E.L-D. acknowledges support from the NIH (T32-AI007413 and T32-AG000114). SAS acknowledges support from the JDRF (COE-2019-861), the NIH (R01 DK135268, R01 DK108921, R01 DK135032, R01 DK136547, U01 DK127747), the Department of Veterans Affairs (I01 BX004444), the Brehm family, and the Anthony family.

The animal studies presented in this protocol were reviewed and approved by the University of Michigan Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee. Twenty-week-old male C57BL/6J mice, on either a 15-week regular fat diet (RFD) or high-fat diet (HFD), were used for this study.
1. Assessing mitophagy&#160;via the dye-based MtPhagy approach (Method 1)
<ol>
	<li>Mouse islet preparation and treatment
	<ol>
		<li>Perform islet culture and valinomycin exposure following the steps below.
		<ol>
			<li>Isolate islets from either regular fat diet (RFD) or high-fat diet (HFD, 60 kcal% Fat19) mice, following the previously described methods2,10.</li>
			<li>Culture islet samples overnight at 37 &#176;C in RPMI medium supplemented with 100 units/mL antimycotic-antibiotic, 50 units/mL penicillin-streptomycin, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 10 mM HEPES and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) (see Table of Materials). This medium will be referred to as &#34;islet medium&#34;.</li>
			<li>Using a pipette, pick 100 islets per condition into 6 cm Petri dishes in 2 mL of islet medium. 
			NOTE: Conditions used for this protocol: (1) Unstained control: unstained RFD islets; (2) DAPI only control: RFD islets stained with DAPI; (3) Fluozin-3-AM only control: RFD islets stained with Fluozin-3-AM; (4) MtPhagy only control: RFD islets stained with MtPhagy; (5) TMRE only control: RFD islets stained with TMRE; (6) RFD untreated: RFD islets stained with MtPhagy, TMRE, Fluozin-3-AM, and DAPI; (7) Valinomycin-exposed RFD islets: RFD islets exposed to valinomycin and stained with MtPhagy, TMRE, Fluozin-3-AM, and DAPI; (8) HFD untreated: HFD islets stained with MtPhagy, TMRE, Fluozin-3-AM, and DAPI; (9) Valinomycin-exposed HFD islets: HFD islets exposed to valinomycin and stained with MtPhagy, TMRE, Fluozin-3-AM, and DAPI.</li>
			<li>For conditions (7) and (9) (see NOTE above) exposed to valinomycin, add 2 &#181;L of 250 n&#924; valinomycin stock (see Table of Materials) to islets in the Petri dish for 3 h to induce mitophagy.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Perform single cell dissociation.
		<ol>
			<li>After 3 h valinomycin exposure, pick 100 islets from each condition into separate microcentrifuge tubes using a pipette.</li>
			<li>Spin islets at 350 x g for 1 min at 10 &#176;C and discard the supernatant using a pipette.</li>
			<li>Wash samples 2x with 1 mL 1x phosphate buffered saline (PBS), with spin steps (350 x g/1 min, 10 &#176;C) between each wash. Discard supernatant with a pipette after each wash.</li>
			<li>To dissociate islets into single cells, add 500 &#181;L of 0.05% trypsin (pre-warmed to 37 &#176;C) to the microcentrifuge tube of one sample to prevent over-digestion of islets. Pipette up and down repeatedly until islets are visibly dispersed.</li>
			<li>Immediately add 1 mL of pre-warmed islet medium to neutralize trypsin. Repeat trypsinization and neutralization for each sample, one at a time.</li>
			<li>Spin samples at 500 x g for 5 min at 10 &#176;C. Remove supernatant with a pipette, careful not to disturb the pellet. 
			NOTE: Pellet will be delicate for samples exposed to valinomycin.</li>
			<li>Wash samples 2x with RPMI medium, no phenol red, supplemented with 100 units/mL antimycotic-antibiotic, 50 units/mL penicillin-streptomycin, 1 mM sodium pyruvate, 10 mM HEPES, and 10% bovine serum albumin (BSA). This medium will be referred to as &#34;islet flow medium&#34;. Include spin steps (350 x g/1 min, 10 &#176;C) between each wash. Discard supernatant with a pipette after each wash.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Stain cells with MtPhagy, TMRE, Fluozin-3-AM, and DAPI to prepare for flow cytometry.
		<ol>
			<li>Resuspend islet samples in 500 &#181;L of islet flow medium.</li>
			<li>Add 0.25 &#181;L of 100 &#181;M MtPhagy stock (see Table of Materials) to tubes receiving MtPhagy dye (conditions 4, 6, 7, 8, and 9, NOTE to step 1.1.1).</li>
			<li>Add 0.25 &#181;L of 100 &#181;M TMRE stock (see Table of Materials) to tubes receiving TMRE dye (conditions 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9).</li>
			<li>Add 0.25 &#181;L of 1 mM Fluozin-3-AM stock (see Table of Materials) to tubes receiving Fluozin-3-AM dye (conditions 3, 6, 7, 8, and 9).</li>
			<li>Vortex tubes at low speed for 5 s to mix.</li>
			<li>Wrap microcentrifuge tubes in aluminum foil to protect from light and incubate at 37 &#176;C for 30 min. Halfway through incubation, vortex tubes at low speed for 5-10 s to mix.</li>
			<li>After incubation, centrifuge samples at 350 x g for 1 min at 10 &#176;C. Discard supernatant using a pipette.</li>
			<li>Resuspend samples in 500 &#181;L islet flow medium. Add 0.2 &#181;g/mL DAPI (see&#160;Table of Materials) to conditions 2, 6, 7, 8, and 9.</li>
