Name: isolation and culture of primary aortic endothelial cells from miniature pigs
Uploaded: 2019-08-14T13:00:00
Description: Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs at JoVE.com

The work was supported by grants from Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province, Grant/Award Number: 2016A030313028; Medical Scientific Research Foundation of Guangdong Province, Grant/Award Number: B2018003; Shenzhen Foundation of Science and Technology, Grant/Award Number: JCYJ20180306172449376, JCYJ20180306172459580, JCJY20160229204849975, GJHZ20170314171357556, JCYJ20160425103000011 and JCYJ20160428142040945; Shenzhen Longhua District Foundation of Science and Technology, Grant/Award Number: 2017013; National Key R&#38;D Program of China, Grant/Award Number: 2017YFC1103704; Sanming Project of Medicine in Shenzhen, Grant/Award Number: SZSM201412020; Special Funds for the Construction of High Level Hospitals in Guangdong Province (2019); Fund for High Level Medical Discipline Construction of Shenzhen, Grant/Award Number: 2016031638; Shenzhen Foundation of Health and Family Planning Commission, Grant/Award Number: SZXJ2017021 and SZXJ2018059. We thank Hancheng Zhang and Zhicheng Zou from Shenzhen University for assisting in the preparation of the manuscript.

The use of animals was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of Shenzhen Second People&#39;s Hospital, in accordance with the principles of animal welfare.
1. Preparation of animals, medium, and buffers
<ol>
	<li>Prepare the miniature pig. 
	NOTE: All miniature pigs were Chinese Wuzhishan or Bama pigs (male). The age and weight of pigs were 100 days &#177; 8 days and 5.7 kg &#177; 1.0 kg (mean &#177; SD, n = 3), respectively.</li>
	<li>Prepare the culture medium: endothelial cell medi...

<ol>
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Chapter 2, 2.1.1-2.1.12 (2001).</li></ol>

Endothelial cells are commonly used in research of vascular dysfunction, diabetes, tissue regeneration, transplantation, and cancers14,15,16,17,18. To understand and characterize the biology and function of ECs in these diseases, numerous methods to isolate the ECs of different diseased organs or tissues have been reported8,<...

The shortage of available organs for transplantation is an outstanding problem world-wide1. According to the Red Cross Society of China, only a small number of patients with end-stage organ failure received a suitable organ in China in 2018.
Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the problem of organ shortage. Pig organs are considered to be the most suitable organs for humans because of anatomic and physiologic similarities2,3. The failure of a pig xenograft is largely related to the primate immune rejection and coagulation responses. Porcine endothelial cells (ECs) are critical since these cells are the first to interact with the primate immune system, which includes antibody, complement, cytokines, and immune cells (e.g., T cells, B cells, and macrophages)4,5. Porcine ECs play a vital role in pig organ and islet xenotransplantation6,7. Thus, ECs are important cells for investigating the rejection and coagulation responses to a pig graft. Isolation of high-quality porcine ECs is required for xenotransplantation research.
In attempts to isolate ECs from different organs (e.g., heart, kidney, liver and aorta), several protocols have been reported in a xenotransplant setting8,9,10,11,12. However, keeping an ultrapure culture of isolated ECs is an outstanding problem in standard protocols. The increased concentration of the digested solution, inappropriate digestion time and scrape intensity may contribute to the increased fibroblast contamination in current studies8,10,13. Besides, the method of isolated pAECs from miniature pigs is less studied. Here, we describe an optimized enzymatic method to isolate highly-purified pAECs from miniature pigs (Wuzhishan or Bama). Several steps in the protocol have been designed to reduce fibroblast contamination and obtain high-purity ECs.

