. At the end of the tertiary antibody incubation, rinse the samples with three 20 minute washes in fresh PBS-H and use a paint brush to transfer the samples from each tissue chamber onto a glass microscope slide. Coat each section with mounting medium supplemented with a fluorophore preservative and cover the samples with a cover slip.Then, store the slides in a light protected slide container, at 20 degrees celsius. On the day of imaging, place the first slide onto the stage of a confocal microscope and select the appropriate lasers and filters for each fluorophore used to label the tissue sample. Using the 20x objective, sequentially obtain a z series at three micron intervals in each of the fluorophore channels, in multiple 800 x 800 pixel fields.Then, construct a montage of the collected fields and save each montage image with a name based on the corresponding tissue sample. In these representative images, a section stained with MHC class one tetramers loaded with an SIV peptide is compared to a section from the same tissue, stained with MHC class one tetramers loaded with an irrelevant peptide, demonstrating the specificity of the tetramer staining. In these images, the virus specific T cells stained with MHC class one tetramer loaded with SIV peptide, co-stains for CD8, a T cell subset marker but not CD20, a cell surface protein expressed on B cells.This montage was created for multiple confocal z series fields, that were used for the quantification of tetramer stained cells with specific phenotypes and different anatomical compartments on the lymph node. This magnified image highlights an area of the montage lymph node that contains a B cell follicle delineated by IGM staining. MHC class one tetramer stained cells, some of which co-expressed the T cell activation and proliferation marker, KI67 can be detected inside and outside of B cell follicle.This staining combination allows the determination of the activation and proliferation statuses of SIV specific CD8 positive T cells, as well as their localisation within secondary lymphoid tissues. Once mastered, this technique can be completed in approximately five days if it is performed properly. While attempting this procedure, it's important to remember that fresh tissue is critical for successful staining.Process the samples within 24 hours or less after harvesting, keeping them chilled until fixation. After watching this video, you should have a good understanding of how to perform a tetramer staining and immunohistochemistry to determine the location, abundance and phenotype of antigen specific CD8 positive T cells in tissues of interest. Don't forget that working with infectious agents can be extremely hazardous and that precautions to prevent exposure such as, wearing the appropriate personal protection equipment and limiting the use of sharps should always be taken while performing this procedure.

in-situ-mhc-tetramer-staining-quantitative-analysis-to-determine

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

Retroviral Transduction of T-cell Receptors in Mouse T-cells

T-cell receptors (TCRs) play a central role in the immune system. TCRs on T-cell surfaces can specifically recognize peptide antigens presented by antigen presenting cells (APCs)1. This recognition leads to the activation of T-cells and a series of functional outcomes (e.g. cytokine production, killing of the target cells). Understanding the functional role of TCRs is critical to harness the power of the immune system to treat a variety of immunology related diseases (e.g. cancer or autoimmunity).
It is convenient to study TCRs in mouse models, which can be accomplished in several ways. Making TCR transgenic mouse models is costly and time-consuming and currently there are only a limited number of them available2-4. Alternatively, mice with antigen-specific T-cells can be generated by bone marrow chimera. This method also takes several weeks and requires expertise5. Retroviral transduction of TCRs into in vitro activated mouse T-cells is a quick and relatively easy method to obtain T-cells of desired peptide-MHC specificity. Antigen-specific T-cells can be generated in one week and used in any downstream applications. Studying transduced T-cells also has direct application to human immunotherapy, as adoptive transfer of human T-cells transduced with antigen-specific TCRs is an emerging strategy for cancer treatment6.
Here we present a protocol to retrovirally transduce TCRs into in vitro activated mouse T-cells. Both human and mouse TCR genes can be used. Retroviruses carrying specific TCR genes are generated and used to infect mouse T-cells activated with anti-CD3 and anti-CD28 antibodies. After in vitro expansion, transduced T-cells are analyzed by flow cytometry.

We present a protocol to produce antigen-specific mouse T-cells using retroviral transduction

T-cell receptors (TCRs) play a central role in the immune system. TCRs on T-cell surfaces can specifically recognize peptide antigens presented by antigen ...

