Questo lavoro è stato supportato in parte dal NIH (N01 HHSN272201100019C, U19 AI 089.992, e il NCRR / GCRC Programma M01-RR00125). Gli autori dichiarano di non conflitto di interessi finanziari e ringraziare il Dr. Mark Shlomchik, direttore del Fondo Anima a celle Yale Sorter.

1. L&#39;isolamento e la stimolazione delle cellule immunitarie <ol><li> Ottenere 10-50 ml di sangue eparinizzato da volontari sani, dopo consenso informato scritto in base alle direttive del consiglio locale Institutional Review. Per gli studi di invecchiamento o di malattia patogenesi, criteri di esclusione e di inclusione per ciascun volontario o il paziente deve essere esplicitamente determinato. </li><li> Isolate cellule mononucleari del sangue periferico (PBMC) che utilizzano tubi o CPT Ficoll-Paque Inoltre secondo le istruzioni del produttore (GE Healthcare, NJ) e condurre esperimenti nel giorno di isolamento 7 (reagenti, Tabella 1). </li><li> Incubare PBMC (3 x 10 6 / provetta) in provette da 1,5 ml a 0,6 ml di mezzo da solo o stimolate con ligandi TLR o agenti attivanti, quali per esempio la TLR7 / 8 ligando R848 (0,6 ml di terreno più 0,6 microlitri di 10 mM TLR7 / 8 ligando R848, concentrazione finale 10 uM) a 37 ° C per 10-60 minuti (InvivoGen, CA) 9. </li></ol> 2. LaboratorioEling delle cellule <ol><li> Etichetta linea cellulare e altri marcatori di superficie sulle sospensioni di cellule in vivo utilizzando anticorpi coniugati fluorescenza. Etichetta 3 x 10 6 PBMC per 20 min a 4 ° C in 100 pl di PBS / 2% FBS in una provetta Eppendorf da 1,5 ml con un cocktail di anticorpi specifici di superficie per lignaggi monociti o DC (Tabella 2). Diluizioni ottimali di anticorpo può essere determinata in esperimenti preliminari ei campioni devono essere trattati in lotti per ridurre al minimo da lotto a lotto variazione. Per magazzino anticorpi fornitore di 0,1 mg / ml utilizzare 5 microlitri di anticorpo (diluizione 1:20). Utilizzare un tubo separato di cellule marcate con un solo coniugato singolo colore per impostare i canali fluorescenti sullo strumento. </li><li> Dopo l&#39;etichettatura di superficie, fissare le cellule in 4% PFA / PBS per 10 min a RT. Per la conservazione fino al momento dell&#39;analisi, cellule centrifugare a 500 xg e risospendere le cellule in tampone di congelamento (90% FBS contenente il 10% DMSO) a -80 ° C fino al giorno di dosaggio. </li><li> Per la valutazione, il processo batch of cellule non trattate e stimolato da un gruppo di donatori insieme per minimizzare la variabilità. Il giorno di analisi, cellule scongelamento rapidamente a 37 ° C bagnomaria, centrifugare a 500x g per rimuovere buffer di congelamento. </li><li> Per permeabile celle per il rilevamento di citochine intracellulari o altri indicatori, le sospensioni cellulari risospendere in 100 pl BD Perm / tampone di lavaggio (BD Biosciences, NJ). Etichetta per i componenti di segnalazione intracellulare con ad esempio, 1:20 diluizione di coniglio anti-NF-kB (p65) di anticorpi (concentrazione finale 10 pg / ml, Santacruz Biotechnology, CA) per 20 minuti a RT, centrifugare a 500 xg, Aspirare il surnatante e risospendere le cellule in 100 Perm BD pl / Tampone di lavaggio contenenti la diluizione 1:250 di capra anti-IgG di coniglio-Alexa647 (Invitrogen, CA) e incubare per 20 minuti a RT. </li><li> Immediatamente prima di imaging, di contrasto nuclei con DAPI (0,2 pg / ml, Invitrogen, CA) o ioduro di propidio (PI; 20 ng / ml, Invitrogen, CA). </li></ol> 3. Analisi ImageStream <ol><li>Condurre imaging ImageStream su campioni in batch per ridurre la variabilità tra i campioni umani. Impostazioni dello strumento di potenza del laser sono state le seguenti: 200 mW per 488 nm, 10 mW per 658 nm e 250 mW per 405 nm. </li><li> Per analizzare i file di dati (Fig. 1), in primo luogo, Porta a eventi con intensità PI normale e alto rapporto di aspetto PI (larghezza: rapporto di altezza) per distinguere le singole cellule (R1) da detriti (bassa intensità PI) o multi-cellulari (eventi PI alta intensità e basso rapporto d&#39;aspetto). I monociti sono all&#39;interno di un cancello per CD14 cellule positive. MDC sono all&#39;interno di un cancello per cellule che sono alta e bassa per CD11c per CD4 (R2) e bassa anche per Lin-1 marcatori (R3). </li><li> Utilizzare IDEE software (Amnis, WA) per fornire una misura efficace quantitativa del grado di attivazione di ciascuna cella. Determinare la similarità (o co-localizzazione) del fattore di trascrizione NF-kB citoplasmatico nucleare con colorante PI per indicare traslocazione nel nucleo (R4). Una correlazione elevata NF-κB/PI Localizazione si riflette in un punteggio di somiglianza elevata e indica il grado di attivazione 10. </li><li> Confronta i rapporti di somiglianza tra i diversi gruppi di trattamento o popolazioni di pazienti per indicare relativa efficienza funzionale delle cellule. Quantificare i dati tra i campioni attraverso il confronto statistico dei valori assoluti o differenze piega. Utilizzare il software IDEAS per visualizzare le immagini di cellule provenienti da segmenti chiave di istogrammi della popolazione (Fig. 2). </li></ol> 4. Risultati rappresentativi Abbiamo quantificato pathway del segnale in risposta ad un ligando modello virale stimolando PBMC con il TLR7 / 8 ligando, R848 (Fig. 1). Abbiamo raccolto sia le immagini di localizzazione cellulare e statistiche della popolazione nei nostri gruppi del campione (Fig. 2). ImageStream ci permette di sottoinsiemi di cellule cancello direttamente da PBMC e le risposte cellulari immagini da popolazioni di cellule chiuse, ma non differenziati. Qui abbiamo quantificato l&#39;effetto di TLR signaling sulla localizzazione nucleare di NF-kB (p65) in Lin1-, CD4 dim, CD11c + DC mieloidi (MDC). Al basale, abbiamo osservato una percentuale elevata di cellule non stimolate con il fattore di trascrizione NF-kB (p65) nel citoplasma. Dopo la stimolazione, le cellule trattate hanno un punteggio di somiglianza significativamente più alta di NF-B (p65) con nucleare PI macchia, indicando che NF-kB (p65) traslocata nel nucleo dopo stimolazione (punteggio di somiglianza medi sono 1,52 e 3,01, rispettivamente, fig. 2). Risultati simili sono noti in TLR5 monociti stimolati 9. <img alt="Figura 1" src="/files/ftp_upload/3741/3741fig1.jpg" /> Figura 1. La colorazione e la strategia di gating per quantificare gli effetti di stimolazione sul MDC umani. Il fattore NF-kB trascrizione regola l&#39;espressione di numerosi geni del sistema immunitario. Questo studio misura la localizzazione nucleare di NF-kB (p65) in MDC da un soggetto rappresentante dopo TLR7 / 8 Liga<html> ND stimolazione. In-fuoco cellule singole sono stati identificati mediante gating il PI eventi positivi ad alta proporzioni nucleari (R1). MDC (Lin1-, CD4dim, CD11c +) erano gated in R3. Localizzazione nucleare di NF-kB (p65) è tracciata in R4. <a href="http://www.jove.com/files/ftp_upload/3741/3741fig1large.jpg" target="_blank">Clicca qui per ingrandire la figura</a> . <img alt="Figura 2" src="/files/ftp_upload/3741/3741fig2.jpg" /> Figura 2. . Traslocazione di NF-kB in MDC dopo la stimolazione La traslocazione di NF-kB (p65) nel nucleo dopo la stimolazione (R4) è raffigurata in popolazioni di MDC non trattati e stimolato, il punteggio di similitudine mediana è 1,52 nel campione non trattato e 3,01 in il campione stimolata (A). Le immagini digitali raccolte contemporaneamente delle popolazioni di cellule non trattate o R848-stimolato presentano cellule rappresentative e l&#39;intensità del NF-B traslocata nel nucleo della cellula (B)._upload/3741/3741fig2large.jpg &quot;target =&quot; _blank &quot;&gt; Clicca qui per ingrandire la figura.