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			<td style="width:142px;">1052#</td>
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			<td style="width:424px;">AXYGEN</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">MCT-150-C#</td>
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			<td style="width:424px;">Corning</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">353003#</td>
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			<td style="width:142px;">10270-106#</td>
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			<td style="width:424px;">Kang Yi Ecological Agriculture Co., Ltd, China</td>
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			<td style="width:424px;">JET Biofil</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">GSP010010#&#160;</td>
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			<td style="width:424px;">GeneBrick</td>
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			<td style="width:424px;">Millipore</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">SLGV033RS#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Surgical scalpel</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">ShangHai medical instruments Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">22#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Surgical suture</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Shanghai Pudong Jinhuan Medical Supplies Co., Ltd</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">5-0#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="22">
			<td height="22" style="height:22px;width:280px;">Syringe&#65288;5mL&#65289;</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Shengguang Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Trypsin-EDTA (0.25%), phenol red</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">GIBCO</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">25200056#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">75% Medical alcohol</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Guilin LiFeng Medical Supplies Co.,Ltd.China</td>
			<td style="width:142px;"></td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">20 x PBS solution (pH 7.4,Nuclease free)</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sangon Biotech</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">B540627#</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
		<tr height="21">
			<td height="21" style="height:21px;width:280px;">Medical disinfectant 84 liquid</td>
			<td style="width:424px;">Sichuan Province Yijieshi Medical Technology Co., Ltd</td>
			<td style="width:142px;">450ml/bottle</td>
			<td></td>
		</tr>
	</tbody>
</table>

isolation and culture of primary aortic endothelial cells from miniature pigs

Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the shortage of human organs for patients with end-stage organ failure, and the pig is considered as a suitable organ source. Immune rejection and coagulation are two major hurdles for the success of xenotransplantation. Vascular endothelial cell (EC) injury and dysfunction are important for the development of the inflammation and coagulation responses in xenotransplantation. Thus, isolation of porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) is necessary for investigating the immune rejection and coagulation responses. Here, we have developed a simple enzymatic approach for the isolation, characterization, and expansion of highly purified pAECs from miniature pigs. First, the miniature pig was anaesthetized with ketamine, and a length of aorta was excised. Second, the endothelial surface of aorta was exposed to 0.005% collagenase IV digestive solution for 15 min. Third, the endothelial surface of the aorta was scraped in only one direction with a cell scraper (&#60;10 times), and was not compressed during the process of scraping. Finally, the isolated pAECs of Day 3, and after passage 1 and passage 2, were identified by flow cytometry with an anti-CD31 antibody. The percentages of CD31-positive cells were 97.4% &#177; 1.2%, 94.4% &#177; 1.1%, and 92.4% &#177; 1.7% (mean &#177; SD), respectively. The concentration of Collagenase IV, the digestive time, the direction, and frequency and intensity of scraping are critical for decreasing fibroblast contamination and obtaining high-purity and a large number of ECs. In conclusion, our enzymatic method is a highly-effctive method for isolating ECs from the miniature pig aorta, and the cells can be expanded in vitro to investigate the immune and coagulation responses in xenotransplantation.

Our method aims to provide an effective way to isolate highly-purified ECs from the aortas from miniature pigs. The process of aorta surgery is shown in Figure 1. The first step is that the whole aorta is excised from the pig. Preventing other cell or bacterial contamination is very important. Thus, do not injure other organs or tissues in case untargeted cells or bacteria contaminate the aorta, and wash the aorta with pre-cooled washing buffer 3x (Figure 1<stro...

Watch this Scientific Journal Video about Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs at JoVE.com

Isolation and Culture of Primary Aortic Endothelial Cells from Miniature Pigs

An effective enzymatic method for isolation of primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (pAECs) from miniature pigs is described. The isolated primary pAECs can be used to investigate the immune and coagulation response in xenotransplantation.

Xenotransplantation is a promising way to resolve the shortage of human organs for patients with end-stage organ failure, and the pig is considered as a ...