			<li>Spin samples at 350 x g for 1 min at 10 &#176;C. Discard supernatant using a pipette and resuspend in 500 &#181;L of islet flow medium.</li>
			<li>Place samples on ice.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Flow cytometry
	<ol>
		<li>Startup the instrument (see Table of Materials). 
		NOTE: Any flow cytometer with the appropriate filters will work. The following filters were used in this study: (1) VL1 for DAPI: Excitation/Emission - 405 nm/440 nm (50 nm); (2) BL1 for Fluozin-3-AM: Excitation/Emission - 488 nm/530 nm (30 nm); (3) BL2 for MtPhagy dye: Excitation/Emission - 488 nm/590 nm (40 nm); (4) YL1 for TMRE: Excitation/Emission - 561 nm/585 nm (16 nm).</li>
		<li>Adjust the voltages for forward (FSC) and side scatter (SSC) to ensure cell populations are at the center of the scatter plot. For this protocol, voltages used were 120 V for FSC and 260 V for SSC to ensure cells fall evenly within the FSC-A vs. SSC-A plot (Figure 1A).</li>
		<li>To exclude non-single cells, add a rectangular gate on FSC-H vs. FSC-W followed by SSC-H vs. SSC-W (Figure 1B,C).</li>
		<li>Adjust voltages and compensation for DAPI to filter for live &#946;-cells. Set fluorescence gates for each fluorophore used based on the unstained RFD sample (Figures 1D-F). 
		NOTE: Voltages used for each channel: (1) VL1: 320-360 V; (2) BL1: 300-340 V; (3) BL2: 260-300 V; (4) YL1: 300-340 V.</li>
		<li>Once gates are established, collect 10,000 events per sample. 
		NOTE: Utilizing this gating approach, mitophagy levels under basal conditions and upon valinomycin induction were assessed in both RFD and HFD islets (Figure 2).</li>
		<li>Save data as FCS files for analysis.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>
2. Assessing mitophagy using the genetically encoded mt-Keima reporter (Method 2)
<ol>
	<li>Mouse islet preparation and single-cell dissociation
	<ol>
		<li>Perform islet culture and valinomycin exposure following the steps below.
		<ol>
			<li>Isolate pancreatic islets from wild-type (WT) and mt-Keima/+ (mt-Keima) mice6. In this method, 20-week-old male WT or mt-Keima/+ fed RFD mice were used.</li>
			<li>Culture islet samples overnight at 37 &#176;C in islet medium.</li>
			<li>Using a pipette, pick 100 islets per condition into 6 cm Petri dishes with 2 mL of islet medium. 
			NOTE: Conditions used for this protocol: (1) Unstained control: Unstained WT islets; (2) DAPI only control: WT islets stained with DAPI; (3) Fluozin-3-AM only control: WT islets stained with Fluozin-3-AM; (4) mt-Keima only control: Unstained mt-Keima/+ islets; (5) Untreated: mt-Keima/+ islets stained with Fluozin-3-AM and DAPI; (6) Valinomycin: mt-Keima/+ islets exposed to valinomycin and stained with Fluozin-3-AM and DAPI.</li>
			<li>For condition (6) with valinomycin exposure, add 2 &#181;L of 250 nM valinomycin stock to islets in Petri dish for 3 h to induce mitophagy.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Perform single-cell dissociation.
		<ol>
			<li>Perform single cell dissociation steps, as described in step 1.1.2.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
		<li>Stain cells with Fluozin-3-AM and DAPI.
		<ol>
			<li>Resuspend islet samples in 500 &#181;L of islet flow medium.</li>
			<li>Add 0.25 &#181;L of 1 mM Fluozin-3-AM stock to tubes receiving Fluozin-3-AM dye (conditions 3, 5, and 6).</li>
			<li>Incubate cells at 37 &#176;C and proceed to DAPI treatment, as described in steps 1.1.3.5-1.3.10.</li>
		</ol>
		</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
	<li>Flow cytometry
	<ol>
		<li>Startup the instrument. Any flow cytometer with the appropriate filters will work. 
		NOTE: The following filters were used in this study: (1) VL1 for DAPI: Excitation/Emission - 405 nm/440 nm (50 nm); (2) BL1 for Fluozin-3-AM: Excitation/Emission - 488 nm/530 nm (30 nm); (3) VL3 for mt-Keima neutral: Excitation/Emission - 405 nm/603 nm (48 nm); (4) YL2 for mt-Keima acid: Excitation/Emission - 561 nm/620 nm (15 nm).</li>
		<li>Adjust FSC and SSC voltages and exclude non-single cells as described in steps 1.2.2-1.2.3 (Figures 3A-C).</li>
		<li>Adjust voltages and compensation for DAPI, Fluozin-3-AM and mt-Keima using unstained and single-positive controls (conditions 1-4) to ensure that fluorescence-positive cell populations are distinguishable from unstained cells. Once appropriate compensation has been applied to each channel, set up DAPI negative gate and Fluozin-3-AM positive gates to filter for live &#946;-cells (Figures 3D-E).</li>
		<li>Set up a triangle gating scheme using the mt-Keima positive sample (condition 4) to identify acidic and neutral cell populations (Figure 3F). 
		NOTE: Voltages typically used for each channel: (1) VL1: 320-340 V; (2) BL2: 260-280 V; (3) VL3: 280-300 V; (4) YL2: 280-300 V.</li>
		<li>Once gates are established, collect 10,000 events per sample. Gating schemes for conditions 5 and 6 are illustrated in Figure 3A-G.</li>
		<li>Save data as FCS files for analysis.</li>
	</ol>
	</li>
</ol>