<ol>
	<li>Linton, P. J., Dorshkind, K. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Age-related+changes+in+lymphocyte+development+and+function.">Age-related changes in lymphocyte development and function.</a> Nat. Immunol. 5, 133-139 (2004).</li><li>Shaw, A. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dysregulation+of+Human+Toll-like+Receptor+Function+in+Aging.">Dysregulation of Human Toll-like Receptor Function in Aging.</a> Ageing Research Reviews. 10, 346-353 (2011).</li><li>Medzhitov, R. <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+and+innate+immunity.">Toll-like receptors and innate immunity.</a> Nature Rev. Immunol. 1, 135-145 (2001).</li><li>van Duin, D. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Age-associated+Defect+in+Human+TLR1+Function+and+Expression.">Age-associated Defect in Human TLR1 Function and Expression.</a> J. Immunol. 178, 970-975 (2007).</li><li>Panda, A. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Age-associated+decrease+in+TLR+function+in+primary+human+dendritic+cells+predicts+influenza+vaccine+response.">Age-associated decrease in TLR function in primary human dendritic cells predicts influenza vaccine response.</a> J. Immunol. 184, 2518-2527 (2010).</li><li>Kong, K. -. F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Dysregulation+of+TLR3+impairs+the+innate+immune+response+to+West+Nile+virus+in+the+elderly.">Dysregulation of TLR3 impairs the innate immune response to West Nile virus in the elderly.</a> J. Virol. 82, 7613-7623 (2008).</li><li>Qian, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Impaired+interferon+signaling+in+dendritic+cells+from+older+donors+infected+in+vitro+with+West+Nile+virus.">Impaired interferon signaling in dendritic cells from older donors infected in vitro with West Nile virus.</a> J. Infect. Dis. 203, 1415-1424 (2011).</li><li>Hayden, M. S., Ghosh, S. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=NF-kappaB+in+immunobiology.">NF-kappaB in immunobiology.</a> Cell research. 21, 223-244 (2011).</li><li>Qian, F. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Age-associated+elevation+in+TLR5+leads+to+increased+inflammatory+responses+in+the+elderly.">Age-associated elevation in TLR5 leads to increased inflammatory responses in the elderly.</a> Aging Cell. 11, 104-110 (2011).</li><li>George, T. C. <a target="_blank" href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?db=PubMed&cmd=Search&doptcmdl=Citation&defaultField=Title+Word&term=Quantitative+measurement+of+nuclear+translocation+events+using+similarity+analysis+of+multispectral+cellular+images+obtained+in+flow.">Quantitative measurement of nuclear translocation events using similarity analysis of multispectral cellular images obtained in flow.</a> Journal of immunological. 311, 117-129 (2006).</li></ol>