The method is a highly effective method for isolating endothelial cells from miniature pig. And the cells can be expanded too, investigate the immune and coagulation response in xenotransplantation. The main advantage of technique is that it is not only easy, highly effective to isolate highly purified endothelium cells from pig, but also better for keeping other pAECs when passaged.After confirming a lack of response to pain reflex in the anesthetized pig, wash the porcine abdominal wall three times with 75%medical alcohol, and one tincture of iodine. After the last wash, use a scalpel to make an abdominal incision to expose the inferior vena cava, and use a five milliliter syringe to inject 5000 units of heparin sodium into the inferior vena cava. After five minutes, insert a catheter into the abdominal aorta, and use a scalpel to incise the diaphragm.With the help of a second investigator, remove the left ventricle and use bone forceps to excise the ribs to expose the heart and lungs. Locate the aorta posterior to the heart and lungs, and clamp the ends. Use scissors to excise the aorta, and wash it one time with pre-cooled washing buffer.Remove any excess tissue around the aorta with sterile forceps and scissors, and place the vessel into a 50 milliliter centrifuge tube containing fresh pre-cooled washing buffer for transfer to the laboratory. For porcine aortic endothelial cell isolation, transfer the pig aorta into a 150 millimeter petri dish under aseptic conditions, and gently remove both ends of the vessel. Trim any additional excess tissue where the vessel had been clamped, with sterile forceps and scissors, and use 20 to 50 milliliters of fresh washing buffer to rinse the outside and inside of the aorta.Next, pass a surgical suture through the aorta, and loosely tie one end of the vessel, keeping the suture within the lumen. Gently fix the aorta near the tied end with forceps and then pull the surgical suture slowly, to reverse the aorta, until the endothelial surface of the aorta is exposed. Wash the endothelial surface of the aorta three times with 10 milliliters of fresh washing buffer per wash, and place the aorta into a 15 milliliter centrifuge tube.Cover the sample with 10 milliliters of 37 degrees Celsius warmed 0.005%collagenase IV digestive solution, and incubate the tissue at 37 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes. At the end of the incubation, transfer the entire tube contents into a 100 millimeter culture dish, and arrest the digestion with 10 to 15 milliliters of pre-cooled stopping buffer. Using a cell scraper, gently remove the aortic endothelial cells from the inside surface of the vessel, and wash the vessel three times with five milliliters of washing buffer per wash.After the last wash, transfer the supernatant into a 50 milliliter centrifuge tube, and wash the bottom of the culture dish two times with five milliliters of fresh washing buffer, per wash, pulling the washes in the 50 milliliter tube. Collect the cells by centrifugation, and discard all but the last 10 milliliters of supernatant. Add 20 milliliters of washing buffer to resuspend the pellet, taking care to avoid bubbles, and collect the cells with another centrifugation.Resuspend the pellet in one milliliter of cell culture medium for counting, and plate the cells at a one times ten to the six cells per 25 centimeters squared flask concentration. Then place the cells in the cell culture incubator at 37 degrees Celsius in 5%carbon dioxide, refreshing the medium every two to three days. After isolation, the endothelial cells are inspected on day zero, one, and two, and after passages one and two for contamination and their morphological evaluation.Flow cytometric analysis using an anti-CD31-FITC antibody indicates a typically greater than 97%endothelial cell marker positive population on day three of culture, that is maintained at an over 90%purity even after two passages. The endothelial surface of the aorta was scraped in only one direction, with a cell scraper, for less than 10 times, and it was not compressed during the process of scraping. Best answer, optimized method of pAECs isolation, we can use purified pAECs to perform individual experiments and investigate the immune rejection and coagulation response in xenotransplantation.