Quantitative Analysis of Mitophagy in Murine Pancreatic &amp;#946;-Cells

<ol>
	<li>Kaufman, B. A., Li, C., Soleimanpour, S. A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Mitochondrial+regulation+of+&#946;-cell+function:+maintaining+the+momentum+for+insulin+release.">Mitochondrial regulation of &#946;-cell function: maintaining the momentum for insulin release.</a> Molecular Aspects of Medicine. 42, 91-104 (2015).</li><li>Soleimanpour, S. 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=The+diabetes+susceptibility+gene+Clec16a+regulates+mitophagy.">The diabetes susceptibility gene Clec16a regulates mitophagy.</a> Cell. 157 (7), 1577-1590 (2014).</li><li>Pearson, G., 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=Clec16a,+Nrdp1,+and+USP8+form+a+ubiquitin-dependent+tripartite+complex+that+regulates+&#946;-cell+mitophagy.">Clec16a, Nrdp1, and USP8 form a ubiquitin-dependent tripartite complex that regulates &#946;-cell mitophagy.</a> Diabetes. 67 (2), 265-277 (2018).</li><li>Hattori, N., Saiki, S., Imai, Y. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Regulation+by+mitophagy.">Regulation by mitophagy.</a> International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. 53, 147-150 (2014).</li><li>Berezhnov, A. V., 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=Intracellular+pH+modulates+autophagy+and+mitophagy.">Intracellular pH modulates autophagy and mitophagy.</a> Journal of Biological Chemistry. 291 (16), 8701-8708 (2016).</li><li>Sun, N., 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=Measuring+in+vivo+mitophagy.">Measuring in vivo mitophagy.</a> Molecular Cell. 60 (4), 685-696 (2015).</li><li>McWilliams, T. G., 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=mito-QC+illuminates+mitophagy+and+mitochondrial+architecture+in+vivo.">mito-QC illuminates mitophagy and mitochondrial architecture in vivo.</a> Journal of Cell Biology. 214 (3), 333-345 (2016).</li><li>Aoyagi, 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=A+new+beta+cell-specific+mitophagy+reporter+mouse+shows+that+metabolic+stress+leads+to+accumulation+of+dysfunctional+mitochondria+despite+increased+mitophagy.">A new beta cell-specific mitophagy reporter mouse shows that metabolic stress leads to accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria despite increased mitophagy.</a> Diabetologia. 66 (1), 147-162 (2023).</li><li>Ma, X., Ding, W. X. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=A+fluorescence+imaging+based-assay+to+monitor+mitophagy+in+cultured+hepatocytes+and+mouse+liver.">A fluorescence imaging based-assay to monitor mitophagy in cultured hepatocytes and mouse liver.</a> Liver Research. 5 (1), 16-20 (2021).</li><li>Sidarala, V., 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=Mitophagy+protects+&#946;+cells+from+inflammatory+damage+in+diabetes.">Mitophagy protects &#946; cells from inflammatory damage in diabetes.</a> JCI Insight. 5 (24), 141138 (2020).</li><li>Gingerich, M. 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=An+intrinsically+disordered+protein+region+encoded+by+the+human+disease+gene+CLEC16A+regulates+mitophagy.">An intrinsically disordered protein region encoded by the human disease gene CLEC16A regulates mitophagy.</a> Autophagy. 19 (2), 525-543 (2023).