Non ci sono conflitti di interesse dichiarati.

I passaggi critici in uso di ImageStream per gli studi traslazionali sono la selezione dei gruppi di confronto rilevanti e l&#39;ottimizzazione e la convalida delle specificità anticorpale. Le differenze tra i gruppi di soggetti nel bersaglio marcato saranno subito evidenti attraverso istogrammi e le immagini di cellule. In combinazione con un&#39;analisi approfondita dei cambiamenti nei recettori rilevanti e vie di segnalazione, questi dati forniranno informazioni preziose sui meccanismi che sono alla base disregolazi...

<table border="1"><tbody><tr><td> Nome del reattivo </td><td> Azienda </td><td> Numero di catalogo </td></tr><tr><td> Ficoll-Paque Plus. </td><td> GE Healthcare </td><td> 17-1440-03 </td></tr><tr><td> R848 </td><td> Invivogen </td><td> tlrl-r848 </td></tr><tr><td> Paraformaldeide (16%) </td><td> Scienze della microscopia elettronica </td><td> 15710 </td></tr><tr><td> BD Perm / Wash </td><td> BD Biosciences </td><td> 554723 </td></tr><tr><td> CD14-PE </td><td> eBioscience </td><td> 12-0149-41 </td></tr><tr><td> CD4-PacBlue </td><td> BD Pharmingen </td><td> 68436 </td></tr><tr><td> Lineage cocktail 1 (lin 1)-FITC </td><td> BD Biosciences </td><td> 340546 </td></tr><tr><td> CD11c-PE </td><td> BD Biosciences </td><td> 347637 </td></tr><tr><td> CD123-PE </td><td> BD Biosciences </td><td> 340545 </td></tr><tr><td> coniglio anti-NF-kB (p65) </td><td> Santacruz </td><td> SC-372 </td></tr><tr><td> Alexa647 F (ab &#39;) 2 di capra anti-IgG di coniglio </td><td> Invitrogen </td><td> A21246 </td></tr><tr><td> DAPI </td><td> Invitrogen </td><td> D21490 </td></tr><tr><td> ImageStream X </td><td> Amnis </td><td></td></tr></tbody></table> Tabella 1. Reagenti e attrezzature specifiche. <table border="1"><tbody><tr><td> Tipo di cella </td><td> FITC </td><td> PE </td><td> Alexa 647 </td><td> PacBlue </td></tr><tr><td> Monociti </td><td></td><td> CD14 </td><td> NF-kB (p65) </td><td></td></tr><tr><td> mDC </td><td> Lin1 </td><td> CD11c </td><td> NF-kB (p65) </td><td> CD4 </td></tr><tr><td> pDC </td><td> Lin1</td><td> CD123 </td><td> NF-kB (p65) </td><td> CD4 </td></tr></tbody></table> Tabella 2. Pannello di anticorpi per la colorazione linea cellulare delle vie di segnalazione Monocyte: CD14 + MDC: Lin1-, CD4dim, CD11c + pDC: Lin1-, CD4dim, CD123 + Lin1 (lignaggio) comprende marker CD3, CD14, CD19, CD20, CD56 marcatori per i monociti, le cellule NK, le cellule T e B.