isolation-culture-primary-aortic-endothelial-cells-from-miniature

Research

JoVE Journal

Biology

Isolation of Valvular Endothelial Cells

Heart valves are solely responsible for maintaining unidirectional blood flow through the cardiovascular system. These thin, fibrous tissues are subjected to significant mechanical stresses as they open and close several billion times over a lifespan. The incredible endurance of these tissues is due to the resident valvular endothelial (VEC) and interstitial cells (VIC) that constantly repair and remodel in response to local mechanical and biological signals. Only recently have we begun to understand the unique behaviors of these cells, for which in vitro experimentation has played a key role. Particularly challenging is the isolation and culture of VEC. Special care must be used from the moment the tissue is removed from the host through final plating. Here we present protocols for direct isolation, side specific isolation, culture, and verification of pure populations of VEC. We use enzymatic digestion followed by a gentle swab scraping technique to dislodge only surface cells. These cells are then collected into a tube and centrifuged into a pellet. The pellet is then resuspended and plated into culture flasks pre-coated with collagen I matrix. VEC phenotype is confirmed by contact inhibited growth and the expression of endothelial specific markers such as PECAM1 (CD31), Von Willebrand Factor (vWF), and negative expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin (&alpha;-SMA). The functional characteristics of VEC are associated with high levels of acetylated LDL. Unlike vascular endothelial cells, VEC have the unique capacity to transform into mesenchyme, which normally occurs during embryonic valve formation1. This can also occur during significantly prolonged post confluent in vitro culture, so care should be made to passage at or near confluence. After VEC isolation, pure populations of VIC can then be easily acquired.

We provide a method for isolating and culturing pure populations of heart valve endothelial cells (VEC). VEC can be isolated from either side of the cusp or leaflet and immediately following, underlying interstitial cell (VIC) isolation is straightforward.

Heart valves are solely responsible for maintaining unidirectional blood flow through the cardiovascular system.  These thin, fibrous tissues are ...

Isolation and Culture of Pulmonary Endothelial Cells from Neonatal Mice

Endothelial cells provide a useful research model in many areas of vascular biology. Since its first isolation 1, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) have shown to be convenient, easy to obtain and culture, and thus are the most widely studied endothelial cells. However, for research focused on processes like angiogenesis, permeability or many others, microvascular endothelial cells (ECs) are a much more physiologically relevant model to study 2. Furthermore, ECs isolated from knockout mice provide a useful tool for analysis of protein function ex vivo. Several approaches to isolate and culture microvascular ECs of different origin have been reported to date 3-7, but consistent isolation and culture of pure ECs is still a major technical problem in many laboratories. Here, we provide a step-by-step protocol on a reliable and relatively simple method of isolating and culturing mouse lung endothelial cells (MLECs). In this approach, lung tissue obtained from 6- to 8-day old pups is first cut into pieces, digested with collagenase/dispase (C/D) solution and dispersed mechanically into single-cell suspension. MLECS are purified from cell suspension using positive selection with anti-PECAM-1 antibody conjugated to Dynabeads using a Magnetic Particle Concentrator (MPC). Such purified cells are cultured on gelatin-coated tissue culture (TC) dishes until they become confluent. At that point, cells are further purified using Dynabeads coupled to anti-ICAM-2 antibody. MLECs obtained with this protocol exhibit a cobblestone phenotype, as visualized by phase-contrast light microscopy, and their endothelial phenotype has been confirmed using FACS analysis with anti-VE-cadherin 8 and anti-VEGFR2 9 antibodies and immunofluorescent staining of VE-cadherin. In our hands, this two-step isolation procedure consistently and reliably yields a pure population of MLECs, which can be further cultured. This method will enable researchers to take advantage of the growing number of knockout and transgenic mice to directly correlate in vivo studies with results of in vitro experiments performed on isolated MLECs and thus help to reveal molecular mechanisms of vascular phenotypes observed in vivo.

Here, we describe a protocol for isolation and culture of murine pulmonary endothelial cells. This method comprises mechanic and enzymatic lung tissue dissociation as well as a 2-step purification process using anti-PECAM-1 and anti-ICAM-2 antibodies conjugated to magnetic beads, which produces a pure endothelial cell population of mostly microvascular origin.

Endothelial cells provide a useful research model in many areas of vascular biology. Since its first isolation 1, human umbilical vein endothelial cells ...