Killer Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells (KaAPC) for Efficient In Vitro Depletion of Human Antigen-specific T Cells

Current treatment of T cell mediated autoimmune diseases relies mostly on strategies of global immunosuppression, which, in the long term, is accompanied by adverse side effects such as a reduced ability to control infections or malignancies. Therefore, new approaches need to be developed that target only the disease mediating cells and leave the remaining immune system intact. Over the past decade a variety of cell based immunotherapy strategies to modulate T cell mediated immune responses have been developed. Most of these approaches rely on tolerance-inducing antigen presenting cells (APC). However, in addition to being technically difficult and cumbersome, such cell-based approaches are highly sensitive to cytotoxic T cell responses, which limits their therapeutic capacity. Here we present a protocol for the generation of non-cellular killer artificial antigen presenting cells (KaAPC), which allows for the depletion of pathologic T cells while leaving the remaining immune system untouched and functional. KaAPC is an alternative solution to cellular immunotherapy which has potential for treating autoimmune diseases and allograft rejections by regulating undesirable T cell responses in an antigen specific fashion.

Killer Artificial Antigen Presenting Cells KaAPC for Efficient In Vitro Depletion of Human Antigen-specific T Cells

Guidelines are presented for the generation of killer artificial antigen presenting cells, KaAPC, an efficient tool for in vitro depletion of human antigen-specific T cells and an alternative solution to cellular immunotherapy for the treatment of T cell-mediated autoimmune diseases in an antigen-specific fashion without compromising the remaining immune system.

Current treatment of T cell mediated autoimmune diseases relies mostly on strategies of global immunosuppression, which, in the long term, is accompanied ...

Whole-animal Imaging and Flow Cytometric Techniques for Analysis of Antigen-specific CD8+ T Cell Responses after Nanoparticle Vaccination

Traditional vaccine adjuvants, such as alum, elicit suboptimal CD8+ T cell responses. To address this major challenge in vaccine development, various nanoparticle systems have been engineered to mimic features of pathogens to improve antigen delivery to draining lymph nodes and increase antigen uptake by antigen-presenting cells, leading to new vaccine formulations optimized for induction of antigen-specific CD8+ T cell responses. In this article, we describe the synthesis of a &#8220;pathogen-mimicking&#8221; nanoparticle system, termed interbilayer-crosslinked multilamellar vesicles (ICMVs) that can serve as an effective vaccine carrier for co-delivery of subunit antigens and immunostimulatory agents and elicitation of potent cytotoxic CD8+ T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. We describe methods for characterizing hydrodynamic size and surface charge of vaccine nanoparticles with dynamic light scattering and zeta potential analyzer and present a confocal microscopy-based procedure to analyze nanoparticle-mediated antigen delivery to draining lymph nodes. Furthermore, we show a new bioluminescence whole-animal imaging technique utilizing adoptive transfer of luciferase-expressing, antigen-specific CD8+ T cells into recipient mice, followed by nanoparticle vaccination, which permits non-invasive interrogation of expansion and trafficking patterns of CTLs in real time. We also describe tetramer staining and flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood mononuclear cells for longitudinal quantification of endogenous T cell responses in mice vaccinated with nanoparticles.

We describe whole-animal imaging and flow cytometry-based techniques for monitoring expansion of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells in response to immunization with nanoparticles in a murine model of vaccination.

Traditional vaccine adjuvants, such as alum, elicit suboptimal CD8+ T cell responses. To address this major challenge in vaccine development, various ...