quantitative imaging of lineage-specific toll-like receptor-mediated signaling in monocytes and dendritic cells from small samples of human blood

Variazioni individuali nel determinare le risposte stato immunitario alle infezioni e contribuire alla gravità della malattia e il risultato. L&#39;invecchiamento è associato ad un aumento della suscettibilità alle infezioni virali e batteriche e diminuita capacità di risposta ai vaccini con un ben documentato calo umorale e cellulo-mediata 1,2 immune risposte. Abbiamo recentemente valutato gli effetti dell&#39;invecchiamento sulla recettori Toll-like (TLR), componenti chiave del sistema immunitario innato che rilevano l&#39;infezione microbica e di trigger antimicrobici risposte di difesa dell&#39;ospite 3. In un&#39;ampia coorte di donatori umani sani, abbiamo dimostrato che i monociti di sangue periferico di pazienti anziani hanno una ridotta espressione e la funzione di alcuni TLR 4 e simili livelli di TLR ridotti e le risposte di segnalazione nelle cellule dendritiche (DC), cellule presentanti l&#39;antigene che sono fondamentale nella il collegamento tra immunità innata e adattativa 5. Abbiamo dimostrato di disregolazione TLR3 nei macrofagi unod minore produzione di IFN da parte di DCS donatori anziani in risposta ad infezione da West Nile virus 6,7. Paramount alla nostra comprensione del immunosenescenza e di intervento terapeutico è una comprensione dettagliata di specifici tipi cellulari che rispondono e il meccanismo di (s) di trasduzione del segnale. Gli studi tradizionali di risposte immunitarie, attraverso l&#39;imaging di cellule primarie e marcatori cellulari di rilevamento di FACS o immunoblot hanno avanzato la nostra comprensione significativo, tuttavia, questi studi sono generalmente limitati tecnicamente dal volume piccolo campione a disposizione di pazienti e l&#39;incapacità di condurre complesse tecniche di laboratorio su più campioni umani. ImageStream combina citometria a flusso con quantitativa simultanea digitale ad alta risoluzione di immagini e quindi facilita indagine in popolazioni di cellule multiple contemporaneamente per una acquisizione efficace della sensibilità del paziente. Qui si dimostra l&#39;uso di ImageStream nei PVS per valutare TLR7 / 8attivazione-mediate aumento nella fosforilazione e traslocazione nucleare di un fattore di trascrizione chiave, NF-KB, che inizia la trascrizione di numerosi geni che sono critici per le risposte immunitarie 8. Grazie a questa tecnologia, abbiamo anche recentemente dimostrato una alterazione precedentemente non TLR5 di segnalazione e il pathway NF-kB nei monociti da donatori anziani, che possono contribuire a una risposta immunitaria alterata nell&#39;invecchiamento 9.

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Quantitative Imaging of Lineage-specific Toll-like Receptor-mediated Signaling in Monocytes and Dendritic Cells from Small Samples of Human Blood at JoVE.com

Quantitative Imaging of Lineage-specific Toll-like Receptor-mediated Signaling in Monocytes and Dendritic Cells from Small Samples of Human Blood

Descriviamo l&#39;uso della tecnologia ImageStream (<a href="http://www.amnis.com/" target="_blank"&gt; Www.amnis.com</a&gt;), Che combina quantitative citometria di flusso con simultanea alta risoluzione digital imaging, per quantificare i meccanismi cellulari di cellule immunitarie primarie da ben definiti coorti di pazienti. I nostri studi forniscono un modello per le indagini traslazionali quantificare lignaggio risposte specifiche cellulari a piccoli campioni di coorti di soggetti.

Imaging quantitativa di Lineage specifici Toll-like receptor-mediate Signaling in monociti e cellule dendritiche da piccoli campioni di sangue umano

Individual variations in immune status determine responses to infection and contribute to disease severity and outcome.  Aging is associated with an ...

quantitative-imaging-lineage-specific-toll-like-receptor-mediated

Research

JoVE Journal

Immunology and Infection

35.0K Views.  Yale University School of Medicine. Descriviamo l'uso della tecnologia ImageStream ( Www.amnis.com), Che combina quantitative citometria di flusso con simultanea alta risoluzione digital imaging, per quantificare i meccanismi cellulari di cellule immunitarie primarie da ben definiti coorti di pazienti. I nostri studi forniscono un modello per le indagini traslazionali quantificare lignaggio risposte specifiche cellulari a piccoli campioni di coor...