Isolation and Primary Culture of Rat Hepatic Cells

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology and other related subjects. The method based on two-step collagenase perfusion for isolation of intact hepatocytes was first introduced by Berry and Friend in 1969 1 and, since then, has undergone many modifications. The most commonly used technique was described by Seglenin 1976 2. Essentially, hepatocytes are dissociated from anesthetized adult rats by a non-recirculating collagenase perfusion through the portal vein. The isolated cells are then filtered through a 100 &mu;m pore size mesh nylon filter, and cultured onto plates. After 4-hour culture, the medium is replaced with serum-containing or serum-free medium, e.g. HepatoZYME-SFM, for additional time to culture. These procedures require surgical and sterile culture steps that can be better demonstrated by video than by text. Here, we document the detailed steps for these procedures by both video and written protocol, which allow consistently in the generation of viable hepatocytes in large numbers.

Primary hepatocytes provide a valuable tool to evaluate biochemical, molecular, and metabolic functions in a physiologically relevant experimental system. We describe a reliable protocol for rat in situ liver perfusion, which consistently generates viable hepatocytes up to 1.0 &times; 108 cells per preparation with cell viability between 88 ~ 96%.

Primary hepatocyte culture is a valuable tool that has been extensively used in basic research of liver function, disease, pathophysiology, pharmacology ...

Isolation of Immune Cells from Primary Tumors

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various chemokines and growth factors 1,2. However, once in the TME, these cells lose the ability to promote anti-tumor immunity and begin to support tumor growth and down-regulate anti-tumor immune responses 3-4. Studies on tumor-associated leukocytes have mainly focused on cells isolated from tumor-draining lymph nodes or spleen due to the inherent difficulties in obtaining sufficient cell numbers and purity from the primary tumor. While identifying the mechanisms of cell activation and trafficking through the lymphatic system of tumor bearing mice is important and may give insight to the kinetics of immune responses to cancer, in our experience, many leukocytes, including dendritic cells (DCs), in tumor-draining lymph nodes have a different phenotype than those that infiltrate tumors 5,6 . Furthermore, we have previously demonstrated that adoptively-transferred T cells isolated from the tumor-draining lymph nodes are not tolerized and are capable of responding to secondary stimulation in vitro unlike T cells isolated from the TME, which are tolerized and incapable of proliferation or cytokine production 7,8. Interestingly, we have shown that changing the tumor microenvironment, such as providing CD4+ T helper cells via adoptive transfer, promotes CD8+ T cells to maintain pro-inflammatory effector functions 5. The results from each of the previously mentioned studies demonstrate the importance of measuring cellular responses from TME-infiltrating immune cells as opposed to cells that remain in the periphery. To study the function of immune cells which infiltrate tumors using the Miltenyi Biotech isolation system9, we have modified and optimized this antibody-based isolation procedure to obtain highly enriched populations of antigen presenting cells and tumor antigen-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes. The protocol includes a detailed dissection of murine prostate tissue from a spontaneous prostate tumor model (TRansgenic Adenocarcinoma of the Mouse Prostate -TRAMP) 10 and a subcutaneous melanoma (B16) tumor model followed by subsequent purification of various leukocyte populations.

In this report, we describe a protocol for isolating highly purified populations of leukocytes that infiltrate tumors. This protocol is adapted from the Miltenyi Biotech protocol to enhance yield and purity for isolating cells from complex tumor tissue.

Tumors create a unique immunosuppressive microenvironment (tumor microenvironment, TME) whereby leukocytes are recruited into the tumor by various ...

Isolation and Culture of Mouse Primary Pancreatic Acinar Cells

This protocol permits rapid isolation (in less than 1 hr) of murine pancreatic acini, making it possible to maintain them in culture for more than one week. More than 20 x 106 acinar cells can be obtained from a single murine pancreas. This protocol offers the possibility to independently process as many as 10 pancreases in parallel. Because it preserves acinar architecture, this model is well suited for studying the physiology of the exocrine pancreas in vitro in contrast to cell lines established from pancreatic tumors, which display many genetic alterations resulting in partial or total loss of their acinar differentiation.