</li><li>Sun, N., Malide, D., Liu, J., Rovira, I. I., Combs, C. A., Finkel, 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+fluorescence-based+imaging+method+to+measure+in+vitro+and+in+vivo+mitophagy+using+mt-Keima.">A fluorescence-based imaging method to measure in vitro and in vivo mitophagy using mt-Keima.</a> Nature Protocols. 12 (8), 1576-1587 (2017).</li><li>Zhao, J., Bertoglio, B. A., Gee, K. R., Kay, A. R. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+zinc+indicator+FluoZin-3+is+not+perturbed+significantly+by+physiological+levels+of+calcium+or+magnesium.">The zinc indicator FluoZin-3 is not perturbed significantly by physiological levels of calcium or magnesium.</a> Cell Calcium. 44 (4), 422-426 (2008).</li><li>Da Silva Xavier, G. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=The+Cells+of+the+Islets+of+Langerhans.">The Cells of the Islets of Langerhans.</a> Journal of Clinical Medicine. 7 (3), 54 (2018).</li><li>Thapa, 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=Imaging+&#946;-cell+function+using+a+zinc-responsive+MRI+contrast+agent+may+identify+first+responder+islets.">Imaging &#946;-cell function using a zinc-responsive MRI contrast agent may identify first responder islets.</a> Frontiers in Endocrinology. 12, 809867 (2022).</li><li>Iwashita, H., 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=Live+cell+imaging+of+mitochondrial+autophagy+with+a+novel+fluorescent+small+molecule.">Live cell imaging of mitochondrial autophagy with a novel fluorescent small molecule.</a> ACS Chemical Biology. 12 (10), 2546-2551 (2017).</li><li>Crowley, L. C., Christensen, M. E., Waterhouse, N. J. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Measuring+mitochondrial+transmembrane+potential+by+TMRE+staining.">Measuring mitochondrial transmembrane potential by TMRE staining.</a> Cold Spring Harbor Protocols. 2016 (12), 087361 (2016).</li><li>Klein, B., W&#246;rndl, K., L&#252;tz-Meindl, U., Kerschbaum, H. H. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Perturbation+of+intracellular+K(+)+homeostasis+with+valinomycin+promotes+cell+death+by+mitochondrial+swelling+and+autophagic+processes.">Perturbation of intracellular K(+) homeostasis with valinomycin promotes cell death by mitochondrial swelling and autophagic processes.</a> Apoptosis. 16 (11), 1101-1117 (2011).</li><li>Ji, 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=Toll-like+receptors+TLR2+and+TLR4+block+the+replication+of+pancreatic+&#946;+cells+in+diet-induced+obesity.">Toll-like receptors TLR2 and TLR4 block the replication of pancreatic &#946; cells in diet-induced obesity.</a> Nature Immunology. 20 (6), 677-686 (2019).</li><li>Sauvat, 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=Quantification+of+cellular+viability+by+automated+microscopy+and+flow+cytometry.">Quantification of cellular viability by automated microscopy and flow cytometry.</a> Oncotarget. 6 (11), 9467-9475 (2015).</li><li>Liu, Y. T., 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=Mt-Keima+detects+PINK1-PRKN+mitophagy+in+vivo+with+greater+sensitivity+than+mito-QC.">Mt-Keima detects PINK1-PRKN mitophagy in vivo with greater sensitivity than mito-QC.</a> Autophagy. 17 (11), 3753-3762 (2021).</li><li>Mauro-Lizcano, 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=New+method+to+assess+mitophagy+flux+by+flow+cytometry.">New method to assess mitophagy flux by flow cytometry.</a> Autophagy. 11 (5), 833-843 (2015).</li></ol>