Video: Quantitative Imaging of Lineage-specific Toll-like Receptor-mediated Signaling in Monocytes and Dendritic Cells from Small Samples of Human Blood

Detection of  Neu1 Sialidase Activity in Regulating TOLL-like Receptor Activation

Mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of receptors that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Not only are TLRs crucial sensors of microbial (e.g., viruses, bacteria and parasite) infections, they also play an important role in the pathophysiology of infectious diseases, inflammatory diseases, and possibly in autoimmune diseases. Thus, the intensity and duration of TLR responses against infectious diseases must be tightly controlled. It follows that understanding the structural integrity of sensor receptors, their ligand interactions and signaling components is essential for subsequent immunological protection. It would also provide important opportunities for disease modification through sensor manipulation. Although the signaling pathways of TLR sensors are well characterized, the parameters controlling interactions between the sensors and their ligands still remain poorly defined. We have recently identified a novel mechanism of TLR activation by its natural ligand, which has not been previously observed 1,2. It suggests that ligand-induced TLR activation is tightly controlled by Neu1 sialidase activation. We have also reported that Neu1 tightly regulates neurotrophin receptors like TrkA and TrkB 3, which involve Neu1 and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) cross-talk in complex with the receptors 4. The sialidase assay has been initially use to find a novel ligand, thymoquinone, in the activation of Neu4 sialidase on the cell surface of macrophages, dendritic cells and fibroblast cells via GPCR G&alpha;i proteins and MMP-9 5. For TLR receptors, our data indicate that Neu1 sialidase is already in complex with TLR-2, -3 and -4 receptors, and is induced upon ligand binding to either receptor. Activated Neu1 sialidase hydrolyzes sialyl &alpha;-2,3-linked &beta;-galactosyl residues distant from ligand binding to remove steric hinderance to TLR-4 dimerization, MyD88/TLR4 complex recruitment, NFkB activation and pro-inflammatory cell responses. In a collaborative report, Neu1 sialidase has been shown to regulate phagocytosis in macrophage cells 6. Taken together, the sialidase assay has provided us with powerful insights to the molecular mechanisms of ligand-induced receptor activation. Although the precise relationship between Neu1 sialidase and the activation of TLR, Trk receptors has yet to be fully elucidated, it would represent a new or pioneering approach to cell regulation pathways.

The sialidase assay is a simple technical approach that will elucidate novel molecular mechanism(s) of TLR sensors of microbial infections and involvement in inflammatory diseases at the receptor level on the cell surface of live macrophages.

Rilevazione di attività NEU1 sialidasi nella regolamentazione Toll-like l&#39;attivazione del recettore

Mammalian Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are a family of receptors that recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns. Not only are TLRs crucial sensors of ...

Ricerca

Immunologia e infezioni

Isolation of Myeloid Dendritic Cells and Epithelial Cells from Human Thymus

In this protocol we provide a method to isolate dendritic cells (DC) and epithelial cells (TEC) from the human thymus. DC and TEC are the major antigen presenting cell (APC) types found in a normal thymus and it is well established that they play distinct roles during thymic selection. These cells are localized in distinct microenvironments in the thymus and each APC type makes up only a minor population of cells. To further understand the biology of these cell types, characterization of these cell populations is highly desirable but due to their low frequency, isolation of any of these cell types requires an efficient and reproducible procedure. This protocol details a method to obtain cells suitable for characterization of diverse cellular properties. Thymic tissue is mechanically disrupted and after different steps of enzymatic digestion, the resulting cell suspension is enriched using a Percoll density centrifugation step. For isolation of myeloid DC (CD11c+), cells from the low-density fraction (LDF) are immunoselected by magnetic cell sorting. Enrichment of TEC populations (mTEC, cTEC) is achieved by depletion of hematopoietic (CD45hi) cells from the low-density Percoll cell fraction allowing their subsequent isolation via fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS) using specific cell markers. The isolated cells can be used for different downstream applications.

This protocol details a method to isolate antigen presenting cells from human thymus via different steps of enzymatic digestion of the tissue followed by density centrifugation of the single cell suspension and finally magnetic and/or FACS sorting of the cell populations of interest.

Isolamento di cellule dendritiche mieloidi e cellule epiteliali di timo umano

In this protocol we provide a method to isolate dendritic cells (DC) and epithelial cells (TEC) from the human thymus. DC and TEC are the major antigen ...