In this publication, we describe a rapid and convenient procedure for isolating and culturing primary pancreatic acinar cells from the murine pancreas. This method constitutes a valuable approach to study the physiology of fresh primary normal/untransformed exocrine pancreatic cells.

This protocol permits rapid isolation (in less than 1 hr) of murine pancreatic acini, making it possible to maintain them in culture for more than one ...

Isolation of Murine Valve Endothelial Cells

Normal valve structures consist of stratified layers of specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) interspersed with valve interstitial cells (VICs) and surrounded by a monolayer of valve endothelial cells (VECs). VECs play essential roles in establishing the valve structures during embryonic development, and are important for maintaining life-long valve integrity and function. In contrast to a continuous endothelium over the surface of healthy valve leaflets, VEC disruption is commonly observed in malfunctioning valves and is associated with pathological processes that promote valve disease and dysfunction. Despite the clinical relevance, focused studies determining the contribution of VECs to development and disease processes are limited. The isolation of VECs from animal models would allow for cell-specific experimentation. VECs have been isolated from large animal adult models but due to their small population size, fragileness, and lack of specific markers, no reports of VEC isolations in embryos or adult small animal models have been reported. Here we describe a novel method that allows for the direct isolation of VECs from mice at embryonic and adult stages. Utilizing the Tie2-GFP reporter model that labels all endothelial cells with Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP), we have been successful in isolating GFP-positive (and negative) cells from the semilunar and atrioventricular valve regions using fluorescence activated cell sorting (FACS). Isolated GFP-positive VECs are enriched for endothelial markers, including CD31 and von Willebrand Factor (vWF), and retain endothelial cell expression when cultured; while, GFP-negative cells exhibit molecular profiles and cell shapes consistent with VIC phenotypes. The ability to isolate embryonic and adult murine VECs allows for previously unattainable molecular and functional studies to be carried out on a specific valve cell population, which will greatly improve our understanding of valve development and disease mechanisms.

The ability to isolate heart valve endothelial cells (VECs) is critical for understanding mechanisms of valve development, maintenance, and disease. Here we describe the isolation of VECs from embryonic and adult Tie2-GFP mice using FACS that will allow for studies determining the contribution of VECs in developmental and disease processes.

Normal valve structures consist of stratified layers of specialized extracellular matrix (ECM) interspersed with valve interstitial cells (VICs) and ...

Isolation and Primary Culture of Mouse Aortic Endothelial Cells

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an important model for cardiovascular disease research. This study demonstrates a simple method to isolate and culture endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without any special equipment. To isolate endothelial cells, the thoracic aorta is quickly removed from the mouse body, and the attached adipose tissue and connective tissue are removed from the aorta. The aorta is cut into 1 mm rings. Each aortic ring is opened and seeded onto a growth factor reduced matrix with the endothelium facing down. The segments are cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for about 4 days. The endothelial sprouting starts as early as day 2. The segments are then removed and the cells are cultured continually until they reach confluence. The endothelial cells are harvested using neutral proteinase and cultured in endothelial cell growth medium for another two passages before being used for experiments. Immunofluorescence staining indicated that after the second passage the majority of cells were double positive for Dil-ac-LDL uptake, Lectin binding, and CD31 staining, the typical characteristics of endothelial cells. It is suggested that cells at the second to third passages are suitable for in vitro and in vivo experiments to study the endothelial biology. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying specific cellular and molecular mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelial cells play a significant role in many important cardiovascular disorders. This article describes a simple method to isolate and expand endothelial cells from the mouse aorta without using any special equipment. Our protocol provides an effective means of identifying mechanisms in endothelial cell physiopathology.

The vascular endothelium is essential to normal vascular homeostasis. Its dysfunction participates in various cardiovascular disorders. The mouse is an ...