SAS has received grant funding from Ono Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and is a consultant for Novo Nordisk.

This protocol described two complementary methods to quantify mitophagy flux in dissociated primary mouse islets. Using the mt-Keima method, an increase in mitophagy was quantified as an increased ratio of acidic (561 nm)/neutral (405 nm) cells, whereas in the MtPhagy method, increased mitophagy flux was quantified as an increase in the FluozinhighMtPhagyhighTMRElow cell population. These methods allow for rapid, quantitative, and &#946;-cell-specific assessments of mitophagy flux.
<p...

Pancreatic &#946;-cells produce and secrete insulin to meet metabolic demands, and &#946;-cell dysfunction is responsible for hyperglycemia and diabetes onset in both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. &#946;-Cells couple glucose metabolism with insulin secretion via mitochondrial energetics and metabolic output, which depend on a reserve of functional mitochondrial mass1,2,3. To maintain optimal &#946;-cell function, &#946;-cells rely on mitochondrial quality control mechanisms to remove aged or damaged mitochondria and preserve functional mitochondrial mass4. Selective mitochondrial autophagy, also known as mitophagy, is a key component of the mitochondrial quality control pathway.
Assessments of mitophagy in live cells often rely on changes in mitochondrial pH that occur during mitophagy. Mitochondria have a slightly alkaline pH, and healthy mitochondria normally reside in the pH-neutral cytosol. During mitophagy, damaged or dysfunctional mitochondria are selectively incorporated into autophagosomes and eventually cleared within acidic lysosomes5. Several in vivo transgenic mitophagy reporter mouse models, such as mt-Keima6, mitoQC7, and CMMR8, as well as transfectable mitophagy probes, such as the Cox8-EGFP-mCherry plasmid9, utilize this pH change to provide quantitative assessments of mitophagy. Use of transgenic mice expressing the mt-Keima pH-sensitive dual-excitation ratiometric probe has been optimized for mitophagy assessments in islets and &#946;-cells via flow cytometry10,11. The ratio of acidic-to-neutral mt-Keima wavelength emissions (the ratio of acidic 561 nm to neutral 480 nm excitation) can be used to robustly quantify mitophagy6,12.
This protocol describes an optimized approach to assess mitophagy flux in primary islets and &#946;-cells isolated from mt-Keima transgenic mice10,11. While mt-Keima is a highly sensitive probe, it requires either complicated animal breeding schemes or the transfection of cells, which can often be challenging when working in combination with other genetic models or with primary human islets. Additionally, the use of multiple fluorescence lasers and detectors to identify neutral and acidic cell populations can limit the combinatorial use of other fluorescent reporters.
To overcome these challenges, this protocol also describes a complementary, single fluorescent channel, dye-based method for robust detection of mitophagy in &#946;-cells from isolated mouse islets. This approach, referred to as the MtPhagy method, utilizes a combination of three cell-permeable dyes to select for &#946;-cells, quantify the cell populations actively undergoing mitophagy, and assess mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP or &#916;&#968;m) simultaneously.
The first of these dyes is Fluozin-3-AM, a cell-permeable Zn2+ indicator with an Ex/Em 494/516 nm13. Mouse islets comprise a heterogeneous population of functionally distinct cells, including &#945;-, &#946;-, &#948;-, and PP cells. &#946;-Cells comprise approximately 80% of cells within the mouse islet and can be distinguished from other islet cell types due to their high Zn2+ concentration within insulin granules14,15, allowing for identification of &#946;-cells as the Fluozin-3-AMhigh population. The MtPhagy dye, a pH-sensitive dye that is immobilized on mitochondria via a chemical bond and emits weak fluorescence, is also utilized in this protocol16. Upon mitophagy induction, damaged mitochondria are incorporated into the acidic lysosome, and the MtPhagy dye increases its fluorescence intensity within the low pH environment (Ex/Em 561/570-700 nm).
Additionally, Tetramethylrhodamine, ethyl ester (TMRE), is used to assess MMP. TMRE is a cell-permeable positively charged dye (Ex/Em 552/575 nm) that is sequestered by healthy mitochondria due to the relative negative charge upheld by their membrane potential17. Damaged or unhealthy mitochondria dissipate their membrane potential, resulting in decreased ability to sequester TMRE. Utilizing these dyes together, &#946;-cells undergoing mitophagy can be identified as the FluozinhighMtPhagyhighTMRElow population via flow cytometry. Since mitophagy is a dynamic rather than static process, this protocol was optimized to assess mitophagy flux using valinomycin, a K+-ionophore that induces mitophagy following dissipation of MMP18. Comparison of mitophagy in the presence and absence of valinomycin allows for assessment of mitophagy flux in different sample groups.
The dye-based nature of the current approach allows it to be extrapolated to human islets and other difficult-to-transfect cell types and circumvents the need for complicated animal breeding schemes, unlike the mt-Keima protocol. The overarching goal of this protocol is to quantify mitophagy in &#946;-cells at the single-cell level via two independent flow cytometry-based methods. Taken together, this protocol describes two powerful and complementary methods that allow for both precision and flexibility in the quantitative study of mitochondrial quality control.

