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This protocol describes a three-dimensional (3D) magnetic printing culture system that permits dissection of white adipose tissue (WAT) remodeling induced by a conditioned medium from cancer cells. Using a 3D culture system of UCP1+ adipocytes that express a green fluorescent protein (GFP) allows the study of beige adipocytes contributing to adipose tissue remodeling.
Cancer cachexia (CC) presents itself as a syndrome with multiple manifestations, causing a marked multi-organ metabolic imbalance. Recently, cachectic wasting has been proposed to be stimulated by several inflammatory mediators, which may disrupt the integrative physiology of adipose tissues and other tissues such as the brain and muscle. In this scenario, the tumor can survive at the host's expense. In recent clinical research, the intensity of depletion of the different fat deposits has been negatively correlated with the patient's survival outcome. Studies have also shown that various metabolic disorders can alter white adipose tissue (WAT) remodeling, especially in the early stages of cachexia development. WAT dysfunction resulting from tissue remodeling is a contributor to overall cachexia, with the main modifications in WAT consisting of morpho-functional changes, increased adipocyte lipolysis, accumulation of immune cells, reduction of adipogenesis, changes in progenitor cell population, and the increase of "niches" containing beige/brite cells.
To study the various facets of cachexia-induced WAT remodeling, particularly the changes progenitor cells and beige remodeling, two-dimensional (2D) culture has been the first option for in vitro studies. However, this approach does not adequately summarize WAT complexity. Improved assays for the reconstruction of functional AT ex vivo help the comprehension of physiological interactions between the distinct cell populations. This protocol describes an efficient three-dimensional (3D) printing tissue culture system based on magnetic nanoparticles. The protocol is optimized for investigating WAT remodeling induced by cachexia induced factors (CIFs). The results show that a 3D culture is an appropriate tool for studying WAT modeling ex vivo and may be useful for functional screens to identify bioactive molecules for individual adipose cell populations applications and aid the discovery of WAT-based cell anticachectic therapy.
Living organisms are composed of cells in 3D microenvironments with cell-cell and cell-matrix interplay and elaborate transport dynamics for nutrients and cells1,2. However, most of the fundamental knowledge gained in cell biology has been generated using monolayer cell culture (2D). Although 2D culture can answer some of the mechanistic questions, this approach inadequately recapitulates the natural environment within which cells reside and may be incompatible with predicting a complex drug response1. Moreover, cells sense their physical surroundings through mechanotransduction. Indeed, mechanical forces are translated to biochemical signals that ultimately influence gene expression patterns and the cell's fate. In the last few decades, 3D tissue culture has emerged as a new in vitro tool that can mimic the in vivo microenvironment with greater fidelity. This can avoid some mechanistic pitfalls generated by in vitro 2D approaches3.
Cancer cachexia (CC) is defined as a syndrome with multiple manifestations, causing a marked multi-organ metabolic imbalance. During cachexia development, WAT undergoes numerous morphological changes resulting in increased adipocyte lipolysis, accumulation of immune cells, reduction in adipogenesis, progenitor cell population changes, and an increase in "niches" containing beige/brite cells (beige remodeling)4. However, recapitulating the mechanism by which cachexia affects WAT remodeling using in vitro models presents a significant technical challenge. Indeed, a few studies that attempted investigation of tumor/tissue communication have used monolayer in vitro cell culture (2D), circumventing the complexity of the 3D microenvironment of WAT.
Although several experimental approaches generate 3D culture, three different assembly methods are preferred to produce adipospheroids: magnetic levitation or printing5, hanging drop6, and Matrigel-scaffold systems7. Despite being appropriate for adipospheroids, these systems have advantages and disadvantages and should be chosen according to each experimental design's characteristics. Based on the limitations mentioned above, the magnetic printing method was used to generate 3D cell cultures5. This method uses a magnetic nanoparticle assembly consisting of gold nanoparticles and iron oxide, making the printing method suitable for most cell types. Here, 3D cell cultures were used to induce adipogenesis, and CIFs were used to reproduce CC's environmental condition.
1. Incubation of 2D cells with magnetic nanoparticles
2. Creating 3D cultures with spheroid assembly in 96-well plates
3. White adipogenesis induction
4. Production of Lewis lung carcinoma conditioned medium ( LLC-CM)
Adipospheroids from 3D culture of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells
Both 3D and confluent 2D cultures were set up with the same numbers of SVF cells from the same mouse inguinal WAT preparation (Figure 1A, Figure 1B) and subjected to the same experimental protocol to compare gene expression marker. Spheroids stimulated with induction medium expanded over time. Figure 2B sho...