Neutrophil Isolation and Analysis to Determine their Role in Lymphoma Cell Sensitivity to Therapeutic Agents

Neutrophils are the most abundant (40% to 75%) type of white blood cells and among the first inflammatory cells to migrate towards the site of inflammation. They are key players in the innate immune system and play major roles in cancer biology. Neutrophils have been proposed as key mediators of malignant transformation, tumor progression, angiogenesis and in the modulation of the antitumor immunity; through their release of soluble factors or their interaction with tumor cells. To characterize the specific functions of neutrophils, a fast and reliable method is coveted for in vitro isolation of neutrophils from human blood. Here, a density gradient separation method is demonstrated to isolate neutrophils as well as mononuclear cells from the blood. The procedure consists of layering the density gradient solution such as Ficoll carefully above the diluted blood obtained from patients diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), followed by centrifugation, isolation of mononuclear layer, separation of neutrophils from RBCsby dextran then lysis of residual erythrocytes. This method has been shown to isolate neutrophils &#8805; 90 % pure. To mimic the tumor microenvironment, 3-dimensional (3D) experiments were performed using basement membrane matrix such as Matrigel. Given the short half-life of neutrophils in vitro, 3D experiments with fresh human neutrophils cannot be performed. For this reason promyelocytic HL60 cells are differentiated along the granulocytic pathway using the differentiation inducers dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) and retinoic acid (RA). The aim of our experiments is to study the role of neutrophils on the sensitivity of lymphoma cells to anti-lymphoma agents. However these methods can be generalized to study the interactions of neutrophils or neutrophil-like cells with a large range of cell types in different situations.

Neutrophils are the most abundant type of white blood cells. The isolation of neutrophils from human blood by density gradient separation method and the differentiation of human promyelocytic (HL60) cells along the granulocytic pathway are described here; to test their role on sensitivity of lymphoma cells to anti-lymphoma agents.

Neutrophils are the most abundant (40% to 75%) type of white blood cells and among the first inflammatory cells to migrate towards the site of ...

Development of Stem Cell-derived Antigen-specific Regulatory T Cells Against Autoimmunity

Autoimmune diseases arise due to the loss of immunological self-tolerance. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important mediators of immunologic self-tolerance. Tregs represent about 5 - 10% of the mature CD4+ T cell subpopulation in mice and humans, with about 1 - 2% of those Tregs circulating in the peripheral blood. Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) can be differentiated into functional Tregs, which have a potential to be used for cell-based therapies of autoimmune diseases. Here, we present a method to develop antigen (Ag)-specific Tregs from iPSCs (i.e., iPSC-Tregs). The method is based on incorporating the transcription factor FoxP3 and an Ag-specific T cell receptor (TCR) into iPSCs and then differentiating on OP9 stromal cells expressing Notch ligands delta-like (DL) 1 and DL4. Following in vitro differentiation, the iPSC-Tregs express CD4, CD8, CD3, CD25, FoxP3, and Ag-specific TCR and are able to respond to Ag stimulation. This method has been successfully applied to cell-based therapy of autoimmune arthritis in a murine model. Adoptive transfer of these Ag-specific iPSC-Tregs into Ag-induced arthritis (AIA)-bearing mice has the ability to reduce joint inflammation and swelling and to prevent bone loss.

We present here a method to develop functional antigen (Ag)-specific regulatory T cells (Tregs) from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) for immunotherapy of autoimmune arthritis in a murine model.

Autoimmune diseases arise due to the loss of immunological self-tolerance. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are important mediators of immunologic ...

Analysis of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-specific CD8+ T-cells in Rhesus Macaques by Peptide-MHC-I Tetramer Staining

Peptide-major histocompatibility complex class I (pMHC-I) tetramers have been an invaluable tool to study CD8+ T-cell responses. Because these reagents directly bind to T-cell receptors on the surface of CD8+ T-lymphocytes, fluorochrome-labeled pMHC-I tetramers enable the accurate detection of antigen (Ag)-specific CD8+ T-cells without the need for in vitro re-stimulation. Moreover, when combined with multi-color flow cytometry, pMHC-I tetramer staining can reveal key aspects of Ag-specific CD8+ T-cells, including differentiation stage, memory phenotype, and activation status. These types of analyses have been especially useful in the field of HIV immunology where CD8+ T-cells can affect progression to AIDS. Experimental infection of rhesus macaques with simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) provides an invaluable tool to study cellular immunity against the AIDS virus. As a result, considerable progress has been made in defining and characterizing T-cell responses in this animal model. Here we present an optimized protocol for enumerating SIV-specific CD8+ T-cells in rhesus macaques by pMHC-I tetramer staining. Our assay permits the simultaneous quantification and memory phenotyping of two pMHC-I tetramer+ CD8+ T-cell populations per test, which might be useful for tracking SIV-specific CD8+ T-cell responses generated by vaccination or SIV infection. Considering the relevance of nonhuman primates in biomedical research, this methodology is applicable for studying CD8+ T-cell responses in multiple disease settings.