<table border="1" fo:keep-together.within-page="1" fo:keep-with-next.within-page="always">
	<tbody>
		<tr>
			<td>Antibiotic-Antimycotic</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15240-062</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Attune NxT Flow Cytometer</td>
			<td>Thermofisher Scientific</td>
			<td>A24858</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>DAPI (4&#39;,6-Diamidino-2-Phenylindole, Dihydrochloride)</td>
			<td>Thermofisher Scientific</td>
			<td>D1306</td>
			<td>DAPI reconstituted in ddH2O to reach 0.2 &#181;g/mL stock</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Dimethyl Sulfoxide</td>
			<td>Sigma-Aldrich</td>
			<td>317275</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fatty Acid Free heat shock BSA powder</td>
			<td>Equitech</td>
			<td>BAH66</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fetal bovine serum</td>
			<td>Gemini Bio</td>
			<td>900-108</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Fluozin-3AM&#160;</td>
			<td>Thermofisher Scientific&#160;</td>
			<td>F24195</td>
			<td>100 &#956;g Fluozin-3AM powder reconstituted in 51 &#956;L DMSO and 51 &#956;L Pluronic F-127 to reach 1 mM stock.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Gibco&#160;RPMI 1640 Medium</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>11-875-093</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>HEPES (1M)</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15630-080</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MtPhagy dye</td>
			<td>Dojindo</td>
			<td>MT02-10</td>
			<td>5 &#956;g MtPhagy powder reconstituted with 50 &#956;L DMSO to reach 100 &#956;M stock.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>MtPhagy dye</td>
			<td>Dojindo</td>
			<td>MT02-10</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Penicillin-Streptomycin (100x)</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>15140-122</td>
			<td>1x Solution used in procotol by diluting 1:10 in ddH2O</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Phosphate buffered saline, 10x</td>
			<td>Fisher Scientific</td>
			<td>BP399-20</td>
			<td>1x Solution used in procotol by diluting 1:10 in ddH2O</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Sodium Pyruvate (100x)</td>
			<td>Life Technologies</td>
			<td>11360-070</td>
			<td>5 &#956;g MtPhagy powder reconstituted with 50 &#956;L DMSO to reach 100 &#956;M stock.&#160;</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>TMRE [Tetramethylrhodamine, ethyl ester, perchlorate]</td>
			<td>Anaspec</td>
			<td>AS-88061</td>
			<td>TMRE powder reconstituted in DMSO to reach 100 &#956;M stock.</td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Trypsin-EDTA (0.05%), phenol red</td>
			<td>Thermofisher Scientific</td>
			<td>25300054</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr>
			<td>Valinomycin</td>
			<td>Sigma</td>
			<td>V0627</td>
			<td>Valinomycin powder reconsituted in DMSO to reach 250 nM stock.</td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

complementary approaches to interrogate mitophagy flux in pancreatic &#946;-cells