This protocol sets up a 3D cell culture system to study adipocyte differentiation in adipospheroids derived from primary SVF cells from WAT. Compared to conventional 2D adherent culture, this 3D system facilitates AT remodeling, which closely resembles in vivo conditions. In the last few years, studies have shown that culturing cells in 3D yields distinct cellular morphology and signaling compared to a 2D culture system3. Fibroblast morphology in 3D is different from that found in 2D
The authors declare that they have no competing financial interests.
This work was supported by grants from the NIH DK117161, DK117163 to SRF, and P30-DK-046200 to Adipose Biology and Nutrient Metabolism Core of Boston Nutrition and Obesity Research Center, and by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP) Grants: 2018/20905-1 and CNPq 311319/2018-1 to MLBJr.
Name | Company | Catalog Number | Comments |
3-Isobutyl-1-methylxanthine | Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA) | I-5879 | Cell culture |
96-Well Bioprinting Kit, black | Greiner (Monroe, NC, USA) | 655841 | Cell culture |
Alexa Fluor 647 AffiniPure F(ab')2 Fragment Donkey Anti-Rabbit IgG (H+L) | Jackson ImmunoResearch | 711-606-152 | Immunofluorescence staining, secondary, 1:400 in TBS with 0.1% Tween-20 |
CELL CULTURE MICROPLATE, 96 WELL, PS, F-BOTTOM, µCLEAR, BLACK, CELLSTAR, CELL-REPELLENT SURFACE, LID, STERILE, 8 PCS./BAG | Greiner (Monroe, NC, USA) | 655976 | Cell culture |
Dexamethasone | Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA) | D-1756 | Cell culture |
DMEM | Corning (Manassas, VA, USA) | 10-017-CV | Cell culture |
Fetal Bovine Serum (Tova) | Gemini Bio (West Sacramento, CA) | 100-500 | Cell culture |
Indomethacin | Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA) | I-7378 | Cell culture |
Insulin | Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA) | I0516 | Cell culture |
LL/2 (LLC1) (ATCC CRL-1642) | American Type Culture Collection (Manassas, VA, USA) | CRL-1642 | Lewis Lung Carcinoma cell line |
NanoShuttle-PL | Greiner (Monroe, NC, USA) | 657843 | Cell culture |
NucBlue Fixed Cell ReadyProbes Reagent (DAPI) | ThermoFisher (Waltham, MA, USA) | R37606 | Immunofluorescence staining, following the manufacturer's instructions |
Pen strep | Corning (Manassas, VA, USA) | 30-002-CI | Cell culture |
Perilipin-1 (D1D8) XP Rabbit mAb | Cell Signaling Technology (Danvers, MA, USA) | 9349 | Immunofluorescence staining, primary, 1:1000 in TBS with 0.1% Tween-20 |
Rosiglitazone | Sigma-Aldrich (St. Louis, MO, USA) | R-2408 | Cell culture |
Trypsin-EDTA, 0.05% | Corning (Manassas, VA, USA) | 25-052-CI | Cell culture |
Reverse-transcription PCR primers | |||
Primer | Forward | Reverse | |
Adipoq | GTTCCCAATGTACCCATTCGC | TGTTGCAGTAGAACTTGCCAG | |
Col4a1 | TCCAAGGGCGAAGTGGGTTT | ACCCTTGCTCGCCTTTGACT | |
Cyclophilin a | ATGGCACTGGCGGCAGGTCC | TTGCCATTCCTGGACCCAAA | |
Fabp4 | TGGTGACAAGCTGGTGGTGGAATG | TCCAGGCCTCTTCCTTTGGCTCA | |
Fn1 | GCTTCCCCAACTGGTTACCCT | GGGTTGGTGATGAAGGGGGT | |
Pgc1a | GAAAACAGGAACAGCAGCAGAG | GGGGTCAGAGGAAGAGATAAAG | |
Ucp1 | TCCTAGGGACCATCACCACCC | AGCCGGCTGAGATCTTGTTTCC | |
Mouse genotyping | |||
Primer name | Description | Sequence | |
Cre F | Generic Cre forward | GCG GTC TGG CAG TAA AAA CTA TC | |
Cre R | Generic Cre reverse | GTG AAA CAG CAT TGC TGT CAC TT | |
oIMR7318 | mT/mG forward | CTC TGC TGC CTC CTG GCT TCT | |
oIMR7319 | mT/mG wild type reverse | CGA GGC GGA TCA CAA GCA ATA | |
oIMR7320 | mT/mG mutant reverse | TCA ATG GGC GGG GGT CGT T | |
WH336 | UCP1 mutant forward | CAA TCT GGG CTT AAC GGG TCC TC | |
WH337 | UCP1 mutant reverse | GTT GCA TCG ACC GGT TAA TGC AG | |
WH338 | UCP1 wild type forward | GGT CAG CCT AAT TAG CTC TGT | |
WH339 | UCP1 wild type reverse | GAT CTC CAG CTC CTC CTC TGT C |
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