Generation of Human Alloantigen-specific T Cells from Peripheral Blood

The study of human T lymphocyte biology often involves examination of responses to activating ligands. T cells recognize and respond to processed peptide antigens presented by MHC (human ortholog HLA) molecules through the T cell receptor (TCR) in a highly sensitive and specific manner. While the primary function of T cells is to mediate protective immune responses to foreign antigens presented by self-MHC, T cells respond robustly to antigenic differences in allogeneic tissues. T cell responses to alloantigens can be described as either direct or indirect alloreactivity. In alloreactivity, the T cell responds through highly specific recognition of both the presented peptide and the MHC molecule. The robust oligoclonal response of T cells to allogeneic stimulation reflects the large number of potentially stimulatory alloantigens present in allogeneic tissues. While the breadth of alloreactive T cell responses is an important factor in initiating and mediating the pathology associated with biologically-relevant alloreactive responses such as graft versus host disease and allograft rejection, it can preclude analysis of T cell responses to allogeneic ligands. To this end, this protocol describes a method for generating alloreactive T cells from naive human peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) that respond to known peptide-MHC (pMHC) alloantigens. The protocol applies pMHC multimer labeling, magnetic bead enrichment and flow cytometry to single cell in vitro culture methods for the generation of alloantigen-specific T cell clones. This enables studies of the biochemistry and function of T cells responding to allogeneic stimulation.

This article describes a method for the generation and propagation of human T cell clones that specifically respond to a defined alloantigen. This protocol can be adapted for cloning human T cells specific for a variety of peptide-MHC ligands.

Generazione di Human alloantigene-specifiche cellule T da sangue periferico

The study of human T lymphocyte biology often involves examination of responses to activating ligands. T cells recognize and respond to processed peptide ...

Isolation of Murine Peritoneal Macrophages to Carry Out Gene Expression Analysis Upon Toll-like Receptors Stimulation

During infection and inflammation, circulating monocytes leave the bloodstream and migrate into tissues, where they differentiate into macrophages. Macrophages express surface Toll-like receptors (TLRs), which recognize molecular patterns conserved through evolution in a wide range of microorganisms. TLRs play a central role in macrophage activation which is usually associated with gene expression alteration. Macrophages are critical in many diseases and have emerged as attractive targets for therapy. In the following protocol, we describe a procedure to isolate murine peritoneal macrophages using Brewer&#8217;s thioglycollate medium. The latter will boost monocyte migration into the peritoneum, accordingly this will raise macrophage yield by 10-fold. Several studies have been carried out using bone marrow, spleen or peritoneal derived macrophages. However, peritoneal macrophages were shown to be more mature upon isolation and are more stable in their functionality and phenotype. Thus, macrophages isolated from murine peritoneal cavity present an important cell population that can serve in different immunological and metabolic studies. Once isolated, macrophages were stimulated with different TLR ligands and consequently&#160;gene expression was evaluated.

We describe here a simple protocol to isolate murine peritoneal macrophages. This procedure is followed by RNA extraction to carry out gene expression analysis upon Toll-like receptors stimulation.

Isolamento di murini peritoneale macrofagi di effettuare analisi di espressione genica Al Toll-like recettori stimolazione

During infection and inflammation, circulating monocytes leave the bloodstream and migrate into tissues, where they differentiate into macrophages. ...

Generation of Human Monocyte-derived Dendritic Cells from Whole Blood

Dendritic cells (DCs) recognize foreign structures of different pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi, via a variety of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) expressed on their cell surface and thereby activate and regulate immunity. 
The major function of DCs is the induction of adaptive immunity in the lymph nodes by presenting antigens via MHC I and MHC II molecules to na&#239;ve T lymphocytes. Therefore, DCs have to migrate from the periphery to the lymph nodes after the recognition of pathogens at the sites of infection. For in vitro experiments or DC vaccination strategies, monocyte-derived DCs are routinely used. These cells show similarities in physiology, morphology, and function to conventional myeloid dendritic cells. They are generated by interleukin 4 (IL-4) and granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) stimulation of monocytes isolated from healthy donors. Here, we demonstrate how monocytes are isolated and stimulated from anti-coagulated human blood after peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) enrichment by density gradient centrifugation. Human monocytes are differentiated into immature DCs and are ready for experimental procedures in a non-clinical setting after 5 days of incubation.

Here, we demonstrate how monocytes are isolated by magnetic bead separation from peripheral blood mononuclear cells after density gradient centrifugation of human anti-coagulated blood. Following incubation for 5 days, human monocytes are differentiated into immature dendritic cells and are ready for experimental procedures in a non-clinical setting.

Generazione di derivate da monociti cellule dendritiche umane da sangue intero

Dendritic cells (DCs) recognize foreign structures of different pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi, via a variety of pattern recognition ...