Mitophagy is a quality control mechanism necessary to maintain optimal mitochondrial function. Dysfunctional &#946;-cell mitophagy results in insufficient insulin release. Advanced quantitative assessments of mitophagy often require the use of genetic reporters. The mt-Keima mouse model, which expresses a mitochondria-targeted pH-sensitive dual-excitation ratiometric probe for quantifying mitophagy via flow cytometry, has been optimized in &#946;-cells. The ratio of acidic-to-neutral mt-Keima wavelength emissions can be used to robustly quantify mitophagy. However, using genetic mitophagy reporters can be challenging when working with complex genetic mouse models or difficult-to-transfect cells, such as primary human islets. This protocol describes a novel complementary dye-based method to quantify &#946;-cell mitophagy in primary islets using MtPhagy. MtPhagy is a pH-sensitive, cell-permeable dye that accumulates in the mitochondria and increases its fluorescence intensity when mitochondria are in low pH environments, such as lysosomes during mitophagy. By combining the MtPhagy dye with Fluozin-3-AM, a Zn2+ indicator that selects for &#946;-cells, and Tetramethylrhodamine, ethyl ester (TMRE) to assess mitochondrial membrane potential, mitophagy flux can be quantified specifically in &#946;-cells via flow cytometry. These two approaches are highly complementary, allowing for flexibility and precision in assessing mitochondrial quality control in numerous &#946;-cell models.

Author Spotlight: Assessment of Mitophagy Flux in Pancreatic &amp;#946;-Cells Using Effective and Robust Complementary Approaches 

Complementary Approaches to Interrogate Mitophagy Flux in Pancreatic &#946;-Cells

Our protocol describes two complementary methods to study beta-cell mitophagy flux at the single-cell resolution via flow cytometry. The mt-Keima protocol utilizes a genetic mitophagy reporter, whereas the MtPhagy protocol combines three fluorescent dyes, which makes it easy to extrapolate to difficult-to-transfect cells in human samples. Assessments of mitophagy using traditional biochemical approaches and imaging approaches are both time consuming and challenging.Thus, it's important to develop new, robust, and effective methods to study mitophagy flux in beta-cells. Both the mt-Keima and MtPhagy method are quantitative assessments that are efficient for studying mitophagy flux in pancreatic beta cells. So, the Soleimanpour lab focuses on the different mechanisms that drive pancreatic beta-cell failure and diabetes.And we specifically focus on the different aspects of mitochondrial lifecycle, including mitophagy, to understand how defects in mitochondrial function drive the development of diabetes.

Assessing mitophagy via the dye-based MtPhagy approach 
This dye-based approach was optimized to analyze mitophagy flux within primary mouse &#946;-cells without the need for a genetic reporter, using Fluozin-3-AM, TMRE, and MtPhagy as well as DAPI to exclude dead cells. By pairing these dyes with valinomycin to induce mitophagy, this protocol outlines a dye-based method to selectively measure mitophagy flux in primary mouse &#946;-cells18. For the data shown using this MtPha...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Assessment of Mitophagy Flux in Pancreatic β-Cells Using Effective and Robust Complementary Approaches at JoVE.com

This protocol outlines two methods for the quantitative analysis of mitophagy in pancreatic &#946;-cells: first, a combination of cell-permeable mitochondria-specific dyes, and second, a genetically encoded mitophagy reporter. These two techniques are complementary and can be deployed based on specific needs, allowing for flexibility and precision in quantitatively addressing mitochondrial quality control.

Mitophagy is a quality control mechanism necessary to maintain optimal mitochondrial function. Dysfunctional &#946;-cell mitophagy results in insufficient ...

complementary-approaches-to-interrogate-mitophagy-flux-pancreatic

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Single-Cell Dissociation of Murine Islets for Flow Cytometric Analysis of &#946;-Cell Mitophagy

Single-Cell Dissociation of Murine Islets for Flow Cytometric Analysis of &amp;#946;-Cell Mitophagy  

Begin by culturing the eyelet samples isolated from regular fat diet or high fat diet mice overnight at 37 degrees Celsius. Design the desired experimental conditions for the study. For each experimental condition, using a pipette, pick 100 eyelets into a six centimeter Petri dish containing two milliliters of eyelet medium.To induce Mitophagy, treat the eyelets in the appropriate Petri dishes with two microliters of 250 nano molar Valinomycin stock for three hours. Isolate the eyelets and using a pipette, transfer the eyelets from each Petri dish to a separate micro centrifuge tube. Then, spin the eyelets at 350 G for one minute at 10 degrees Celsius and using a pipette, discard the supernatant.Wash the obtained sample twice with one milliliter of PBS. Between the washes, spin the sample and discard the supernatant as demonstrated previously. To dissociate eyelets into single cells, add 500 microliters of 0.05%Trypsin prewarmed to 37 degrees celsius, to one sample tube.Pipette the contents of the tube up and down repeatedly until the eyelets are visibly dispersed. Immediately add one milliliter of prewarmed eyelet medium to neutralize trypsin. Spin the samples at 500 G for five minutes at 10 degrees Celsius.Remove the supernatant carefully without disturbing the pellet. Then, wash the samples two times with eyelet flow medium. The cell samples are now ready to be stained for flow cytometric analysis of beta cell mitophagy.