Analysis of Simian Immunodeficiency Virus-specific CD8+ T-cells in Rhesus Macaques by Peptide-MHC-I Tetramer Staining

Here, we present an optimized protocol for enumerating and characterizing rhesus macaque CD8+ T cells against the AIDS virus. This article is useful not only to the field of HIV immunology, but also to other areas of biomedical research where CD8+ T cell responses are known to affect disease outcome.

Peptide-major histocompatibility complex class I (pMHC-I) tetramers have been an invaluable tool to study CD8+ T-cell responses. Because these reagents ...

Detection and Enrichment of Rare Antigen-specific B Cells for Analysis of Phenotype and Function

B cells reactive with a specific antigen usually occur at a frequency of &lt;0.05% of lymphocytes. For decades researchers have sought methods to isolate and enrich these rare cells for studies of their phenotype and biology. Approaches are inevitably based on the principle that B cells recognize native antigen by virtue of cell surface receptors that are representative in specificity of antibodies that will eventually be secreted by their differentiated daughters. Perhaps the most obvious approach to the problem involves use of fluorochrome-conjugated antigens in conjunction with fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS). However, the utility of these methods is limited by cell frequency and the achievable rate of analysis and isolation by electronic sorting. A novel method to enrich rare antigen-specific B cells using magnetic nanoparticles that results in high yield enrichment of antigen-reactive B cells from large starting cell populations is described. This method enables improved monitoring of the phenotype and biology of antigen reactive cells before and following in vivo antigen encounter, such as after immunization or during development of autoimmunity.

A simple yet effective method that employs magnetic nanoparticles to detect and enrich antigen-reactive B cells for functional and phenotypic analysis is described.

B cells reactive with a specific antigen usually occur at a frequency of &lt;0.05% of lymphocytes. For decades researchers have sought methods to isolate ...

Metabolic Mapping: Quantitative Enzyme Cytochemistry and Histochemistry to Determine the Activity of Dehydrogenases in Cells and Tissues

Altered cellular metabolism is a hallmark of many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and infection. The metabolic motor units of cells are enzymes and their activity is heavily regulated at many levels, including the transcriptional, mRNA stability, translational, post-translational and functional level. This complex regulation means that conventional quantitative or imaging assays, such as quantitative mRNA experiments, Western Blots and immunohistochemistry, yield incomplete information regarding the ultimate activity of enzymes, their function and/or their subcellular localization. Quantitative enzyme cytochemistry and histochemistry (i.e., metabolic mapping) show in-depth information on in situ enzymatic activity and its kinetics, function and subcellular localization in an almost true-to-nature situation.
We describe a protocol to detect the activity of dehydrogenases, which are enzymes that perform redox reactions to reduce cofactors such as NAD(P)+ and FAD. Cells and tissue sections are incubated in a medium that is specific for the enzymatic activity of one dehydrogenase. Subsequently, the dehydrogenase that is the subject of investigation performs its enzymatic activity in its subcellular site. In a chemical reaction with the reaction medium, this ultimately generates blue-colored formazan at the site of the dehydrogenase&#39;s activity. The formazan&#39;s absorbance is therefore a direct measure of the dehydrogenase&#39;s activity and can be quantified using monochromatic light microscopy and image analysis. The quantitative aspect of this protocol enables researchers to draw statistical conclusions from these assays.
Besides observational studies, this technique can be used for inhibition studies of specific enzymes. In this context, studies benefit from the true-to-nature advantages of metabolic mapping, giving in situ results that may be physiologically more relevant than in vitro enzyme inhibition studies. In all, metabolic mapping is an indispensable technique to study metabolism at the cellular or tissue level. The technique is easy to adopt, provides in-depth, comprehensive and integrated metabolic information and enables rapid quantitative analysis.