Use of a Monocyte Monolayer Assay to Evaluate Fc&#947; Receptor-mediated Phagocytosis

Although originally developed for predicting transfusion outcomes of serologically incompatible blood, the monocyte monolayer assay (MMA) is a highly versatile in vitro assay that can be modified to examine different aspects of antibody and Fc&#947; receptor (Fc&#947;R)-mediated phagocytosis in both research and clinical settings. The assay utilizes adherent monocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from mammalian whole blood. MMA has been described for use in both human and murine investigations. These monocytes express Fc&#947;Rs (e.g., Fc&#947;RI, Fc&#947;RIIA, Fc&#947;RIIB, and Fc&#947;RIIIA) that are involved in immune responses. The MMA exploits the mechanism of Fc&#947;R-mediated interactions, phagocytosis in particular, where antibody-sensitized red blood cells (RBCs) adhere to and/or activate Fc&#947;Rs and are subsequently phagocytosed by the monocytes. In vivo, primarily tissue macrophages found in the spleen and liver carry out Fc&#947;R-mediated phagocytosis of antibody-opsonized RBCs, causing extravascular hemolysis. By evaluating the level of phagocytosis using the MMA, different aspects of the in vivo Fc&#947;R-mediated process can be investigated. Some applications of the MMA include predicting the clinical relevance of allo- or autoantibodies in a transfusion setting, assessing candidate drugs that promote or inhibit phagocytosis, and combining the assay with fluorescent microscopy or traditional Western immunoblotting to investigate the downstream signaling effects of Fc&#947;R-engaging drugs or antibodies. Some limitations include the laboriousness of this technique, which takes a full day from start to finish, and the requirement of research ethics approval in order to work with mammalian blood. However, with diligence and adequate training, the MMA results can be obtained within a 24-h turnover time.

Use of a Monocyte Monolayer Assay to Evaluate Fc&amp;#947; Receptor-mediated Phagocytosis

The monocyte monolayer assay (MMA) is an in vitro assay that utilizes isolated primary monocytes obtained from mammalian peripheral whole blood to evaluate Fc&#947; receptor (Fc&#947;R)-mediated phagocytosis.

L&#39;uso di un monociti monostrato test per valutare fagocitosi Fcy recettore-mediata

Although originally developed for predicting transfusion outcomes of serologically incompatible blood, the monocyte monolayer assay (MMA) is a highly ...

Dextran Enhances the Lentiviral Transduction Efficiency of Murine and Human Primary NK Cells

The efficient transduction of specific genes into natural killer (NK) cells has been a major challenge. Successful transductions are critical to defining the role of the gene of interest in the development, differentiation, and function of NK cells. Recent advances related to chimeric antigen receptors (CARs) in cancer immunotherapy accentuate the need for an efficient method to deliver exogenous genes to effector lymphocytes. The efficiencies of lentiviral-mediated gene transductions into primary human or mouse NK cells remain significantly low, which is a major limiting factor. Recent advances using cationic polymers, such as polybrene, show an improved gene transduction efficiency in T cells. However, these products failed to improve the transduction efficiencies of NK cells. This work shows that dextran, a branched glucan polysaccharide, significantly improves the transduction efficiency of human and mouse primary NK cells. This highly reproducible transduction methodology provides a competent tool for transducing human primary NK cells, which can vastly improve clinical gene delivery applications and thus NK cell-based cancer immunotherapy.

The goal of this study was to formulate technologies that allow for successful gene transduction in primary natural killer (NK) cells. The dextran-mediated lentiviral transduction of human or mouse primary NK cells results in higher gene expression efficiencies. This method of gene transduction will vastly improve NK cell genetic manipulation.

Destrano migliora l'efficienza di trasduzione lentivirale di cellule NK primarie Murine ed umane

The efficient transduction of specific genes into natural killer (NK) cells has been a major challenge. Successful transductions are critical to defining ...

Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen causing invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts with a high case-fatality rate. Research investigating immunological responses against A. fumigatus has been limited by the lack of consistent and reliable assays for measuring the antifungal activity of specific immune cells in vitro. A new method is described to assess the antifungal activity of primary monocytes and neutrophils from human donors against A. fumigatus using FLuorescent Aspergillus REporter (FLARE) conidia. These conidia contain a genetically encoded dsRed reporter, which is constitutively expressed by live FLARE conidia, and are externally labeled with Alexa Fluor 633, which is resistant to degradation within the phagolysosome, thus allowing a distinction between live and dead A. fumigatus conidia. Video microscopy and flow cytometry are subsequently used to visualize the interaction between conidia and innate immune cells, assessing fungicidal activity whilst also providing a wealth of information on phagocyte migration, phagocytosis and the inhibition of fungal growth. This novel technique has already provided exciting new insights into the host-pathogen interaction of primary immune cells against A. fumigatus. It is important to note the laboratory setup required to perform this assay, including the necessary microscopy and flow cytometry facilities, and the capacity to work with human donor blood and genetically manipulated fungi. However, this assay is capable of generating large amounts of data and can reveal detailed insights into the antifungal response. This protocol has successfully been used to study the host-pathogen interaction of primary immune cells against A. fumigatus.
It is important to note the laboratory setup required to perform this assay, including the necessary microscopy and flow cytometry facilities, and the capacity to work with human donor blood and genetically manipulated fungi. However, this assay is capable of generating large amounts of data and can reveal detailed insights into the antifungal response. This protocol has successfully been used to study the host-pathogen interaction of primary immune cells against A. fumigatus.