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Mitophagy in Murine Pancreatic &#946;-Cells Using MtPhagy Dye

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Mitophagy in Murine Pancreatic &amp;#946;-Cells Using MtPhagy Dye  

Proceed to perform flow cytometric analysis of beta cell mitophagy, with a single cell suspension of about 100 isolated mirroring islets prepared, corresponding to each desired experimental condition to be studied. First, resuspend the islet samples for each condition in 500 microliters of islet flow medium. Add 0.25 microliters of MtPhagy stock to tubes designated to receive the MtPhagy dye.Similarly, add 0.25 microliters of TMRE stock and fluozin-3-AM stock to the respective designated tubes. Wrap the tubes in aluminum foil and vortex each tube at low speed for five seconds to mix the contents. Then incubate the tubes at 37 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.Halfway through incubation, vortex each sample at low speed for five to 10 seconds. After incubation, centrifuge the tubes at 350 G for one minute at 10 degrees Celsius. Discard the supernatant.And resuspend the samples in 500 microliters of islet flow medium. Add DAPI to the microcentrifuge tubes containing samples that require DAPI treatment. Centrifuge again and discard the supernatant as demonstrated previously.Resuspend the residue in 500 microliters of islet flow medium. Finally, place the samples on ice and then proceed with flow cytometry. Adjust the voltages for forward scatter or FSC and side scatter or SSC to ensure cell populations are at the center of the scatter plot.To exclude multiplets, at a rectangular gate on FSC height versus FSC width, followed by SSC height versus SSC width. Adjust voltages and compensation for DAPI to filter for live beta cells. Set fluorescence gates for each fluorophore used based on the unstained RFD sample.Once gates are established, collect 10, 000 events per sample. Beta cells with high utilization of mitophagy were defined as the fluozin high MtPhagy high TMRE low population in quadrant three or Q3.Basal and valinomycin-induced mitophagy levels were characterized in both RFD and HFD islets.

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Mitophagy in Murine Pancreatic &#946;-Cells Using the Genetically Encoded mt-Keima Reporter

Flow Cytometric Analysis of Mitophagy in Murine Pancreatic &amp;#946;-Cells Using the Genetically Encoded mt-Keima Reporter  

To assess mitophagy in murine pancreatic beta cells using the genetically encoded mitophagy reporter, culture pancreatic islets isolated from wild type and Mt-Keima mice overnight at 37 degrees Celsius. The following day, add 100 islets into a six centimeter Petri dish containing two milliliters of islet medium for each experimental condition used in this protocol. Next, to dissociate the eyelets into single cells and stain with FluoZin-3-AM and DAPI as demonstrated previously for the Mt-Phagy dye based approach.Then proceed with the flow cytometric analysis of the samples. Adjust the forward scatter or FSC and side scatter or SSC voltages to attain an even distribution of cells on an SSCA versus FSCA plot. To select single cells and exclude multiplets, add a rectangular gate on FSC height versus FSC width, followed by SSC height versus SSE width.The multiplets are excluded due to their higher width signal values. Then set up a DAPI negative gate to exclude dead cells. After that, set up FluoZin-3-AM positive gates to filter for live beta cells.Set up a triangle gating scheme using the Mt-Keima positive sample to identify acidic and neutral cell populations. Once the primary and fluorescence gates were established, assess mitophagy flux using basal and valinomycin-induced changes in Mt-Keima fluorescence.

681 Views.  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.  This protocol outlines two methods for the quantitative analysis of mitophagy in pancreatic β-cells: first, a combination of cell-permeable mitochondria-specific dyes, and second, a genetically encoded mitophagy reporter. These two techniques are complementary and can be deployed based on specific needs, allowing for flexibility and precision in quantitatively addressing mitochondrial quality control.

Quantitative Analysis of Mitophagy in Murine Pancreatic β-Cells

Summary