Here, we present a protocol that can be used to microscopically visualize and quantify activity of dehydrogenases in cells and tissues and its kinetics, function and subcellular localization.

Altered cellular metabolism is a hallmark of many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases and infection. The metabolic motor units of cells ...

High-Efficiency Generation of Antigen-Specific Primary Mouse Cytotoxic T Cells for Functional Testing in an Autoimmune Diabetes Model

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is characterized by islet-specific autoimmunity leading to beta cell destruction and absolute loss of insulin production. In the spontaneous non-obese diabetes (NOD) mouse model, insulin is the primary target, and genetic manipulation of these animals to remove a single key insulin epitope prevents disease. Thus, selective elimination of professional antigen presenting cells (APCs) bearing this pathogenic epitope is an approach to inhibit the unwanted insulin-specific autoimmune responses, and likely has greater translational potential.
Chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) can redirect T cells to selectively target disease-causing antigens. This technique is fundamental to recent attempts to use cellular engineering for adoptive cell therapy to treat multiple cancers. In this protocol, we describe an optimized T-cell retrovirus (RV) transduction and in vitro expansion protocol that generates high numbers of functional antigen-specific CD8 CAR-T cells starting from a low number of naive cells. Previously multiple CAR-T cell protocols have been described, but typically with relatively low transduction efficiency and cell viability following transduction. In contrast, our protocol provides up to 90% transduction efficiency, and the cells generated can survive more than two weeks in vivo and significantly delay disease onset following a single infusion. We provide a detailed description of the cell maintenance and transduction protocol, so that the critical steps can be easily followed. The whole procedure from primary cell isolation to CAR expression can be performed within 14 days. The general method may be applied to any mouse disease model in which the target is known. Similarly, the specific application (targeting a pathogenic peptide/MHC class II complex) is applicable to any other autoimmune disease model for which a key complex has been identified.

This article describes a protocol for the generation of antigen-specific CD8 T cells, and their expansion in vitro, with the aim of yielding high numbers of functional T cells for use in vitro and in vivo.

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) is characterized by islet-specific autoimmunity leading to beta cell destruction and absolute loss of insulin production. In the ...

Isolating Central Nervous System Tissues and Associated Meninges for the Downstream Analysis of Immune cells

The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain and spinal cord and is enveloped by the meninges, membranous layers serving as a barrier between the periphery and the CNS. The CNS is an immunologically specialized site, and in steady state conditions, immune privilege is most evident in the CNS parenchyma. In contrast, the meninges harbor a diverse array of resident cells, including innate and adaptive immune cells. During inflammatory conditions triggered by CNS injury, autoimmunity, infection, or even neurodegeneration, peripherally derived immune cells may enter the parenchyma and take up residence within the meninges. These cells are thought to perform both beneficial and detrimental actions during CNS disease pathogenesis. Despite this knowledge, the meninges are often overlooked when analyzing the CNS compartment, because conventional CNS tissue extraction methods omit the meningeal layers. This protocol presents two distinct methods for the rapid isolation of murine CNS tissues (i.e., brain, spinal cord, and meninges) that are suitable for downstream analysis via single-cell techniques, immunohistochemistry, and in situ hybridization methods. The described methods provide a comprehensive analysis of CNS tissues, ideal for assessing the phenotype, function, and localization of cells occupying the CNS compartment under homeostatic conditions and during disease pathogenesis.

This paper presents two optimized protocols for examining resident and peripherally derived immune cells within the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and meninges. Each of these protocols helps to ascertain the function and composition of the cells occupying these compartments under steady state and inflammatory conditions.

The central nervous system (CNS) is comprised of the brain and spinal cord and is enveloped by the meninges, membranous layers serving as a barrier ...