Generation and Culture of Blood Outgrowth Endothelial Cells from Human Peripheral Blood

Historically, the limited availability of primary endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders has hindered the study of the molecular mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction in these individuals. However, the recent identification of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs), generated from circulating endothelial progenitors in adult peripheral blood, may circumvent this limitation by offering an endothelial-like, primary cell surrogate for patient-derived endothelial cells. Beyond their value to understanding endothelial biology and disease modeling, BOECs have potential uses in endothelial cell transplantation therapies. They are also a suitable cellular substrate for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) via nuclear reprogramming, offering a number of advantages over other cell types. We describe a method for the reliable generation, culture and characterization of BOECs from adult peripheral blood for use in these and other applications. This approach (i) allows for the generation of patient-specific endothelial cells from a relatively small volume of adult peripheral blood and (ii) produces cells that are highly similar to primary endothelial cells in morphology, cell signaling and gene expression.

This protocol allows for the reliable generation and characterization of blood outgrowth endothelial cells (BOECs) from a small volume of adult peripheral blood. BOECs can be used as a surrogate for endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders and as a substrate for the generation of induced pluripotent stem cells.

Historically, the limited availability of primary endothelial cells from patients with vascular disorders has hindered the study of the molecular ...

Isolation and Culture of Primary Mouse Keratinocytes from Neonatal and Adult Mouse Skin

The keratinocyte (KC) is the predominant cell type in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epidermal KCs play a critical role in providing skin defense by forming an intact skin barrier against environmental insults, such as UVB irradiation or pathogens, and also by initiating an inflammatory response upon those insults. Here we describe methods to isolate KCs from neonatal mouse skin and from adult mouse tail skin. We also describe culturing conditions using defined growth supplements (dGS) in comparison to chelexed fetal bovine serum (cFBS). Functionally, we show that both neonatal and adult KCs are highly responsive to high calcium-induced terminal differentiation, tight junction formation and stratification. Additionally, cultured adult KCs are susceptible to UVB-triggered cell death and can release large amounts of TNF upon UVB irradiation. Together, the methods described here will be useful to researchers for the setup of in vitro models to study epidermal biology in the neonatal mouse and/or the adult mouse.

Epidermal keratinocytes form a functional skin barrier and are positioned at the front line of host defense against external environmental insults. Here we describe methods for isolation and primary culture of epidermal keratinocytes from neonatal and adult mouse skin, and induction of terminal differentiation and UVB-triggered inflammatory response from keratinocytes.

The keratinocyte (KC) is the predominant cell type in the epidermis, the outermost layer of the skin. Epidermal KCs play a critical role in providing skin ...

Isolation and Culture of Primary Oral Keratinocytes from the Adult Mouse Palate

For years, most studies involving keratinocytes have been conducted using human and mouse skin epidermal keratinocytes. Recently, oral keratinocytes have attracted attention because of their unique function and characteristics. They maintain the homeostasis of the oral epithelium and serve as resources for applications in regenerative therapies. However, in vitro studies that use oral primary keratinocytes from adult mice have been limited due to the lack of an efficient and well-established culture protocol. Here, oral primary keratinocytes were isolated from the palate tissues of adult mice and cultured in a commercial low-calcium medium supplemented with a chelexed-serum. Under these conditions, keratinocytes were maintained in a proliferative or stem cell-like state, and their differentiation was inhibited even after increased passages. Marker expression analysis showed that the cultured oral keratinocytes expressed the basal cell markers p63, K14, and &#945;6-integrin and were negative for the differentiation marker K13 and the fibroblast marker PDGFR&#945;. This method produced viable and culturable cells suitable for downstream applications in the study of oral epithelial stem cell functions in vitro.

The present protocol describes the isolation and culture of oral keratinocytes derived from the adult mouse palate. An evaluation method using immunostaining is also reported.

For years, most studies involving keratinocytes have been conducted using human and mouse skin epidermal keratinocytes. Recently, oral keratinocytes have ...