Live Imaging of Antifungal Activity by Human Primary Neutrophils and Monocytes in Response to A. fumigatus

Here, we describe a protocol to assess antifungal activity of primary human immune cells in real-time using fluorescent Aspergillus reporter conidia in conjunction with live-cell video microscopy and flow cytometry. Generated data provide insight into host cell-Aspergillus interactions such as fungicidal activity, phagocytosis, cell migration and inhibition of fungal growth.

Immagini dal vivo di antifungini attività da Human neutrofili e monociti primaria in risposta a<em&gt; A. fumigatus</em

Aspergillus fumigatus is an opportunistic fungal pathogen causing invasive infections in immunocompromised hosts with a high case-fatality rate. Research ...

Isolation of Dendritic Cells from the Human Female Reproductive Tract for Phenotypical and Functional Studies

The characterization of the human dendritic cells (DCs) resident in mucosal tissues is challenging due to the difficulty in obtaining samples, and the low numbers of DCs present per tissue. Yet, as the phenotype and function of DCs is modified by the tissue environment, it is necessary to analyze tissue resident DC populations, since blood derived DCs incompletely reflect the complexities of DCs in tissues. Here we present a protocol to isolate DCs from the human female reproductive tract (FRT) using hysterectomy specimens that allows both phenotypical and functional analyses. The protocol consists of tissue digestion to generate a single cell mixed cell suspension, followed by positive magnetic bead selection. Our tissue digestion protocol does not cleave surface markers, which allows phenotypical and functional analysis of DCs in the steady state, without overnight incubation or cell activation. This protocol can be adapted for the isolation of other immune cell types or isolation of DCs from other tissues.

We describe here a method to isolate and purify dendritic cells from different anatomical compartments in the human female reproductive tract for the evaluation of their phenotypical and functional characteristics. This method can be adapted to isolate other immune cells or dendritic cells from other mucosal tissues.

Isolamento di cellule dendritiche dal tratto riproduttivo femminile umano per studi fenotipici e funzionali

The characterization of the human dendritic cells (DCs) resident in mucosal tissues is challenging due to the difficulty in obtaining samples, and the low ...

Development and Validation of an Ultrasensitive Single Molecule Array Digital Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay for Human Interferon-&#945;

The main aim of this protocol is to describe the development and validation of an interferon (IFN)-&#945; single molecule array digital Enzyme-Linked ImmunoSorbent Assay (ELISA) assay. This system enables the quantification of human IFN-&#945; protein with unprecedented sensitivity, and with no cross-reactivity for other species of IFN.
The first key step of the protocol is the choice of the antibody pair, followed by the conjugation of the capture antibody to paramagnetic beads, and biotinylation of the detection antibody. Following this step, different parameters such as assay configuration, detector antibody concentration, and buffer composition can be modified until optimum sensitivity is achieved. Finally, specificity and reproducibility of the method are assessed to ensure confidence in the results. Here, we developed an IFN-&#945; single molecule array assay with a limit of detection of 0.69 fg/mL using high-affinity autoantibodies isolated from patients with biallelic mutations in the autoimmune regulator (AIRE) protein causing autoimmune polyendocrinopathy syndrome type 1/autoimmune polyendocrinopathy-candidiasis-ectodermal dystrophy (APS1/APECED). Importantly, these antibodies enabled detection of all 13 IFN-&#945; subtypes.
This new methodology allows the detection and quantification of IFN-&#945; protein in human biological samples at attomolar concentrations for the first time. Such a tool will be highly useful in monitoring the levels of this cytokine in human health and disease states, most particularly infection, autoimmunity, and autoinflammation.

Development and Validation of an Ultrasensitive Single Molecule Array Digital Enzyme-linked Immunosorbent Assay for Human Interferon-&amp;#945;

Here we present a protocol to describe the development and validation of a single molecule array digital ELISA assay, which enables the ultra-sensitive detection of all IFN-&#945; subtypes in human samples.

Sviluppo e validazione di una singola molecola ultrasensibile di matrice digitale analisi enzima-collegata dell'immunosorbente per umana dell'interferone-α

The main aim of this protocol is to describe the development and validation of an interferon (IFN)-&#945; single molecule array digital Enzyme-Linked ...